THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHAPTER he best opportunities for advancement rood service are in om rations Stalled spec such as marketers, accountants, and human resources people, all play an role in the important top service industry, but most restaurant chains or site operations have operations people in the jobs. An independent restaurant operator is, first and loren os, an operations executive who often does most ot the stati speciali. work as well indeed, many senior exec itives boast ol having started at the bottom in food service operations lor instance, this is a comm trait a ng McDonald's execu- tives Although their time spent washing or other unskilled jobs may liave been onl a few months- dis es perfor executives at that kind of operational perhaps during a summer vacation- many experience helps them understand the work of the employees they lead In this chapter, we develop an overview o the all important topic ol restaurant operations Theopening section revicws e ley responsi ial areas and describes a typical day in the of food service This should help you to start thinking about the paths to advaocement that best suit you The chapter concludes with a section on prolitability in rood service operations and a summary or the elements of financial statements. These statements are iised to Irack operating results, that is income, expenses, and pro THIS CHAPTER SHOULD HELP YOU l. Identify the three main divisions o activity found in estaurant operations and summarize their respective roles 2, Explain the Iwo basic approaches to making a prolit and how these approaches affect the various stakeholders 3 Understand the primary lools used to measure financial results in lood service operations 1. Appreciate the various aspects ol the restaurant business that make it both challenging and rewarding