Get Set For New Years Eve

Do you have everything you need to celebrate New Years Eve? It is still not too late to get the New Years Eve party supplies you need from Serv-U. 

New Years Eve Party Favors are a great way to liven up the party. Serv-U’s New Years Eve party pack includes top hats, derbies, tiaras, blow horns and serpentine throws. The favor pack includes favors for 100 people.

Serv-U also has disposable champagne glasses. The glasses feature a rigid styrene 2-piece plastic construction. Each case includes 50 disposable 4 oz. glasses.

You can also turn to Serv-U for wine and champagne buckets and stands. Choose from three different styles of wine bucket stands. Wine buckets are sold with or without stands, and can accommodate up to two bottles of wine.

Facebook Turns Virtual Drinks into Real Drinks

If you have ever received a virtual gift from a friend on Facebook, such as a stuffed animal, cocktail or a cupcake, you may have wished that the virtual gift was the real thing.

Well wish no more – a company called Bartab now makes that possible. Bartab allows users on Facebook to purchase drink vouchers for their friends that can be redeemed at participating bars and restaurants. The drink vouchers are inexpensive, costing the sender and recipient only $1.00 each ($1.00 to send and $1.00 to redeem).

This innovative marketing initiative involves social networking, cell phones and face-to-face interaction as forms of engagement. You send and receive the certificates on Facebook, then use a cell phone application or text message to redeem it from the bartender or server.

Right now there is no cost to the restaurants or bars who participate in Bartab’s Facebook application. According to Bartab’s website, restaurants and bars decide which drinks they would like to offer on Facebook, and keep the recipients $1.00 paid when they redeem their voucher. It has been noted that most recipients redeeming their drink vouchers will often purchase additional beverages or food while at the bar, and will typically bring friends or co-workers to the bar with them.

Bartab believes the service is smart for both consumers and bars. Users get inexpensive drinks and connections with friends, while bars get new customers at a low cost. At the moment, Bartab is available only in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas and in New York, but Bartab is planning to add 17 markets in the next few months, including Seattle, Atlanta and Houston.

Learn more about how Bartab can increase traffic in your bar or restaurant by visiting their website: http://bartab.webtab.com/

When holiday party guests discard their gloves and mittens, the best caterers are ready to offer toasty beverages for their cold hands to cup. It’s a challenge to keep the mugs full when hosting a sizeable event, which is why most caterers rely on large commercial percolators.

Serv-U offers percolators that are perfectly suited to brewing anywhere from 10 to 110 cups of hot coffee, however this is the perfect season to experiment with putting your percolator to work for more festive purposes. You can make your kitchen equipment serve double duty during the holiday season with recipes for hot mulled cider and spicy holiday punch.

Mulled Cider for 40

In percolator basket combine: 1 ¼ teaspoons allspice, a 6 inch cinnamon stick, 2 ½ cups brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Pour 10 quarts of apple juice or cider into the part of the percolator reserved for liquids.

Percolator Punch for 60

In percolator basket combine: 2 tablespoons allspice, 2 tablespoons whole cloves, 2-6 inch cinnamon sticks and 4 sliced lemons. Pour 6 quarts unsweetened pineapple juice, 6 quarts cranberry juice cocktail and 3 quarts cold water into the potion of the percolator reserved for liquids.

Percolators don’t just vary in their serving capacity, you also have a choice of materials and styles. There are basic aluminum coffee makers and fancier stainless steel models for more upscale events. Keep in mind that brewing time for percolated beverages is about 1 minute per cup. If you want cider for 60 guests, start percolating about an hour before they arrive!

Taking on a meal as important as Thanksgiving dinner requires major planning and preparation. More important than stuffing, yams or even pumpkin pie is the centerpiece of your table – the turkey. If it’s your first time trying to perfect the holiday poultry, compiling an arsenal of turkey cooking supplies may seem overwhelming. However, a simple roasted bird requires only a few basic kitchen supplies.

Roasting Pan The roasting pan you purchase to cook your turkey may not be a piece of kitchen equipment that you use on a daily basis, but the proper pan is a valuable addition to your stock of cooking supplies for holidays. Selecting the right roasting pan ensures a moist and golden bird. When buying a roasting pan, look for a shallow depth, heavyweight pan with handles. The pan should have good heat conducting qualities so the bird cooks evenly. Stay away from dark roasting pans; those will burn the roasting juices at the start of the roasting period, resulting in a subpar gravy. Fit is also important—the pan should just hold the turkey. If a leg extends over the pan, drippings will fall on your oven, but if the pan is too large you risk burning the juices.

