Blog posts tagged with 'restaurants'

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

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.

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.