Dining is more than just consuming food, it’s an experience that engages not just the sense of taste, but also of sight, touch and smell (you can even add the sense of hearing if you are able to enjoy a good conversation and music while dining!). With that, you should seriously consider your choices for restaurant flatware and dinnerware so that these complement your food.
A great set of dinnerware and flatware not just gives your tables and restaurant a harmonized look and create the right ambiance. This also serves to make a good impression on your clients and guests.
When choosing your tableware, you should consider the following:
- Coordination with the overall design. What’s your restaurant concept and motif? Your tableware should complement your theme, as well as the overall design. For instance, if your restaurant mainly serves Chinese cuisine, then the patterns and designs of your dinnerware should match this look. Perhaps you can go for dinnerware with red and gold accents. Or, if you have an Italian restaurant, then your dinnerware should be reminiscent of utensils to be found in la cucinaItaliana in Rome.
- Durability. Remember, you don’t plan to use these for just a few times. These should bear up against heavy use and industrial dishwashing. Dishes that are for home use tend to crack and chip with the heavy wear and tear brought about by catering or restaurant use.
- Attractiveness. How good does the dinnerware look? Again, the fact that dining is a multi-sensory experience comes into play when you choose the colors and textures of your dinnerware.
One important thing to remember is that you are in a business. You need to have a balance among design, attractive, durability and cost.
Buying Flatware
When making your flatware selections, you usually have a choice between silverware and stainless steel. Silverware is more delicate and very expensive. As for stainless steel, you can choose between 18/0 and 18/10 flatware. The first number indicates the chromium content (which gives the flatware its stain and rust-resistant properties) while the second number indicates the nickel content (which provides the flatware with its shine). The remaining numbers indicates the percent of composite steel (which provides the strength of the flatware). You should also consider the heaviness of the flatware. Of course, the heavier the silverware, the more resistant it is to bending and breakage.
Another consideration is that although 18/10 flatware is better, it is also considerably more expensive. You should weigh the need for quality with the possibility of loss due to theft or someone in your staff inadvertently losing it or throwing it out.
After considering the quality, your next concern would be the design. Look at the different silverware patterns and choose one that complements the rest of your dinnerware.
Buying Dinnerware
As a general rule, white plates are visually appealing. Choose the ones that are wider as this provides you with better plating design opportunities. You can choose from:
- Vitrified china. This is glass fired at high temperature and makes it strong and resistant to cracking and changes in temperature.
- Polycarbonate. This is a mix of carbon plastics and polyester and is very durable.
- Tempered glass. This is toughened glass that is very resistant to breakage. If it does break, it cracks in very small pieces.
You can also consider getting some melamine dinnerware for not-so-formal settings. Melamine is durable enough to stand up to the rigorous requirements of restaurants and catering services while maintaining its looks as these are stain and scratch resistant. Melamine dinnerware also comes in an amazing variety of colors and textures. You will surely find many designs that perfectly fit your restaurant’s overall concept or motif. Melamine is also very affordable.
Some may think that dinnerware is an inconsequential detail – but in the food business, details are important! Your customers will notice and appreciate your efforts. Lionsdeal offers excellent deals not just on discount flatware but a host of other wholesale kitchen equipment and commercial kitchenware.
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