Commercial dinnerware can compliment your company's menu items while also being practical. It's easy enough to find typical, restaurant dinnerware online, but take it one step further and provide unique and extraordinary dishes for your customers.

Wholesale restaurant dinnerware suppliers can be a great place to start your search, but you first need to know what it is that can make your business stand out. Would it be to offer different sized plates? What about a more ecological choice? Before you attempt to make these decisions, try making the most of restaurant dinnerware by considering the following:

1. Be environmentally friendly, and seek out ecological restaurant dishware.

2. Choose nontraditional types of dinnerware for restaurants, such as melamine.

3. Mix up your dishes, and buy reusable or used restaurant dinnerware.

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Purchase eco-friendly commercial dishware

Anytime you can help the environment as well as help your company do business, it's a win-win situation. If you prefer to use restaurant plastic dinnerware for your business, then try to find those companies that use recycled materials.

I recommend: The GreenLine Paper Company is a member of two prestigious recycling communities: Co-op America's National Green Pages and Chlorine-Free Products Association. Check out its array of environmentally-friendly dinnerware. Sustainable Products Company sells EarthShell dinnerware, a selection of paper dishes and cutlery that is completely environmentally-friendly. These high-quality commercial dinnerware items can be used in the microwave, unlike plastic dishes.

Use melamine commercial dinnerware for your business

Popular in outdoor entertaining, melamine dinnerware features chip-resistant plastic. This is a nice option to have if traditional china is too heavy to consider. Since melamine is a sturdy plastic, you can also place the dishes on the top rack of the dishwasher--if the brand is dishwasher-safe--while still retaining the quality of the dishes.

I recommend: Look to Galasource and its wide array of melamine restaurant dinnerware. Find a wide variety of melamine dishes in a variety of shapes, patterns and colors at American Discount Melamine. You can order a sample of its melamine once you open an account.

Find reusable restaurant supply dinnerware

Perfect for nontraditional locations, such as an outdoor event, reusable dinnerware allows you to easily reuse them or dispose of them just as easily. With a low overhead cost, you don't need to count pennies and save dirty plates if you don't need to. On the other end, buying used dinnerware can help you cut costs, especially if you don't mind mixing and matching the dishes. Odds are you may not secure enough dishes for your entire restaurant, unless you're able to locate a business selling all its items through an auction.

I recommend: Instawares produces reusable/disposable plastic plates that would ideally work for parties or picnics. Look to Ruby Lane, where independent shops sell items such as restaurant dinnerware.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  To help in making the most of restaurant dinnerware, consider coordinating your dishes with linens for your business. If you have a fiesta theme, check out dinnerware and curtains featuring hot peppers. Don't go overboard, however; too much similarity can be too kitschy.

Commercial restaurant dinnerware should be bought with the expectations of your dining customer in mind. Are you offering an expensive fine dining experience at an upscale bistro? Is your restaurant a neighborhood coffee shop where people can find affordable dinners?

Things you should consider when buying restaurant dinnerware include:

1. Value - Is it worth the price you are paying?
2. Beauty - Will it enhance the dining experience?
3. Durability - Will it last beyond the initial purchase?

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Mix and match restaurant dinnerware

Give you restaurant an eclectic look with an assortment of commercial dishware. Look for plates and bowls in the same size, but with different patterns and designs. Mixing restaurant dishware also allows you to pick up discontinued patterns at clearance prices and not have to worry about finding matching pieces later on.

I recommend: Dinnerware Depot allows you to search for commercial dinnerware by brand name, and also has a selection of discontinued items that are marked down. Commercial dinnerware in classic and speciality shapes can be ordered online at Central Restaurant Products.

Consider restaurant plastic dinnerware

Depending on your menu, restaurant concept or theme, you may want to use restaurant dishware. Plastic dinnerware for restaurants is inexpensive and highly durable. However, plastic does not dress up a table setting the way restaurant quality dinnerware does.

I recommend: Simply Smart Living provides a large variety of colorful plastic and melamine dishes, for homes and restaurants.

Save money by purchasing wholesale dinnerware for restaurants

You can save a lot of money when opening a restaurant by buying in bulk. Most vendors of restaurant dinnerware provide wholesale prices, when buying in large quantities. You may even be able to get a better deal if you buy all your restaurant dinnerware (plates, bowls, glasses, coffee mugs, etc.) through the same supplier.

I recommend: MaineSupply.net carries discounted commercial dishware. The Restaurant Source is another wholesale dinnerware provider that offers great prices on dinnerware for restaurants.

Think beyond dinner plates

While dinner plates are often the main attraction at any restaurant, glasses and serving containers are also important parts of any dining experience. Serving drinks in unique glasses is another way to dress up ordinary items, such as cocktails and beverages. Serve tea and coffee in colorful mugs and teapots, to make a statement with your table setting.

I recommend: Find durable, attractive glassware at Steelite International, in a variety of styles. Hall China, another manufacturer of restaurant dinnerware, offers a colorful assortment of teapots, which are beautiful as well as durable.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Customize commercial dishware with your restaurant name or logo for added appeal. However, it can take up to two months, so order the dishes early.

