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With the restaurant industry as crowded as it is, differentiating your establishment based on your food plating could give an extra edge against the competition. Crystal martini glasses are a versatile tool that can be used with a rectangular platter or flat round plate without a rim to wow your guests into becoming evangelical customers or at the very least repeat customers. Everyone can use some additional sources of inspiration – so without further ado here’s some restaurant menu items that should get your creative juices flowing!

What about a new take on an old classic? Rochester University, ranked one of the best universities for food, offers mashed potato “martinis” with fried chicken and barbeque sauces to students.

Photo credit: Rochester University

Use crystal martini glasses as a way of presenting individual brownie trifles to your guests as a dessert option. Full recipe for this lovely dish available at Better Homes and Gardens Magazine website.

Photo credit: Better Homes & Gardens Magazine Delish Dish Blog

LJC Restaurants in the Philippines have introduced six new appetizers to their menu, one of which is a fried breaded shrimp with creamy aioli in a crystal martini glass. Martini glasses are often used for shrimp cocktail, however this is a different take on the traditional non-breaded shrimp with marinara sauce.

Photo Credit: LJC Restaurants

What about offering a soup served in a martini glass with some warm breads as a compliment? Food Network and Celebrity Chef Giada De Laurentiis vamps up a Watermelon and Cucumber soup with a spike of Vodka! Recipe and video located here.

Photo credit: Today Show and Giada De Laurentiis

Then there’s this restaurant offer, straight out of a molecular gastronomy dinner put on by Bravo! Restaurant in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The chef served among other innovative wonders, a Smoked Salmon filet under an inverted martini glass with Cucumber Gelee, featuring lingering applewood smoke.

Photo Credit: Bradley Pines | Kalamazoo Gazette

I hope that some of these dishes stir your creative juices and start you thinking about all the innovative ways you can showcase your food using a crystal martini glass.

If you're in the Party Rental industry, and either looking to get into tablecloth rentals or already including them in your rental inventory, having high-performing commercial laundry equipment will not only save you (or your staff) a lot of time, but also a lot of money on utilities and labour. Even though we don't offer commercial laundry equipment ourselves, because we sell to the party rental industry, we get asked from time to time what the best commercial laundry equipment for party rental companies in Canada are. I thought a blog post showcasing who specialize in the Party Rental Industry as one of their dedicated markets. Read on for who live and die in providing high-performance commercial laundry machines for the event rental industry.

Continental Girbau

Continental Girbau has 5 different lines of commercial washers and 3 different lines of commercial dryers that should service the varying levels of party rental businesses. Their commercial washers-extractors range from singleload to 255 pound capacities with the ability to complete up to 24 cycles a day. The washers have a life expectancy of 10-20 years ensuring you receive a good return on your investment, and are designed to drive down water, electrical and gas costs. They feature high-speed extraction to reduce dry-time, operating time, utility consumption and labour expense and feature a 3 year limited parts warranty and 5 year key component warranty. Their commercial dryers range in capacity from singleload to 175 pounds. They feature radial airflow that helps ensure maximum load separation for big loads and bulky items and provides quick even drying. They also have stackable commercial dryers to minimize the footprint of your commercial laundry equipment. They have distributors in Canada serving British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec available through their website.

Milnor

Milnor offers washer-extractors to reduce labour costs, save on linen replacement costs, save energy, save water and lower a party rental companies total cost of ownership. Milnor's commercial washers range in capacity from 25 – 700 pounds and are designed for durability and ease of use. Designed to reduce utility bills by reducing peak electricity amperage, they offer a RinSave Water Saver feature that eliminates up to two complete rinses – meaning fewer cycles and faster turnaround. Engineered to ensure no costly rewashes. Their commercial dryers are designed for high productivity with airflow that ensures the linen dries quickly so there's no dryer holds. Plus their dryers are more compact and save more space than other dryers because they're front-serviceable – meaning they can be installed close to walls, and other machines. Milnor commercial laundry equipment is available through hundreds of dealers across Canada – whose locations can be accessed here.

Unimac

Unimac prides themselves on working closely with their party rental customers to identify and address any key concerns they face every day with regards to commercial laundry equipment. They also offer financing options for their products via UniMac Funding. Their commercial washers save time and maximize the amount of linens that are turned around – allowing many to be sent directly to the ironer bypassing the dryer step entirely. Their washers range in capacity from 20 – 275 pounds and like the other companies, help to deliver reduced costs and optimized throughput while improving utility costs. They also boast on their website that they have the industry’s lowest cost of ownership. Unimac distributes in Canada through a number of distributors. You can find one in your area here.

Hopefully this helps you narrow down a short list of commercial laundry equipment suppliers to begin your purchase journey on. If there’s anyone we’ve missed that you feel deserves a mention, comment on this post so we can update it!

