Blog posts tagged with 'caterers'

With different varieties of restaurant quality flatware for full service restaurants and event rental, it can be confusing knowing the difference between all varieties as well as their standard usage. To make it easier for our customers and prospects who are full service restaurants and event rental we've pulled together this pro/con list for the difference between stainless steel flatware and silver plated flatware. This list should educate you on what to expect with each type of flatware so you can determine which best meets your organization's needs.

Stainless Steel Flatware

• Durable
• Low maintenance
• Rust and stain resistant
• Dishwasher safe
• Most frequently used in restaurant and event settings
• Wide range of patterns that function well in everything from casual to luxury atmospheres
• Available in 18/10 (highest quality), 18/8 and 18/0 (lowest quality) stainless steel compositions made of chromium and nickel
• Lasts 100 years with proper care
• Cost effective

Silver Plated Flatware

• Composed of layers of silver over another metal – oftentimes copper or brass
• More expensive than stainless steel
• Bright, shiny finish that is lighter
• Adds refinement to a table setting
• Generally used for higher-end events or expensive restaurants
• Requires hand-washing most often
• Should be polished occasionally to maintain lustre
• Needs to be stored properly to avoid corrosion or scratches
• Lasts 20 years or less with proper care depending on use.

This list should provide the general differences that exist between the two types of flatware. Using this list should help you decide which best meets your needs.

Crystal champagne flutes add to a restaurant's or event's aesthetics. They exude luxury and contribute to the look of the venue as well as the atmosphere. Having sold thousands of crystal stemware including crystal champagne flutes to party rental companies and restaurants across Canada, we understand the need to budget for crystal champagne flutes, especially for industries with such high turnover of the crystal stemware. We've answered the important question – how much are crystal champagne flutes in Canada – to provide an easy to reference guide for estimating costs as well as providing you with a benchmark when looking at a new supplier.

Cost of crystal champagne flutes

Crystal champagne flutes can be found almost everywhere as a number of retailers sell them – however – for the purpose of this post we will be looking at commercial retailers who sell to businesses only. These commercial retailers tend to feature less mark-ups than a traditional consumer retailer. In commercial establishments, champagne flutes in crystal range in price from $2.85 to $35.24. The range in cost is dependent on whether it’s man-made or machine made champagne flutes (man-made are more expensive), the volume of champagne the glass can handle (larger volume has a higher cost), whether it’s sold direct from the manufacturer and brand name.

Hopefully this guide will help you determine the approximate cost you’re willing to pay for your party rental company or restaurant.

So you live in Vancouver, BC and you’re looking for a way to lower your current restaurant costs for tabletop supplies. OR perhaps you’re looking to extend your budget by sourcing lower cost restaurant dishes or melamine serveware – whatever the situation may be, once you know you're ready to move forward, the next step is finding the right restaurant supply for the project.

Considering we've supplied hundreds of convention centers, hotel restaurants and full-service standalone restaurants in the Vancouver area over the past few years, as well as the fact that we've seen so many other restaurant supply stores and their products/service, we're happy to give our thoughts on some of the better restaurant supply stores in the city.

As you're likely aware, we at National Event Supply have been expanding our target market from nationwide party rental companies across Canada to restaurants. Selling direct to restaurants instead of through a distributor model allows us to offer the same quality tabletop supplies as the major brands, without all the middlemen taking a cut of the total cost. Although factory-direct wholesalers have been popping up to meet the restaurant industry’s needs for years, there are some occasions (due to kickbacks, one-stop shop, immediacy etc.) where a restaurant supply store makes sense over a wholesaler. In a case like this, we'd recommend you consider the following companies:

1. Puddifoot:

Based on Rand Avenue by Fraser River Park in Southlands, Puddifoot is well known for distributing very high-end dinnerware lines such as the Patra and Nikko brands as well as custom designs and productions by request.

2. Hendrix Foodservice Equipment:

Based out of Brockville, ON with two locations in British Columbia including one on the east side of the Trans-Canada Hwy, Hendrix Foodservice Equipment offers the largest one-stop shop collection on this list of foodservice equipment, food prep, smallwares, chef knives, tabletop & serving, furniture etc.

3. Pacific Restaurant Supply:

Based in the neighbourhood of Hastings on E Cordova Street in Vancouver, Pacific Restaurant Supply is not only a restaurant supply company but also help clients design and build their restaurants along with a full service custom stainless fabrication and installation company allowing custom installations.

So there you have it, an honest assessment of some of the best restaurant supply stores in Vancouver.

Questions or comments? Please feel free to leave your thoughts below.

It seems as though in the past few years there has been an onslaught of burger joints that have hit the foodservice scene. What more is there to say about this than “it’s about time guys”! Who doesn’t love a nice juicy burger? Add to that gourmet toppings, craft brews and fantastic atmospheres and you’ve got all the makings of a perfect meal. Burger-obsessed chefs already think burger thoughts throughout the day – why not bring burgers into all aspects of their lives? To celebrate the burger-obsessed chef in your life we’ve rounded up some of the best burger inspired Christmas gifts for you to get a jump start on your holiday season.

1. For those in need of some punchy décor to brighten up their burger restaurant – the ‘Slider’ Print

2. Obviously a burger inspired wardrobe is needed – Eat, Sleep, Burger T-Shirt

3. In the quest for the perfect burger, anything with bacon helps the cause – Skillet Bacon Spread

4. Burger squeaky toy for the animal loving burger chef

5. Definitely need an “I heart burgers” apron so the eat sleep burger t-shirt stays clean

6. I Love You Burger Temporary Tattoo – to declare their undying love

7. If the burger obsessed chef isn't already watching Bob's Burgers—he/she needs to—NOW

8. Road trips are always better when there’s a goal – how about 150 of the best burger joints in America? George Motz wrote a book called Hamburger America: A State-by-State Guide to 150 Great Burger Joints

9. For any thank you notes, gift cards for the restaurant or anything in between – a burger-obsessed chef needs a great quality notecard

10. No one can ever have enough socks—and burgers on your socks make for a great conversation starter

A little while back we profiled the top fall wedding trends for 2014 for our party rental, event venue, wedding planner or catering blog readers. We had 100 views of this slideshare presentation in a matter of a few weeks so we thought it was a topic that our readers were interested in seeing more of. Take a look below at the top winter wedding trends for 2014 that we're seeing across the industry. Also, feel free to share with any of your clients who are struggling to pull together the last of their weddings before their big days – or looking for inspiration for winter 2015!