In an upscale club or restaurant, the servingware needs to shine. It should reflect the aesthetic ethos of the establishment and continue to sparkle season after season, even after countless trips through the dishwasher.
This blog will look at the signs of damage in poor-quality servingware and guide you to pieces that are beautifully made with expert craftsmanship and quality materials.
Signs of damage in poor-quality servingware
When you think of the tools that need to work hard in a restaurant kitchen, commercial kitchen utensils like utility tongs, prep spoons, and spatulas probably come to mind. But don’t forget, the servingware you use in your dining room also needs to withstand temperature fluctuations and less-than-careful handling by your wait staff. These signs indicate that the serving pieces you’re using need to be replaced.
Can’t withstand heat
Some serving pieces look great but become damaged over time due to heat exposure.
In a commercial kitchen, heat exposure is a given. If your serving pieces aren’t heat resistant, they might start to tarnish or warp. Make sure the restaurant utensils in your commercial kitchen are heat resistant.
Can’t handle temperature changes
Kitchen utensils are routinely exposed to temperature swings, causing poor-quality utensils to crack and tarnish over time. A serving utensil should be able to go from a hot dishwasher to serving a cold salad without any issue.
Easily damaged in the dishwasher
Easy cleanup is a necessity in a busy commercial kitchen, but if your serving pieces aren’t dishwasher safe, you’ll be forced to either buy new equipment or wash them all by hand.
OR, you can make sure your serving utensils are dishwasher safe and durable so they’ll stay fit-for-purpose no matter how many times they’re washed.
Dangers of poor-quality servingware
Choosing low-quality serving pieces can lead to cracked and tarnished tools that look terrible to customers and could even harbor disease-causing bacteria.
Poor customer experience
In a posh dining room, your customers expect to be surrounded by the finer things. Tarnished serving pieces can wreck your carefully constructed restaurant ambience and disappoint your diners. High-end pieces reflect your keen eye for detail and take your dining room experience to the next level.
Unhygienic tools
Cracks and fissures in damaged serving utensils can harbor bacteria, threatening the safety of the food you serve. Keep your diners safe with serving tools that remain intact and give bacteria nowhere to hide.
Reputational damage
When diners are disappointed by the quality of your servingware, they’ll tell their friends and damage your kitchen’s reputation. Keep your good name intact by using only quality serving pieces and other high-performing materials in your kitchen.
Features that help servingware last longer
In an upscale venue, your commercial kitchen utensils need to work hard and look luxe, so it’s essential that you find pieces that combine durability and style.
Stainless steel
Nickel-plated stainless steel serving pieces are incredibly durable, so they’ll last through years of commercial kitchen service. Look for pieces constructed of this material.
Steel quality
Serving tools made of inferior steel won’t last like you need them to. Check with your serving tools vendor to ensure the steel in their pieces is 18/10. This indicates a higher nickel content in your serving pieces, meaning it’s less likely to bend or rust and more likely to stay shiny for longer.
Surface finish
The surface finish of your serving tools matters, too. Items with a satin finish have been buffed matte to perfection, while a mirror finish looks reflective – like a mirror without the glass. A silver-plated finish offers all the aesthetic brilliance of pure silver, but in a stronger, more durable product (as pure silver tends to be more malleable than steel).
Each finish option can be stunning in the right dining room. The important thing is to insist on serving pieces that feature a professional surface finish.
Servingware designs that set the right tone
These stunning serving tools are designed to complement your dining room’s decor and ambiance:
Las Palmas
The Las Palmas collection from Corby Hall features 18 unique pieces in a classic handle design. It’s the perfect choice for restaurants that follow traditional design ethos and want to cultivate an aura of elegance in their dining room.
Oslo
With Oslo, your restaurant gains high-end style in a hardworking design. These 8 unique, Scandinavian-inspired pieces come in a mirror finish or silver plate.
Santa Fe
The Santa Fe collection adds a bit of spice to your brunch buffet or serving line. With a hammered handle design, it offers texture and tactile interest with a sleek, modern vibe.
Tips for choosing better servingware
Here’s how we recommend choosing the serving pieces your culinary creations deserve:
- Research servingware vendors and find one with an excellent professional reputation. Look for online reviews and recommendations from past customers. That way, you don’t fall in love with a design only to realize the vendor doesn’t meet your standards.
- Explore the vendor’s website and their servingware design offerings. Most companies will offer 4 or 5 lovely styles that will suit your tastes.
- Talk to the vendor about other available handle designs. They might have some handle designs that are only available through special requests or catalog orders.
- Ask for a test piece. Before you purchase several servingware sets for your restaurant or club, ask to test an item from the collection. Use it in your dining room and send it through the dishwasher several times. Notice how it feels in your hand and whether it can withstand the pressures of your kitchen. Note how well it looks alongside your flatware, dinnerware, and other tablescape items.
When it’s time to make a servingware purchase, we hope you’ll talk to the sales team at Corby Hall! Browse our servingware collections to find one with gorgeous style and unrivaled high-quality construction.
