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We have been in the special event equipment business since 1992 and have naturally found an easy transition into restaurant supply and catering supply. Since introducing dinnerware and stainless steel flatware back in the middle of the 90’s we have become familiar with the best flatware suppliers in Canada so we’re able to better understand what the market wants in terms of the best flatware. Here are the best flatware suppliers in Canada for party rental companies, restaurants and caterers.

1. Oneida Flatware:

Oneida has long been a leader in the stainless steel flatware industry and as such can charge premium pricing with a solid brand name to back them. Oneida Flatware is manufactured by Oneida and sold through large department and big box stores, through restaurant supply stores such as Hamilton Store Fixtures, and other foodservice distributors.

2. Nella Cutlery:

Nella is a well-known Toronto restaurant supply store who manufactures restaurant equipment and distributes a number of other cutlery manufacturers including Winco, Vollrath, Tableware Solutions as well as our distributing our next supplier, Browne.

3. Browne Foodservice:

Browne & Co has been around for more than 50 years and manufactures stainless steel cutlery along with additional tableware products. They also distribute numerous US and European brands throughout North America.

4. Sysco:

Sysco is a global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. Sysco sells 3 different patterns of stainless steel flatware in a 5 pc table setting.

Always make sure that when you’re buying the best flatware, you’re looking at the following:

• The durability of the product
• The value of the product
• The quality of the product
• The availability of the product

Monday morning started off with another container. The warehouse staff have been hard at work offloading it and getting orders ready for customers. This container includes a shipment of our cruiser tables – a staple to any standing cocktail reception or wedding.

Our wood cruiser tables have been out of stock for a little over a month so we are ecstatic to finally have them back in stock in time for the busy event season in Canada. Available in Square and Round Wood Table Tops of 24”, 30” or 36” dimensions, the cruiser tables can be purchased at a height of 30” high or 42 1/2” high. We also have the ability to buy all pieces of the cruiser tables separately in case you want to buy one table top and both a 30" high and 42 1/2" high pole or if you lose a cruiser table base in transportation or rental.

Last week we received another container in of our folding cocktail tables. Our cocktail tables have a plastic table top of 32” in diameter and can be purchased in a 30” high or 42” high table. They are dramatically easier to set up and tear down as they are folding and do not have the multiple parts a cruiser table has.

McCourt Manufacturing and Palmer Snyder have been industry leaders in plywood folding tables for years. When prospects come to National Event Supply to buy our wood banquet tables, we’re often asked who our competitors are. Without further ado, here’s a comparison between two of our competitors:

McCourt Manufacturing ProRent™ Banquet Tables:

• 3/4" plywood tables
• Bolt-through construction
• Vinyl bull nose edging t-style black vinyl or aluminum superedge for maximum durability
• Commercial grade plywood stained a medium oak colour
• Polycoat finish with 3mm thickness on top and 1.5mm on bottom
• Solid hardwood rails
• Legs are fully welded 16 gauge 1" diameter tubing with braces of 11 gauge stamped steel
• Standard leg style is wishbone
• Detent leg locks secure in the open and closed positions
• Leg finished with black powder coating
• Non-marring glides
• Table weight ranges from 19 – 100lbs
• 37 different sizes in a variety of different shapes
• Manufactured in USA and ships from USA
• 2 year limited warranty against manufacturing defects under normal use. McCourt will repair or replace (at their option) at no charge; customer assumes all freight

Palmer Snyder 200 Series Banquet Tables:

• 5/8" plywood thickness
• C Channel aluminum edges
• Space saver folding legs available for compact storage
• Gravity lock folding legs
• Walnut sealer stain
• UV polycoat
• 100% bolt-thru construction
• Low profile hardwood runners
• Standard 30" high; 29" and adjustable height options
• 25 different sizes in a variety of different shapes
• Table weight ranges from 23lbs – 80lbs
• Manufactured in USA and ships from USA
• Party Rental warranty on banquet tables is limited to one year

While McCourt Manufacturing and Palmer Snyder both have been making tables for years, we’ve done testing to see how strong our tables are – to ensure they’re the most durable for the party rental market. Check out how strong our 8ft rectangle wood folding tables are in this blog post.

You may or may not be aware that the term Resin Chiavari Chair does not always necessarily mean the same product from one supplier to another. When looking at resin chiavari chairs for sale, there are 4 separate kinds of chiavari chairs that fall under the product name Resin Chiavari Chair (at least that we are currently aware of).