What’s a turkey without basting? Throughout the roasting process, you will need to paint the turkey with a basting sauce using a basting brush. Both white nylon and bleached boar bristle brushes will work well to coat your poultry with a buttery sauce and are able to withstand oven temperatures of up to 500 degrees. While the turkey roasts, a basting spoon can be used to scoop up the juices and redistribute them on the skin. Serv-U offers stainless steel basting spoons in a variety of lengths. All spoons have easy-grip contoured handles with a thumb notch. Slotted and perforated varieties are useful for straining out solids to be discarded when the roasting process is complete.

A burnt or undercooked turkey can be the downfall of an otherwise outstanding Thanksgiving meal, so be sure to check the temperature of your bird, with an accurate meat thermometer. The Taylor brand is known for its precision temperature technology to alert you when the meat reaches 180 degrees.

Finally, when the roasting process is over, it’s time to sharpen up that knife and dig in. Carving the turkey is a much-anticipated process that should be approached with care in order to preserve the flavor and the texture of the meat. You are best to choose a sharp, thin bladed carving knife. Stain-free steel blades provide a clean and durable option for slicing your turkey.

By using top-quality equipment the fruits of your holiday roast should be plentiful. The centerpiece of your Thanksgiving meal will be a cornucopia of thighs, wings, and breast meat, well worth the investment in quality kitchen supplies.

So far in this eight part series on revamping the décor of your restaurant we’ve covered everything that goes on the table like linens, glassware, china, and flatware. So the next logical topic to cover is… you guessed it; the dining table.

Before we can talk specifics about table selection it is important to know what type of seating requirements are going to be needed for the dining area. There are several factors that have an influence on dining requirements, some that are controllable and some that are not.

One of the areas outside of management’s control is the influence of the economy and the changes in behavior it causes within patrons. Ask any restaurant owner how the economy has affected their business and I’m sure they’ll say the same basic thing; people are not dining out as much as they used to and are entertaining guests at home rather than going out for dinner. However, in recent months there as been a growing trend toward dining out in large parties for special occasions like a birthday or anniversary. This trend requires restaurants to be able to accommodate larger parties more frequently than they may have in the past and part of that accommodation is having the ability to arrange for a large enough table.

An example of an influence that is completely within the control of the restaurant is the menu selection. What does the menu have to do with seating you ask? Different types of menus require different types of table space. Take for example an ethnic menu that requires the use of several large platters along with a plate for each diner, a regular table for two might not be big enough and make the diner feel crowded and uncomfortable while dining. To ensure that the diner has a pleasant experience a larger table than normal is in order.

Now that we’ve covered some of the influences that need to be considered let’s look at some of the solutions. For restaurants that frequently have large parties it is somewhat impractical to rearrange the dining area by pushing together several table tops. Enter the drop leaf table, with the ability to be reconfigured for additional dinners. This table makes perfect sense for restaurants with the space and need for them. Throw a linen table cloth over the top and you’ve got a beautiful dining area that is a combination of form and function.

However, maybe pushing tables together for larger parties works for the dinning area in question; then perhaps a laminated tabletop with a wood edge should be considered. This type of table offers many benefits to the restaurant owner because it is easy to clean and durable to wear.

Finally, one simply can not talk about table tops without talking about the solid wood table top. With a natural finish and availability in many different sizes, this beauty works great in a range of applications from a contemporary setting to a steak house. Featuring an inch and a half thick ash wood construction, these tables are finished in a catalyzed commercial grade medium gloss sealant for a final product that can hold up to the wear and tear of a busy restaurant.

If you have questions regarding the different table options available here at Serv-U, feel free to contact us via phone at 800-797-3788 or click the picture of the customer service representative at the top left corner of each page of the site to launch a live chat and one of our customer support staff will be happy to answer all of your questions.

Next time we’re going to move on and start talking about chairs, so be sure to check back for the seventh installment of our series on revamping the décor of your restaurant.

So now that you’ve got your new dinnerware sitting on the table it is time to move on and bring the flatware in line with the rest of the décor revamp that we’ve been talking about. As with most of the topics we’ve covered in this series, we could talk for weeks about flatware and still not even scratched the surface of what goes into flatware, so let’s talk about the key points regarding flatware that you’ll need to know when choosing a set to go along with your dinnerware.

