There is also a selection of a half dozen different kinds of small sandwiches from which to choose, the better to help tide you over until dinner. We went on a tour of the Zenith's galley and learned some interesting facts, most of which I would presume to be applicable in varying degrees to the entire cruise industry. First of all, Chandris, owner of Celebrity, operates the ship and employs the crew that steers it through the water. On the other hand, the food service is catered under subcontract to a company called Apollo, who are supposedly the largest such operation in the world. The cooks, the food servers and the restaurant management staff all work for Apollo.
Celebrity are just one of many customers.
I suppose it's a lot like the airline industry in that respect. The cruise lines specifies the quality of the food, but the caterer bears the responsibility for assuring that the specified standards are met. It's a big business. We were told that by law no food can be taken on board en route. There is no method, say, for picking up local fresh fish at the ports along the way.