Spandex table covers are a fantastic way to create a sleek, modern base for your event décor. They hide a wood or plastic folding table, have reinforced feet to avoid ripping and can be washed, stored and put back on with no wrinkling. This can be a huge time saver in an industry where every second counts in getting an event together. When a business such as a party rental company, banquet hall or hotel is looking to purchase 6ft spandex table covers, one of the first things they need to know is how much they cost. Unfortunately for Canadians, there isn't a huge number of stores that sell spandex table covers which can make it hard to budget and purchase these event items. We've rounded up the average cost range you can expect to pay for a 6ft spandex table cover so you can begin the process of budgeting for your next purchase.

6ft spandex table covers come in a wide assortment of colours. The most popular colour by far is a black spandex table cover because of its versatility in working with most other colours. You can also find spandex table covers in white, ivory, blue, green, and red. If you’re a business looking to use spandex table covers for a trade show or other event, we've sold to companies who imprint on the table covers so companies can receive custom branding on their spandex table cover.

A 6ft spandex table cover, regardless of its colour, varies in price from $29.95 to $129.65. These prices are exclusive of taxes and any shipping costs that might apply. Average range for shipping costs will vary depending on the amount of spandex table covers purchased and where you need them shipped to. Budget anywhere from $3.50 - $10.00 per table cover on shipping to be safe.

Tuesday night I had the pleasure of attending my first International Special Events Society (ISES) Toronto event at the Grand Luxe Event Boutique. From the moment I walked into the room I knew this networking event was going to succeed my expectations. From the venue décor to the energy in the room this event had a buzz that I've never experienced before. The networking itself was phenomenal for an ambivert like me – who needs to warm up a bit to people before I come out of my shell. I was greeted by no less than 7 people in the short networking time available and got a chance to speak with Past President Julie Danaylov of A2D2 – Aerial Dance Cirque Company – who made me feel right at home. She mentioned that King Dahl was going to blow my hair back – and he did just that.

Image Source: MGM Resorts Event Productions Tempo NYE 2012

For those unfamiliar with King Dahl, Executive Director of Events for MGM Resorts Event Productions, he manages a 100+ person award-winning team who designs and produces 1000+ events annually with a 100,000 square foot warehouse for props, scenery and décor elements. He is an expert at taking his passion for art, design, environmental aesthetics and music and creating distinctive and innovative design concepts for thousands including celebrities in film, sports and music, Fortune 500 companies and charitable foundations. He's quite an impressive event producer and a top notch speaker.

To impart some of the wisdom he shared with us, I've compiled 10 shareable quotes for you to share with your colleagues on events.

On Hiring: “Put the right people on the bus – in the right seats of the bus” - @kingdahl

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“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten” - @kingdahl

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“The one true constant is how powerful cooperation and collaboration can be” - @kingdahl

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“Innovation comes from studying well beyond your core business.” - @kingdahl

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“Excellence isn’t a goal. It’s where to begin” - @kingdahl

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“Focus your team on 100% accountability. 0% excuses” - @kingdahl

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“Avoid OPUD – over-promising and under-delivering” - @kingdahl

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“Communicate clearly & concisely. The clearer you are with people the less chance for failure” - @kingdahl

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“Never stop learning – you will never know it all. No one does.” - @kingdahl

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“Imagine the ideas that can come from being open to new people with new experiences” - @kingdahl

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Photo Source: Buffetenhancements.com

In the foodservice industry, there are two different types of chafer pans: stainless steel food pans and porcelain chafing dish inserts. Stainless steel has long been the chosen type of chafer pan, however porcelain chafing dish pans have been growing in popularity. To help with purchasing decisions regarding whether to buy a stainless steel or porcelain food pan I've compared the two below for easy reference:

Stainless Steel Food Pans:

• Dishwasher-Safe with most manufacturers recommending hand-drying the pan immediately after the rinse cycle or hand-washing and drying to preserve the original finish
• Not Microwave-Safe
• Food Pans are Oven-Safe Up to 390˚F (198˚C) however prolonged oven use at high temperatures may cause discolouration.
• Prolonged exposure to high heat settings may cause your chafing dish to discolour. A stainless steel cleanser and non-abrasive cloth should refresh the metal
• Warping can occur if placed on cold surfaces or immersed in cold water when hot.
• Food cannot be left or stored in food pan for long periods of time. As well, superficial pitting may occur if very salty or acidic foods are left in the pan.
• Lightweight
• Generally less expensive than porcelain

Porcelain Food Pans:

• Dishwasher-Safe
• Microwave-Safe
• Oven-Safe Up to with no discolouration
• Non-warping
• Food can be left or stored in food pan for long periods of time.
• Heavier than stainless steel
• More expensive than stainless steel
• Easier to break than Stainless steel

Generally whether an event venue or caterer choose porcelain or stainless steel is a matter of personal preference of the company. There's some companies that swear only porcelain will do while others would consider porcelain sacrilege. Hopefully this comparison will help you decide what your company prefers and the benefits and drawbacks of each.