Blog posts tagged with 'caterers'

Continuing with our expansion into the foodservice and restaurant industry, we’re once again exhibiting at The Connect Show November 3 – 4 2014 in Booth# 123/125. Taking place at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Connect Show brings together thousands of owners and operators of restaurants, hotels, pubs, bars, and more across BC to make lasting connections that drive business profitability and shape the future of the foodservice industry.

We have predominately sold to the party rental industry in the past and focus on supplying products (including event chairs, folding banquet tables, spandex and polyester table cloths, serveware, porcelain dinnerware, bone china dinnerware, stainless steel flatware, crystal and glass stemware) that are durable and allow this high turnover industry to make money. What makes our tabletop supplies so attractive to the restaurant industry is our ability to help foodservice and hospitality operators / owners make their tabletop budgets go further and focus their time and efforts on producing great food. What foodservice operator wouldn’t rather their staff members accidently break a $2.75 wine glass compared to a $5.00 wine glass?

We're all about helping out our prospects and customers with information that benefits their businesses and so in anticipation for the event, there's a number of blog posts we've written that we hope add some value to your business.

• New Menu Items to Offer in a Crystal Martini Glass
• On Your Next Menu Optimization, Consider Using This Language
• Why Your Restaurant Should Consider Offering Amuse Bouche
• Can Melamine Platters be used in Refrigerated Display Cases?
• Menu Trends: Showcasing the Hottest Appetizer Flavours

We'd love the chance to talk with you about your business so please come by Booth 123/125 to give us a suggestion of another post you'd like to see written about, or talk with us about how we can help your business focus on profits instead of losses.

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.

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.

One of the most memorable parts of a guest's experience at any event is the service. Having experienced, knowledgeable, professional and courteous wait staff for parties & events can be challenging at times. Often service staff have more than one job or are students in addition to earning a living which can make it hard to always have the staff on hand required for the event. I know that when I'm looking for a service or product I always want to look for the best that I can possibly afford.

To help our customers who are caterers, event venues and party rental companies easily research and hire event and catering staff, I've researched the best companies for event staffing in Toronto.

Core Event Staff Ltd

Founded in 1999, Core Event Staff was started when the owners realized the Toronto area had a lack of reliable, friendly and refined catering staff. They have a consistent reputation of building and maintaining relationships by going above and beyond the call of duty. They encourage staff to strive for excellence, attention to detail, depth of service and quality of experience. They offer supervisors that can act as liaisons between the wait staff and your team, servers well versed in fine dining, mis en place, buffet service, or speedy bussing, and bartenders who are efficient, great under pressure and Smart Serve® Certified.

The Butler Did It Event Staffing

Founded in 1989, The Butler Did It was formed with a mission to provide excellence in service. Having provided exceptional service to some of Toronto’s most exclusive events including for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Roy Thomson Hall, they strive to create events with service that is memorable. They offer supervisors and head waits that are Food Safety Certified and servers who are Smart Serve® certified. All staff members go through a proprietary Standards of Professional Service™ program and on-site mentoring by senior staff. Continual learning in the form of workshops and orientations are also performed to continue the growth and learning of the service staff.

Nasco Staffing Solutions

Having been in business for over 14 years, Nasco Staffing Solutions is a full service event staffing company with locations in British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta. They have exclusive staffing contracts with 10 venues across Canada and over 2000 staff able to fill hundreds of event related roles. They offer staff as bartenders, cocktail servers, wait staff, banquet servers, coat check staff, concession workers, hosts, bussers, housekeeping and stewards. Because they specialize in the events industry, their staff have relevant experience. They also have a comprehensive and interactive training program that they run each new employee through to make sure they conform to the highest level of service.

The wedding industry is a trend driven industry with a lot of competition. Party Rental Companies, Caterers and Event venues need to be monitoring these trends to ensure they’re staying on trend and generating business. With it officially being fall, I thought rounding up the top fall wedding trends for 2014 would help our customers and prospects alike refresh their showrooms, menus and venues to attract the events they want to win. Click through below and enjoy!