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Well, it’s officially feeling like summer weather in Ontario. We’ve had temperature highs up into the high 20s / low 30s over the past week with this week looking just as nice. This means prime opportunity to eat outdoors – whether that means hosting golfers poolside or on the patio or a large event such as a tournament, corporate picnic or wedding. Because the weather is hot, ensuring the food being served is safe for patrons is of utmost importance – and something that requires more attention and work then cooking inside a temperature-regulated establishment.

Here are some tips and tools to use when serving food outside in hot weather:

Before and During Transport:

1. Place raw meats in a separate cooler from prepared foods such as salads, raw vegetables etc. and make sure everything is well wrapped and kept separate from each other (i.e. meat wrapped together, poultry wrapped together, fish wrapped together)

2. All food that isn’t pre-cooked needs to be kept cold at 40 degrees F or below to prevent bacteria growth – use ice packs or ice, cooler and/or an insulated food pan carrier. Pre-cooked foods need to be kept at or above 140 degrees F – use a heated food pan carrier which allows you to hold the food at a consistent temperature.

3. Clean all fruits and vegetables prior to packing – you may not have an operating sink and proper cleaning supplies at your disposal.

When Serving:

4. Hot food needs to be kept at 140 degrees F or above – utilizing a chafing dish, warming pan or slow cooker.

5. Make sure there are plenty of serving utensils so each dish has a serving spoon or serving fork and no cross-contamination occurs.

6. Cold foods should be kept on ice to ensure they are kept at a temperature of 40 degrees or lower – you can utilize a Fill n Chill Party Table, a Fill n Chill Little Chiller or putting items on ice.

7. If you’re storing cold foods in a cooler, keep separate from beverages as the drinks will be accessed more frequently than the foods – leading to the food temperature rising.

8. All food shouldn’t be left out for more than 2 hours if outside temperature is between room temperature and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep a close eye on the temperature because if the temperature rises above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, food can’t be left out for more than 1 hour.

Sources: Whole Foods – Serving Prepared Foods Safely, US Food & Drug Administration – Eating Outdoors, Handling Food Safely

To date we have written a blog post comparing clear Chiavari chairs to resin chiavari chairs, aluminum Chiavari chairs to resin Chiavari chairs and wood Chiavari chairs with resin Chiavari chairs. We did this to shed light on the pros and cons of each product so buyer’s interested in purchasing Chiavari chairs could have an understanding of what they’re purchasing. There are a lot of different options out there – within the resin Chiavari chair category there are 4 different kinds of chairs. Having a complete understanding of the product your business will buy helps to ensure you’re getting the Chiavari chair that best meets your needs. This next blog post in the series discusses the difference between aluminum Chiavari chairs versus wood Chiavari chairs in an easy to consume list format.

Aluminum Chiavari Chairs:

• Lightweight chairs – generally less than 10lbs per chair
• Seams may be spot welded instead of fully welded
• 1.5mm thickness and hollow
• Because of the softness of the metal, seats tend to feature permanent cushions with fixed plywood base to avoid seat damage
• Metal material shows scratches with bare metal
• Water can cause damage to finish
• Often, only 1 horizontal chair rail instead of the traditional 2 horizontal chair rails
• 1 horizontal chair rail instead of 2 allows aluminum chair to stack easier
• Aluminum is a softer metal which can subject the chair to more give
• Aluminum can be (not in all cases) a more expensive metal

Wood Chiavari Chairs:

• The original Chiavari chair was made of wood and for many it is the clear winner
• Lightweight chair – around 10lbs
• Can be bought in a knocked down or assembled format
• Scratches and chips show the natural wood colour underneath
• Easily sanded and re-stained or painted
• A ton of colours available due to the nature of wood – can be stained a variety of colours that allow the wood grain to show through, or painted solid colours
• Factory assembled wood Chiavari’s will be the strongest most durable – knocked down chairs often have screws come loose
• Traditional 2 horizontal chair rails
• Water can cause damage to the finish
• Traditional Chiavari chair seat

Chiavari chairs are one of the best event chairs you can purchase because they have a relatively small footprint. Because each chiavari chair has a small footprint it allows for more chairs to fit around a table and more tables and chairs to fit in the event room = more revenue for the event venue and/or party rental company.

A resin chiavari chair measures 16 inches in width by 16 inches in depth while a wood chiavari chair measures 15 ½ inches in width by 15 ½ inches in depth.

To comfortably seat people around a 72 inch round table, 9 chiavari chairs fit around it.

If you’re looking to maximize the space and the venue (and don’t care if guests have to straddle table legs – in the case of a plastic folding table), 10-11 chiavari chairs fit around a 72 inch round table.

For over a year we’ve had a two wheel hand truck for stacking chairs and banquet chairs in stock. This was a good solution for many organizations as it allowed them to pick the kind of wheel they bought – customizing the cart based on whether they were planning to use the cart on grass, on pavement or both.

It isn’t a traditional banquet chair dolly and there are some that prefer the banquet chair dollies with protective carpet to help protect the banquet chair frames.

I’m pleased to announce we now have banquet chair dollies in our Mississauga warehouse with protective carpeting.

The stacking chair cart measures 49.25" H x 28.25" W x 25.5" D and allows for the easy and efficient transport of banquet chairs and other stacking chairs. It features a plush carpeted back and cart bottom to protect the banquet chair frames. It has an assembled weight of 20.2 lbs, allows stacks of up to 8 chairs to go through a standard door and has sturdy wheels for easy maneuvering.

We have had stemmed water glasses in our Eclisse glassware line for a while now. We also have two crystal water glasses – the Serenity 14oz crystal water glass and the Victoria 10oz crystal old fashioned glass (which can double as a water glass). There’s always a demand for more stemmed water glasses though – it’s one of the most used glasses in an entire restaurant/banquet hall/golf club and one of the most rented glassware items out there.

I’m pleased to announce our new Copa 10oz Stemmed Water Glass – now in stock at our Mississauga Warehouse.

The Copa Glassware Collection provides classic teardrop wine glasses and a stemmed water glass for events of all sizes. The two stemmed wine glasses give you the option of providing guests with a larger red wine glass and a smaller white wine glass. The stemmed water glass allows a generous serving of water or even soft drinks.

Additional Details:

• Dishwasher safe
• Sturdy barrels and stems
• Machine made for Quality and Consistency
• Rounded Rim
• Made in China
• 10 oz volume