Lessons in glassware; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Glass is stylish, elegant, and fragile.  You can’t always prevent breakage, but there are ways to make it less likely.  Did you know that mechanical shock to glass can lead to thermal shock?  (Example: that glass that miraculously survived a fall yesterday may crack in the hot dishwasher today.  The mechanical shock weakened it and the thermal shock finished it off.)

And mechanical shock can come in places you might not expect.  Like the bus tray; your glassware will fare better if it is separated from the cutlery and dinnerware.  And unless your glass is specifically marked as “stackable,” it really shouldn’t be stacked together.  It’s better to store it in glass racks, but even your ware washing equipment needs to be appropriately sized to offer the best protection for your investment.

To get an idea of what size glass rack is best for your needs, print out a copy of Carlisle’s glass rack sizing guide.

Even housing your glassware appropriately isn’t full protection against thermal shock, though.  If your restaurant turns tables so quickly that you are forced to use glasses straight from the dishwasher, those glasses could be weakened by thermal shock.  It’s best to allow glasses to cool to room temperature before adding icy beverages, or to “pre-heat” the glass (with warm water) before serving hot drinks.  To avoid using dishwasher-warm glasses, a restaurant that turns tables very quickly should generally have glassware to support three times the number of table settings.  An eatery with a slower pace can do with two times the number of place settings, and a facility like a banquet hall only needs enough glass for one round of settings.

Like so many things, a small up-front investment can save your business money in the long haul.