Once you’ve selected dinnerware and glasses it’s time to turn your head to making cutlery decisions. Let Alliance online help you with choosing the right cutlery for your restaurant. While it might seem like an easy one to make actually your cutlery is extremely important.
Cutlery also needs to be extremely robust because it will be used in some cases, all day and every day so choosing something which is cheap might cost you in the long run when it needs early replacement. While everyone should set and stick to a budget, don’t be tempted away from quality because of a tempting price.
Depending on the restaurant you run you’ll need to think about the style of your cutlery. There are plenty of options out there, from ultra-modern to more classical designs. Choose the cutlery according to your establishment, for fun and funky fashionable eateries a modern design is far more appropriate than something traditional with engravings and high design (for example, the Alliance Online Bead Collection). So for a modern restaurant you might want something with a flat, simple handle such as Monteverdi or WMF Telos on the Alliance website whereas for traditional restaurants a curved handle with elaborate pattern might be more suitable.
There are of course other elements in design to take into consideration particularly the finish. Cutlery comes in two main finishes if it is made out of stainless steel, brushed which has a matt effect or highly polished which shines brightly. Whereas there are a few materials to choose from, the best material for a restaurant has to be stainless steel because it is built to last for years. Properly cared for, a stainless steel set of cutlery will withstand the test of time with little wear and tear. If you are a fine dining restaurant and would rather use highly polished silver then remember it will need to be maintained and it’s softer than stainless steel so it won’t last for as many years. It’s best to stick with something that won’t corrode or rust. Stainless steel is also completely suitable for dishwasher use, another advantage to purchasing cutlery in this material. If you are opting for a polished stainless steel this will need some maintenance to get it gleaming like new but this is not something that will need doing too regularly – every once in a while will suffice. Check out the WMF Juwel collection the Alliance website for a beautiful set of stainless steel cutlery.
The finishing process which gives stainless steel cutlery its sheen is known as buffing. An inexpensive stainless steel cutlery will get what’s called a “tumble finish” which is relatively cheap but the best 18/10 cutlery will go through up to 27 levels of buffing giving it an extremely sleek and shiny finish. There are different weights of stainless steel to think about, 18/10 and 18/0. It’s not a daunting difference to ponder, the numbers refer to the quality of stainless steel used in the cutlery – the number 18 refers to the chrome percentage by weight and the second number refers to the nickel content percentage by weight. A zero number states there is no nickel, the advantage of having nickel (18/10) is it resists corrosion, pitting and rusting and 18/10 cutlery will always be more expensive than 18/0 but it will last longer therefore it’s a better option for a restaurant or hotel.
Try before you buy! It’s a good idea to sample the cutlery pieces you’re thinking of before you order a large set for your restaurant. Hold the pieces in your hands, consider the weight, comfort and shape, as an example, we love Adagio by Utopia it’s a fantastic stainless steel 18/10 collection. If the cutlery you’re trying is cumbersome or too chunky it might be uncomfortable to use whereas lightweight pieces are much easier for a diner and cutlery should be something that isn’t noticed during use. That’s not to say customers shouldn’t admire it but it should be unobtrusive while eating. You should also make sure that all your cutlery pieces are suitable for the type of food your restaurant serves. If you are an ethnic restaurant you might need specific cutlery for example chopsticks or certain soup spoons as well. Family friendly restaurants should always offer a good collection of polycarbonate cutlery because it is virtually unbreakable and ideal for children. Choose from a colourful selection on the Alliance website and make children’s meals fun to eat!
For all types of cutlery for your restaurant from stainless steel to polycarbonate and even disposable options visit Alliance Online