The first step in understanding flatware is to understand the nickel finish, how it is noted, and what means for you as a restaurant. Stainless Steel flatware is listed as being 18/0, 18/8, or 18/10. The eighteen denotes the metal content while the second number denotes the amount of nickel in each piece; the higher the amount of nickel the brighter the finish is going to be. So an 18/10 piece is going to have a better luster on the finish than an 18/8, and that 18/8 in turn will have a better shine than an 18/0. So more nickel is better right? The answer is, “maybe”. First, if your restaurant is currently using a flatware retrieval system the 18/10 and 18/8 flatware will fly right by the magnet since nickel is non-magnetic. In this application a heavier, high-end 18/0 will be the better solution. Second, nickel is much more expensive than iron so the high nickel content 18/10 and 18/8 is more expensive.

Just as we discussed previously with dinnerware, the object of choosing flatware is to find a set that complements the rest of your décor and lands in that sweet spot between not being over bearing or being so mismatched to the rest of the set that it breaks the flow of your décor. A good set of flatware will also be sized appropriately to the dinnerware that it will be used with. What this means is if you have wide rimmed plates that are fairly large, you want to pick a flatware that looks like it matches in size. The opposite is also true, if you have smaller plates, you will want to have flatware that doesn’t look oversized when sitting next to the dinnerware.

Another item that will factor into your choice will be the weight of the flatware and the style of restaurant you are trying to portray. A fast casual restaurant can use a medium weight fork or knife and the customer will accept that since the meal cost $10. If you have a steakhouse or finer dining, the customer will need a heavier fork and maybe some specialty pieces or a steak knife. Imagine cutting into a 1 ½” ribeye medium temperature with a dull knife and flimsy fork. The customer will perceive the steak as tough rather than the tools are inappropriate. A sharp knife and substantial fork will improve the customer’s perception of the steak.

We’ve covered size and weight, now we’re going to touch on style. When you look at different styles of flatware you are going to want to look for something that complements the dinnerware that you’ve already picked out. A general rule of thumb is to use more ornate flatware with simple dinnerware designs and use cleaner lines with more ornate dinnerware so they don’t compete. A piece of flatware with a nice architectural band on the handle will blend in well with many of the dinnerware suggestions we made in our previous installments, as it has nice clean lines, doesn’t overpower the setting, and generally appears contemporary in terms of design style. Another contemporary example would be something with a flowing form and a sleek appearance like this piece from Onedia. Browse around the flatware sections here at Serv-U and you’ll be sure to find a flatware style that fits into the over all décor plan of your restaurant.

If you have addition questions, feel free to contact us via phone at 800-797-3788 or click the picture of the customer service representative at the top left corner of each page of the site to launch a live chat.

In part five of our eight part series we’ll cover linens.

In our previous two sections we discussed specialty and quality glassware and their benefits to our restaurant refresh project. Now, lets move on to dinnerware. What does your dinnerware say about your restaurant? If you answered; “Nothing, it’s just how I get to the food to the customer” you may be missing huge opportunity. Dinning is as much about atmosphere as it is about service & quality food, your dinnerware can be a huge part in that.

So let’s look at some options on how to take those standard white round plates and update those with a fresh new look. You’ve heard the expression that green is the new black? Well in the restaurant world square is the new round. In recent years the trend of square dinnerware has exploded onto the restaurant scene. Personally, I believe this has a lot to do with the fact that Asian and sushi style foods have been absorbed into the popular American culture. Take a look at some of the large restaurants chains, there has been a clear move toward the square plate in recent years. I know what you’re saying, “I don’t want to be like a chain restaurant”. Which is a very valid thing to say, but chains do have large market research budgets so it won’t hurt to let them do a little bit of the research legwork for you.

However, if you want to go completely different perhaps something a little wild is in order. Triangle dinnerware can really spice up the feel of your décor, but there is a down side as it can possibly become and over-powering design element. The goal you want to hit is a dinnerware that gets noticed but also doesn’t become the center of attention. Now the triangle style may fit right into that goal, but you’ll need to give it some careful thought as the line between over-powering and just right can be a bit of a grey area.

So what happens if you don’t want a square or triangle style dinnerware, you just want to update the look of your standard white round dinnerware that you currently use? The answer here is to add a splash of color. By selecting a dinnerware with a colored trim, you can easily achieve the balance between refreshing but not over-powering.

Now after all this you still have your heart set on a set of white dinnerware, then I would suggest that you look at different rim styles. The rim choice along on a piece of dinnerware can drastically alter the perception of the customer. A rim can make portions look bigger, allow your chef more options for presentation, or a host of other things.