Knocked Down Resin Chiavari Chair:

The first type of resin chiavari chair is a knocked down resin chiavari chair. This type of resin chiavari chair is shipped unassembled, in a flat format – requiring assembly once delivered. Pros of this type of chair typically includes a lower shipping cost associated with the product due to it being knocked down. Cons of this product include a lot of manual labour required to put all those chairs together, especially if your organization requires a large number for an event. Also, you will never get the screws as tight as a factory assembled resin chiavari chair and will need to continually be aware of how loose or tight the screws are.

Resin Chiavari Chair Without Steel Support Frame:

The second type of resin chiavari chair is a resin chiavari chair without steel support frame inside the chair. Pros of this chair include its lower cost than resin chiavari’s with steel frames, a lighter chair due to the lack of steel structure and a tighter screw due to the factory assembly process. Cons of this product includes lack of durability especially surrounding the chair back or legs. It isn’t uncommon for guests to tip chairs back when listening to speeches and a lack of a steel frame makes the chair much more susceptible to breakage.

Resin Chiavari Chair With Steel Support Frame:

The third type of resin chiavari chair is a resin chiavari chair with steel support frame. These chairs have a welded steel frame at their core and the resin molded around the frame.

Pros include a sturdy, more durable chair often capable of holding over 1000lbs while looking identical to the popular wood chiavari chair. Cons include a more expensive chair due to the steel core addition and a heavier chair. It is nearly impossible to determine a resin chiavari chair with vs. without a steel support frame so a supplier should be able to prove this to you by showing you a cross section of their resin chiavari chair or shipping you a sample for inspection (for a small cost of course).

Single Mold Resin Chiavari Chair:

The fourth type of resin chiavari chair is a single mold resin chiavari chair. This chair has no joints to it as it is manufactured as a single piece. Pros of the single mold resin Chiavari chair include its cost (it is the cheapest of the four types of resin chiavari chairs) and it’s lightweight. Cons of the chair include the fact the single mold doesn’t allow for a fully circular leg and horizontal rails which discerning brides won’t like as much as it doesn’t look like a “true” chiavari chair.

Also, depending on the manufacturer/supplier you will need to be careful on the type of chair seat as they could come with a flat seat which has a dramatically different look than the traditional chiavari chair seat.

On top of all the different kinds of resin chiavari chairs - there is now another variable that needs to be asked. Is the resin underneath the top coat of colour similar to the colour of the top coat - or white? Resin chiavari chairs with white cores (whether they also have steel support frames or not) can lower the cost of the chair because white resin is the cheapest resin to produce. That being said, white resin cores will show scratches and chips much more than resin chiavari chairs with a similar colour core as the top coat. 

Here at National Event Supply we stock resin chiavari chairs with steel support frames and similar colour resin cores. This means a gold or silver resin chiavari chair you buy from us will show less wear and tear because of the similar colour core. We stock the resin chiavari chairs we stock because we consider them to be among the best Chiavari chairs available for commercial use in the market. They are also the most durable, quality resin chiavari chairs available on the market.

Throughout the party rental, restaurant and foodservice industry there is always talk about porcelain dinnerware, china dinnerware, and ceramic dinnerware. But ever wondered what the difference is between the three different terms? This blog post will clear up any confusion related to the term porcelain, china and ceramic.

The formal definition of china dinnerware is a fine white or translucent vitrified ceramic material. The word was originally founded to refer to where “china” was originally made – the country China. Chinese china dinnerware dates back to the 1600 – 1046BC range and it wasn’t until the 16th century, when Chinese porcelains were held in such high esteem in Europe that the word china became a commonly used synonym for the term Porcelain. China dishes are made by heating kaolin clay (among other materials) to temperatures between 1200C – 1400C which bring out the durability, strength and translucence of the material. Note that china dinnerware is not to be confused with fine china or bone china dinnerware which is a separate category comprised of clay and bone ash.

The formal definition of porcelain dinnerware is a white vitrified translucent ceramic; china. The word porcelain came into existence (according to the Oxford Dictionary) in the mid-16th century from the French word porcelaine and Italian word porcellana. One could argue the word came into existence once European companies started producing china / porcelain as a way to distinguish the location where the dinnerware was made.

The formal definition of ceramic dinnerware is “made of clay and permanently hardened by heat”. As both china and porcelain includes this as part of their definitions, one can consider ceramic to be interchangeably used with porcelain and china dinnerware.