Commercial dinnerware can be the centerpiece to your restaurant, right after the food you serve. You want sturdy, reliable dinnerware that can highlight your delicious menu items. But you don't want the commercial dishware to break the bank.

Keep in mind that the restaurant dinnerware that works for one company may not work for yours. If you're a five-star restaurant, then you want the best of the best dishes, while a local fast food joint might go for plastic dishware. Consider the following when determining pricing and costs of restaurant dinnerware:

1. Locate wholesale restaurant dinnerware suppliers, and buy your dinnerware there.

2. Consider restaurant plastic dinnerware for your business.

3. Mix up your place settings, and buy different shapes of restaurant quality dinnerware.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy wholesale restaurant dinnerware

Odds are you're going to have more than a few customers in your restaurant at one time. So you're going to need numerous dishes. Purchase the restaurant dishware in bulk from wholesalers, and you can save yourself large sums of money, especially if you buy all your dishes from the same supplier.

I recommend: Central Restaurant Products sells a wide array of dishes. Priced from less than $30 to more than $250, choose from many dish designers. There's also an option for certain brands to buy the dishes by the dozen. Look to J. Richards & Company, another wholesaler dinnerware supplier. Sold in cases of 12, 24 or 36, look to spend anywhere from less than $20 to more than $150, depending on the style and type of dinnerware you desire.

Determine if plastic restaurant dishware is an option

Depending upon what type of restaurant you run, using plastic dinnerware may be a consideration. The benefit to using plastic is that it's inexpensive and durable. The downside is that it isn't very classy, and unless your restaurant caters to fast food, it may not be the best option.

I recommend: A Plastic Plate sells several lines of dinnerware featuring multiple designs and colors. Found in a range of less than $30 to more than $75, these dishes are dishwasher-safe and can last a long time. SmartLiving Companies has the largest selection of quality plastic dishes. Search through its site to find dinnerware for just a few dollars per piece.

Look for variety, and purchase different size restaurant dishware

There's no rule that states you need to purchase circular plates and coffee cups with saucers. If your restaurant's cuisine allows, look for different shapes and sizes of the commercial restaurant dinnerware. You could even place your business logo on the dishes. These essential pieces could become a cornerstone of your restaurant's business.

I recommend: Look at Zesco Products and its dinnerware with a wavy, square edge. If you purchase one to five cases, look to pay anywhere from $120 to $225, depending upon the size of the plates. If you purchase six or more, then it costs less. Check out the Bryan China Company and its custom dinnerware. It can print your logo or event on the dishes; contact its customer service for pricing information, but expect to pay a little more than regular commercial dinnerware.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When looking at pricing and costs of restaurant dinnerware, cut your expenses by purchasing used restaurant dinnerware. Look for businesses that close their doors, or check auction houses. This is ideal if you're searching for more eclectic dinnerware, as you may be able to mix and match your dishes.

Restaurant dinnerware is used by patrons in every eatery in the world. Dinnerware goes beyond plates and glasses; it includes every type of serving item that is needed to prepare a meal for guests. A café or a diner may have different types of dinnerware than the restaurant in a popular resort, but all dinnerware is used for the same purposes. As you research the best dinnerware for your business, keep in mind the following key terms.

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Dinner plate

The term dinner plate refers to the plate that is used to serve a single entrée. It is not only used during dinner. The plate is used for any meal or snack that is served on a flat surface. Dinner plates are one of the most important pieces of restaurant dinnerware.

I recommend: To learn all of the basics concerning dinner plates, visit Homefurnish.com.

Demitasse

Demitasse is a French word that can be translated to mean 'half cup.' In restaurant dinnerware, demitasse refers to cups and spoons. The cups are approximately one half of the size of a regular coffee cup.

I recommend: Balaqula offers information about demitasse spoons and cups to meet your restaurant dinnerware needs.

Charger plate

A charger plate is part of a formal place setting. These types of plates are most often seen in luxury restaurants and trendy eateries.

I recommend: If you are interested in charger plates for your business, visit WiseGeek. It has information about the origination and use of charger plates.

Ramekin

As a small single serving dish, a ramekin is often used to serve desserts. One of the most popular is the soufflé, but other dishes can be served in ramekins as well.

I recommend: Galasource Ventures offers information on all types of restaurant dinnerware ramekins.

Dessert dish

A dessert dish can carry anything from ice cream to pie. In fact, a dessert dish can be a bowl or a dish. There are dessert dishes in a variety of shapes and sizes in order to meet your business needs.

I recommend: Gain knowledge about dessert dishes at FoodServiceDirect.com.

Porcelain china

Porcelain china, also known as bone china, is a material that is used in the dinnerware industry. It is an important dinnerware key term because many dishes, plates and cups are made out of porcelain china. These pieces of dinnerware are used to serve gourmet desserts and other epicurean delights.

I recommend: Check out Crystallia for the history and basics of porcelain china.