Serv-U has a large selection of dinnerware to help you refresh the décor of your restaurant. If you have addition questions, feel free to contact us via phone at 800-797-3788 or click the picture of the customer service representative at the top left corner of each page of the site to launch a live chat.

Be sure to check back for part four of eight in our easy ways to refresh the look of your restaurant series where we’ll cover flatware.

In our last blog we talked about specialty glassware and its benefits. Now let’s take a peek at the top shelf and see what we can do there. So what is it that a customer expects when ordering top shelf liquor? I can tell you for sure that it isn’t a Dixie cup.  

Your choice in glassware can add that final touch to your bar drinks that increase a customer’s enjoyment and keep them coming back for more. For instance, when choosing glassware for beer you’ll want to decide if you would like an increased perceived value in a mug where there appears to be a larger amount of beer due to the way the base is shaped, or would you rather have an hourglass pilsner that allows for a larger head. Restaurant guru tip: always make sure you account for the head when choosing glass size.

When it comes to wine glasses there is not only the visual appeal of the glass to consider but also what type of rim is on the glass. Talk to any wine connoisseur about the importance of the rim on a wine glass and you’ll most likely end up in a conversation about the advantages of a sheered rim glass. A sheered rim won’t make a bad wine taste like top end, but it will make a quality wine taste even better. The sheered rim allows the customer to taste the wine more than they taste the glass and it also directs the wine in a more precise manner toward the correct area of the tongue. Another benefit of a sheered rim is by increasing the amount of oxygen one draws into the mouth, volatilizing the wine and directing the flavor up into the nasal cavity for increased taste perception.

So now that we’ve covered specialty glassware and top quality glassware, let’s talk about storage of your newly expanded glassware selection. You could store them under the bar but that is really counterproductive to what we’ve been trying to accomplish. Perhaps it is time to invest in an over head glass rack so your glasses can still be generating customer interest and conversation even if they aren’t currently in use. Has anyone been to a pub which has a yard glass hanging on the wall behind the bar? How many ales do you think the bar is really selling in that yard glass; probably not many, but I will say for sure that somebody asks about the glass at least once a night.

You can find all of your glassware needs here at Serv-U. If you have questions regarding glass size for your beer or if sheered glasses are right for you, feel free to contact us via phone at 800-797-3788 or click the picture of the customer service representative at the top left corner of each page of the site to launch a live chat and one of our customer support staff will be happy to answer all of your questions.

Be sure to check back for part three of eight in our easy ways to refresh the look of your restaurant series where we’ll be discussing dinnerware.

How much money is your bar leaving on the table? For the bar owner, over pouring of liquor with a free flow pour can result in a huge loss in revenue. Today we are going to discuss one low cost change that you can make which has the potential to increase consistency and profit; that change is adding measured pours. Let’s quickly review the numbers pouring from a measured 1 oz shot out of a one liter bottle:

When you reduce over pouring with a measured spout you can increase the number of drinks the bartender can serve by an additional two to four drinks per bottle. Considering the average number of liquor bottles in a bar, the impact using a measured pour spout will have on long term profitability is easy to see.

In addition to the revenue increase, you are increasing the quality of your customer service by ensuring that each customer is treated equally and consistently on every drink. The drinks won’t be too weak one night and too strong the next. This will hold true on busy nights when the staff can’t pay as close of attention as they normally do or on the first night of a new bartender.

You can find measured pours here at Serv-U in the bar supplies section and are available in a wide range of measurement sizes, colors, and collared & uncollared. If you have addition questions, feel free to contact us via phone at 800-797-3788 or click the picture of the customer service representative at the top left corner of each page of the site to launch a live chat.

Looking for a sophisticated alternative to the martini, the cosmo, the margarita?  Try out a trendy “mocktail,” as these non-alcoholic beverages are known.  Though I’d heard of them before, I had never seen them described in such glowing prose as I found on in Restaurant & Institution’s inaugural blog post.  So far, I’m thoroughly enjoying the writing over at their “Open Kitchen” blog; and I’m now convinced that I must try a mocktail for myself.

It seems that mocktails represent a great opportunity for restaurateurs looking to hook a niche market, namely because so many places seem to botch the mocktail to some degree.  If your bartenders and servers can put together a palate-pleasing mocktail, yours will be a rare establishment, a go-to destination for expectant mothers, for tea-totalers, and for designated drivers.  Personally, I like the drink’s fresh factor and health appeal created by the use of fresh juices and the absence of high-calorie liquors.  And this is one menu addition that requires very little investment in extraneous barware: just grab a muddler, a citrus squeezer, a shaker, and some stylish glassware and you’re ready to go.