Blog posts from April, 2015

We are the first to admit that no product is perfect but the product is perfect for your needs. What one company may hate, another company is in love with – especially in the events industry. Some party rental companies swear only by wood folding chairs while others swear only by resin folding chairs. What we like to do is educate and inform our prospects and customers of the pros and cons of products so they know exactly what type of product they’re dealing with before purchasing.

Event Chairs and Banquet tables can be quite a large purchase so we want to make sure our customers are able to choose the right product for their business. We’ve previously talked about the problems that exist with white resin folding chairs. Today’s post deals with the problems associated with Wood Folding Chairs.

1. Scratches show easily

Because wood folding chairs are made of pale wood and stained or painted to finish, event rental wear and tear by guests or transport can cause scratches to occur to the chair. Resin folding chairs don’t have the same problem as their colour is solid to the core. Some event rental companies prefer a wood folding chair though as wear and tear can be sanded and re-finished with a little work. Because of the nature of the material used, more general maintenance is required.

2. Don’t self-lock in place when stacked

Resin folding chairs are manufactured so that when they are stacked on top of one another they lock in place preventing movement. Wood folding chairs aren’t manufactured the same way and because of this don’t have the ability to lock in place when stacked on a chair cart. This can be rectified by a party rental company buying one or two ratcheting tie downs similar to this one from a home improvement store.

3. Can’t be left to the elements for long periods of time

Because the chairs are made of wood, they’re more susceptible to water damage, cracking and peeling than resin folding chairs. Pick up of the chairs needs to occur as soon after the event is finished to avoid any weather issues. Also if you don’t have dry indoor storage to store these chairs, you shouldn’t consider purchasing wood folding chairs.

Hopefully this post provides you with an idea of the issues you can expect with wood folding chairs.

We recently received a shipment featuring a number of new event tablecloths to add to our expanding inventory. Last year we introduced spandex cocktail table covers to our customer base and have continued adding additional colours to that product offering – now totaling 11 colours in stock. Companies who exhibit at trade shows, trade show decorators, corporations, party rental companies, event venues, hotels and golf courses have all taken advantage of the spandex cocktail table covers.

When we began planning for the new products to introduce for 2015 we decided that we wanted to continue expanding our spandex table cover product line. With that in mind, I’m pleased to introduce our new Spandex Table Toppers for wood and plastic cruiser tables.

The Spandex Table Toppers come in 9 different colours (Black, White, Ivory, Forest Green, Navy, Orange, Burgundy, Champagne, and Royal Blue) and are $10.50 each. Designed to fit a cruiser or cocktail table with a tabletop diameter of 30 inches to 32 inches, these spandex cocktail table toppers are perfect to extend the life of your existing spandex cocktail table covers or add a pop of colour to complement an event’s décor. They would also be perfect for corporations attending trade shows to show off their brand colours.

Table skirts are a staple for almost all tradeshows, banquet halls / event venues, hotels, golf courses and party rental companies. They work well for all registration desks, coat checks, exhibitor booths, buffet stations etc. If you’ve already been buying table skirts then this post isn’t really for you – unless you’re not happy with your original supplier. If you’re in the market to purchase table skirts, one of the most common things asked is where to buy table skirts in Canada? This post will round up 5 other suppliers besides National Event Supply, who also sell table skirts in Canada.

1. Textilehouse Canada

Based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Textilehouse Canada is a supplier of premium chair covers, table overlays, and other event linens in Canada. They also can work on custom-made products upon request.

2. Displays2Go.ca

Based in Rhode Island, Displays 2 go recently created a Canadian website to service Canada. Shipments still come from the US but pricing is all based in Canadian dollars. Displays2go.ca has the largest inventory that I know of tradeshow and display related products.

3. Canadian Hotel Supply

With several American locations, Canadian Hotel Supply is owned by American Hotel Register co, and co-leases warehouse space in Toronto and Vancouver to offer hotels, restaurants and other companies with table linens, table skirts and other foodservice & hospitality supplies.

4. Linen Tablecloth

While they are based in the United States, LinenTablecloth has a Canadian ecommerce site that allows event venues and others purchasing table skirts direct from their website. Shipping is out of Memphis, Tennessee and they will pay brokerage and duties associated with linens crossing the United States/Canada border (often a surprise cost associated with shipping linens from the US).

5. Sysco Guest Supply

Owned by foodservice giant Sysco, Sysco Guest Supply focuses on the hospitality sector only offering guest amenities, textiles and housekeeping products. No pricing or product selection is available online however they mention they have a wide array of colours and sizes of tablecloths and napkins which includes table skirts.

Hopefully one of these companies (if not us!) can help you find the table skirts you need.

There’s a constant debate in the foodservice industry over gas ranges vs electric ranges: what’s better, what has more problems, what costs what and so on. While we don’t actually sell commercial restaurant ranges, we sell restaurant tabletop supplies to restaurants across Canada and want to add value to our customers’ lives. Based on conversations with our customer’s the answer to what’s a better cooking method is: it depends. It depends on a chef’s upbringing, training, kitchen set up, restaurant menu and personal preference. To clarify, we’ll be talking about a range as commercial restaurant equipment which includes an oven + stovetop. What we’ll attempt to do in this post is share an unbiased pro and con list of commercial gas ranges versus commercial electric ranges so you can determine what makes the most sense for your back of the house needs.

Commercial Gas Ranges

Photo Source: Vulcan

Manufacturers include Garland, Wolf, Cooking Performance Group, Bakers Pride, Imperial, Vulcan and Southbend.

• Multiple configuration options including ovens, storage cabinets, griddles, broilers, and salamanders
• Available in 20” to 72” width
• 2-12 burners
• 0-2 ovens

Pros:

• More even stovetop heat for cooking
• Easy to gauge the precise level of heating on burners
• Less expensive to operate
• Instant, constant heat on burners

Cons:

• Can be more costly to install if gas line isn’t already there
• Higher risk of gas leaks
• Pilot light starters burn more gas than electronic starters as pilot lights are constantly burning blue flame near the burner. If the gas range has a pilot light starter, it would be more costly to operate and therefore a “con”
• Gas ovens produce a humid heat making it less optional for dry roasting

Commercial Electric Range

Photosource: Toastmaster

Manufacturers include Toastmaster, Garland, and Vulcan.

• Multiple configuration options including ovens, storage cabinets, griddles, and broilers
• Available in 36” to 60” width
• 6-10 burners

Pros:

• Easier to install
• Less costly to install
• Generally less expensive to purchase
• Easier to clean
• Dry Oven heat best for roasting
• Even heat distribution in oven for baking

Cons:

• Subject to power outages
• Stovetop slower to cool when turned off
• Stovetop slower to heat up when turned on
• More expensive to operate as it takes 3 times as much energy to produce and delivery electricity to your range than gas