Sometimes there are just too many choices. Even if you know what kind of car you want to buy, for example, you then have to decide what options you want. Or, when you go to the store for snacks, you&#;re faced with a dozen varieties of Oreos, eight types of pears and who knows how many different flavors of chips.
Link to Qingzhan
Those working in the foodservice industry are presented with a lot of options, too, and they know firsthand how overwhelming making a decision can be. Even the smallest details can demand an intense decision-making process, with fine points that never enter the mind of 90 percent of your customers keeping you up at night.
One of the biggest choices people in the foodservice industry have to make involves the type of flatware they use.
Two kinds of flatware
The two basic types of restaurant flatware used in commercial dining settings are silver plate and stainless steel. Think of the difference this way: for durability and long life that&#;s suitable for every situation, you want the stainless steel. But for those special occasions, you have to bring out the fine silver.
Silver plate flatware is a standard requirement for four to five-star restaurants and, needless to say, adds an incredible amount of class and style to any meal. This type of finery, however, costs you. It is much more expensive than stainless steel flatware and because it tarnishes easily and is not quite as durable, it requires careful handling and maintenance.
The more popular choice is stainless steel flatware, which comes in four grades that are determined by how much alloy (either nickel, chrome or both) goes into the makeup of the steel. Stainless steel flatware has a number of utilitarian advantages. It&#;s long lasting, relatively inexpensive, durable, and as long as it doesn&#;t contain nickel, it is magnetic. This is especially valuable for high-volume operations that use a magnetic retrieval system to fish out the knives and forks people throw into the trash.
What&#;s the best kind for me?
The type of flatware you use depends on what kind of business you&#;re running. What kind of food do you serve and what is the average cost per meal? Who is your typical customer and who do you want your typical customer to be? What is the volume of customers? Do you do any catering or host special events?
As mentioned, to really make a statement, go with silver. But if you&#;re on a budget or you serve a large number of people and still want to make an impression, you can always use heavy 18/0 stainless steel grade flatware. The secret here is that people often associate heavier forks and knives with higher quality. This simple tip allows you to cut costs while maintaining a high-class appearance.
Another big decision to make is how much flatware you&#;ll need. Each kind of operation requires a different number of dinner knives, tea spoons and other pieces. Determining how much of any one item you need to order is partially based on seating capacity, the likelihood of theft and how quickly you can wash and turnover flatware during peak times.
For a handy chart that will help you arrive at that exact number of bouillon spoons you need to order, take a look at our comprehensive Resource Guide to Flatware, which you can download for free. Here you will find numerous tips and a good deal of helpful information that a restaurateur or foodservice operations manager just can&#;t go without.
In this blog series, we&#;ll delve further into some of the biggest issues in the world of flatware. The blog topics will include:
The discipline of rolling flatware
The fine art of rolling flatware &#; tucking the forks, spoons and knives in a perfectly folded napkin &#; is often practiced but seldom mastered. In this blog, we&#;ll take a humorous look at the headaches and conundrums that go into rolling and managing the flatware in your restaurant.
Flatware and customer germaphobia
There is a growing number of people bringing along their own flatware or requesting plastic flatware from restaurants. Why? Germs. And it&#;s led to a lot of unnecessary complaints and headaches among servers. What is this obsession with germs, and how can restaurants up their game to make sure flatware is clean and everyone is happy?
How to get your restaurant flatware sparkling
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Stainless Steel Flatware With High Durability. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Flatware, like diamonds, look best when they shine. We&#;ll take a look at some tips to get your silver and stainless steel flatware sparkling so they&#;re fit to be placed before a king.
The differences between varieties of stainless steel flatware
There are four main grades or varieties of stainless steel flatware, and each has certain advantages and different intended uses. In this blog we&#;ll look at the properties of each, and when where they work best.
Because it&#;s the middle ground between someone&#;s mouth and the food on their plate, you can&#;t be too careful when it comes to buying the right flatware. Reading these blogs will give you the resources you need to make informed decisions that will benefit your restaurant, cafeteria or catering business.
As a food stylist and a hungry person, I have considerable experience buying cutlery. Whether you're looking for food photography props or a flatware set that will last for generations, I have all the tips you need for finding second-hand silverware.
Etsy is a popular online market for artists and vintage sellers. It turns out, Etsy is also a B Corp, which means that a third-party holds them to high social and environmental standards (yay!). All the second-hand items on Etsy are at least 20 years old and are usually in good condition, so they tend to be more expensive than items at second-hand stores or garage sales. However, there is a huge selection on Etsy so you might be able to find a great deal.
Food52 is a popular site for publishing and collecting recipes, but they also have an online vintage shop. This shop only carries high-quality vintage pieces, so they can get pretty pricey. If you want cutlery for food styling, entertaining or interior design, this is the place for you. However, if you're looking for an everyday flatware set, stick to the other seller options.
Of course, the most obvious places to buy second-hand goods are second-hand stores. Second-hand stores are my favorite places to buy utensils because I can look at the pieces' quality and test their comfort. To find second-hand stores near you, do some online searching or ask around.
Some second-hand stores only accept vintage items, while others accept newer used items. Like I mentioned earlier, vintage items are often pricier than newer second-hand goods, but may be of higher quality. More modern items are often less expensive but could be low-quality. Most shops specify on their websites or social media whether or not they are strictly vintage retailers.
I've found some of my favorite food styling pieces at garage sales and estate sales. These sales are perfect if you are on a tight budget, and they often have larger flatware sets than Etsy or Food52. Depending on the sale, you might also be able to find some high-quality vintage pieces. To find garage sales near you, just walk through a neighborhood on a sunny weekend morning &#; you're bound to find one!
Stainless steel is the most durable and safest cutlery material. It is heat-, cold- and water-resistant, won't bend or snap and isn't linked to any negative health effects.
Manufacturers label stainless steel according to the amounts of chromium and nickel it contains. Common grades for stainless steel cutlery include 18/10 (18% chromium and 10% nickel), 18/8 (18% chromium and 8% nickel) and 18/0 (18% chromium and 0% nickel).
Higher percentages of nickel make the stainless steel more resistant to corrosion, so most experts recommend buying 18/10 stainless steel. When buying second-hand, look for one of these ratios etched into the side of the flatware. If you can&#;t find the ratio on the flatware, ask the seller if they know the stainless steel&#;s grade.
Stick to cutlery than is made of entirely stainless steel rather than cutlery featuring wooden or plastic handles or other mixed-material decorative touches. Speaking from experience, mixed material cutlery just doesn't last. Inevitably, the wood warps from an accidental trip to the dishwasher, or the plastic breaks off from the rest of the piece. Mixed materials look great in food photography, but are not practical for everyday use.
Manufacturers create rose-gold, black and other metal cutlery colors through either electroplating or physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating. Both of these processes are subject to wear down over time. Again, these colors are great for food photography, but not for eating dinner. If you want your silverware to last, skip the trendy colors.
Maybe it's the snobby foodie in me, but I think silverware's weight distribution is super important! This is partially due to comfort, but also practicality. If I'm putting a knife or fork on my plate, I want to know that it will stay there without toppling onto the floor.
If you're at a second-hand shop or garage sale, test flatware's balance by picking up and assessing if it feels comfortable. You could also try to balance it horizontally on one finger to find its center of balance. Ideally, the center of balance should be in the middle of the utensil.
If you're shopping online, ask the seller if the pieces are top-heavy or bottom-heavy. They'll likely be happy to answer!
Want more information on Stainless Steel Flatware With Sleek Design? Feel free to contact us.