Create a Memorable Dining Experience with the Right Flatware

June 9, 2017

According to Will Rogers, “you will never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

In a restaurant, flatware is a small but essential part of making a great impression. Flatware is a particularly important design element because customers won’t just look it; they will actually use it for arguably the most important thing they can do at your restaurant: eating. That gives your customers a lot of time to form an impression of the flatware. You can bet it will play a significant role in the way your restaurant is received.

From basic to elegant, the type of flatware you provide your guests says a lot about your restaurant. It’s important to choose the right flatware based on the kind of establishment your restaurant is. This way, you will create the best possible dining experience for your guests and give them a good, lasting impression of your restaurant. In choosing your next set of flatware, there are two important things to take into consideration.

Flatware Style

The style of flatware you choose should mainly be based on the tastes of your guests. Think about the style of your restaurant and the types of people who frequent it. Is your restaurant a high-class establishment warranting classic or modern flatware, or do your customers prefer a more simple style? Decide which style of flatware is right for your restaurant, depending on the kind of restaurant you run.

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes when they pick up the flatware for the first time. Does your flatware match your tableware? Does it match the style you are looking to create? Is it too fancy or too dull for your particular restaurant?

Type of Material

The type of stainless steel you choose for your flatware is important because it is a big factor in the flatware’s appearance.

However, the mix of metals in stainless steel do improve its durability and resistance to rust.  In choosing flatware, the chromium and nickel are most important metals to pay attention to.

Chromium is a tough, stain-resistant metal, while nickel is rust-resistant and gives the flatware more shine. There are several types of stainless steel used for flatware: 18/10, 18/8 and 18/0. The first number indicates the percentage of chromium in the steel, while the second number represents the amount of nickel.

All three types of stainless steel can easily last a lifetime, so your choice will again depend on the appearance that will best complement your restaurant. For the highest shine, choose 18/10 flatware, which has the largest proportion of shiny nickel. For a matte appearance, 18/0 is the type to go for.

Take some time to reflect on the kind of mood you want to set and the impression you want to make on your customers. Every detail is important. By carefully choosing the right style and material for your flatware, you will have perfected one more element of an amazing dining experience.

Kitchen Equipment: Choosing the Right Cutting Board

Kitchen Equipment: Choosing the Right Cutting Board

Every kitchen, from a food truck to a large restaurant, needs cutting boards. From vegetables to bread to meat and fish, your chefs and cooks have to chop things every day. Have you put a lot of thought into this important piece of kitchen equipment? Like many other...

read more
Catering to Generation Z

Catering to Generation Z

As time marches on, we continue to have new generations arising behind the ones we’ve already named. Most recently everyone has been focused on Millennials, whose tech-savvy and focus on experiences over things have shifted the face of every industry. Now, there’s a...

read more
4 Ways to Keep Your Restaurant Employees Engaged

4 Ways to Keep Your Restaurant Employees Engaged

You can have everything you need to run an amazing restaurant – a great menu, incredible chef, the best location, perfect pricing, and top-of-the-line kitchen equipment. But even with all of that, you won’t succeed if your employees are disengaged and unprofessional....

read more
Kitchen Fun : Food and the Oscars

Kitchen Fun : Food and the Oscars

Hollywood’s biggest night was February 24th, 2019, and was it ever a show. There were stars, glitz, glamour, and amazing outfits everywhere. There were also cameras catching every moment, from the red carpet to the after-parties. What happened at the show and after...

read more
4 Keys to Successful Commercial Kitchen Design

4 Keys to Successful Commercial Kitchen Design

If you’re opening a new restaurant or renovating your existing kitchen, you probably already have some ideas about how it should look. However, it’s important to look beyond your own ideas and understand the keys to good design in general. This will help you...

read more
Bring Together Your Back and Front of House

Bring Together Your Back and Front of House

Does your restaurant feel like a simmering battle between the back of house (BOH) and front of house (FOH)? Or do both units get along famously? If your restaurant is like many, you find yourself somewhere in the middle. Rarely do you have an all-out war, but...

read more
Commercial Kitchen Fun: Cooking With Mustard

Commercial Kitchen Fun: Cooking With Mustard

One of the things that make owning a restaurant so fun is the ability to be creative with your menu. With the help of your chef and cooks, you can come up with some really fun dishes to serve. To get your imagination going, we’re going to share some fun dishes that...

read more
Drive Traffic to Your Restaurant From Instagram

Drive Traffic to Your Restaurant From Instagram

You have a lot of restaurant equipment that you need to make your location run smoothly. You might think about your point-of-sale system, refrigeration units, cooking equipment, and more. But what about Instagram? That’s right, a social media platform can be one of...

read more
Handling Theft in Your Convenience Store

Handling Theft in Your Convenience Store

Running a convenience store is challenging to say the least. You need to staff it, but not with too many people. Then again, too few and you have a lot of problems – including theft. There are three groups that can be responsible for product and money loss in your...

read more
Kitchen Equipment Spotlight: How Clean is Your Coffee Pot?

Kitchen Equipment Spotlight: How Clean is Your Coffee Pot?

If you were going to rank kitchen equipment based on how much work it does, the humble coffee pot has to be near the top. In almost every restaurant, people order coffee with their meal or dessert. The problem is that because the coffee pot is working so hard, it...

read more
Should You Add a Food Truck to Your Restaurant?

Should You Add a Food Truck to Your Restaurant?

If your restaurant is doing well, you might be thinking about opening a second location. After all, that’s usually the next step when it’s time to expand, right? Before you jump in, though, consider another option. Maybe having a food truck would be a better choice....

read more
Take Advantage of Your Customer’s Technology

Take Advantage of Your Customer’s Technology

Some restaurant owners hate seeing customers snapping photos of food – it means that the food isn’t eaten at its best, and sometimes it’s a sign of a table that’s going to be slow to turn over. Then there are other owners and managers who see an opportunity. The truth...

read more
How to Reduce Turnover at Your Restaurant

How to Reduce Turnover at Your Restaurant

Having the right employees can make or break your restaurant. You can have the best food and kitchen supplies, but tension in the back of the house can cause delays, poor morale, and even the loss of key staff. You can have a beautiful dining room, but surly wait...

read more
Should Your Commercial Kitchen Consider Catering?

Should Your Commercial Kitchen Consider Catering?

As a business owner, it’s important to always be looking for new ways to grow your business. There are a lot of ways to do this, and one of the most common for many restaurants is catering. Of course, catering changes how your commercial kitchen runs a lot of the...

read more