Restaurant China and Chinaware - What Do I Need?

Often we have clients who are in the market for chinaware but aren't too sure exactly what they want. To help with this, we usually begin by asking some very specific questions. If you are in the market for new restaurant china or are looking to update your existing dinnerware, it may help if you take the following few things into consideration:

What Are You Serving On Your China?

Seems like a simple enough question, but you will be surprised as to how many people actually follow through. This question requires a bit of research from your menu. You need to look at every menu item, and know its place on your china dishes. Many stop at their main course or specialty items. This is a careful and tedious task which although time consuming, will help you in the end. If the food you cook is a work of art, then the chinaware used could be considered the canvas. So choose a canvas wisely to avoid working beyond the borders!

How Much China Do I Need?

The answer to this is very simple. Have enough to serve your entire restaurant at any given time, plus extras. A good place to have surplus china is at the waitress station or even at the bar. Its recommended that if you serve pre-made menu items such as salads or desserts, do not count these towards your overall seating capacity. Have enough clean, unused plates for the entire house. Remember that china, dinnerware, and glassware are almost always sold by the case and every case size might be different. Don't sell yourself short if you need to just replace a few. If a case size exceeds what you need, the extras will be a safe back up and will be used eventually. If you are purchasing these items through an online retailer, make sure you are clear on how many actually come per case.

What Color or Style Should I Choose?

If you are picking out china for a new restaurant, then make sure to purchase dishes that compliment the flow of your dining atmosphere. Unless you are going for a stylized effect, its always best to have your chinaware play a balanced role with the interior decor. Black usually enhances elegance, where as white and ivory contrast food nicely, enticing the diner.

For those that have an established restaurant and are simply keeping a standard stock in house, stay true to what works for you. If it isn't broken, don't try to fix it! There are many different choices of chinaware available, but ultimately its comes down to what works best for you and your operation. Unless you are going for a dramatic change in your existing decor, we recommend you stick to what works and keep it that way. One of the secrets of running a successful restaurant is in maintaining the consistency of your product.

Other great tips on china, dinnerware, and glassware can be found on our website's chinaware and restaurant china section.