Buying restaurant placemats
There are a variety of considerations to take into account when looking for the best restaurant placemats for your catering business. Regardless of the style of your décor or the theme of your cafeteria or restaurant, the most important factor is to find the right balance between cost and quality. Just like in all areas of life and business, the cheapest option is not always the most economical. Tempting though it can be to opt for the cheapest place mats that can be found.
The initial cost needs to be aligned with how long the placemats will last and do they add or subtract to the overall dining experience of your guests. There are reasons why a Michelin star restaurant is not providing an “all you can eat” buffet, with the cheapest possible paper place mats. They need to justify to their diners that paying a large amount for their meal is actually good value, the waiter service and the décor helps with that.
The right choice of restaurant placemats is also a contributing factor. If design blends nicely with the colour tones of the decoration and the style matches with what you are trying to achieve, then there is a good chance your diners will be happy and looking forward to a return visit to your restaurant.
Easy to maintain restaurant placemats
Another consideration that is also important is how easy is it to maintain your restaurant placemats. Ideally they should be simply wiped clean and ready for the next sitting. Not all diners will be careful with your table setting and spilt food and drinks are to be expected.
This means durability needs to be considered and that means melamine tablemats rather than the lacquer finished variety which are more for domestic use. Or possibly the woven vinyl floppy type of placemats which are surprisingly resistant to whatever food or liquids get on them. This type needs to be wiped clean as soon as your dinner guests have left.
It is difficult to find restaurants placemats that can be placed in a dishwasher, the only variety that works is the silicone table mats, although these are expensive and of limited availability.
Variety of design choices for restaurant placemats
If a rustic look is what you are looking achieve then the rattan place mats are a stylish choice that are not only hard wearing but look great especially against wooden dining tables. Made in Indonesia from a type of rattan seagrass material that is very resistant to heat damage and when simply wiped clean with a damp cloth your rattan restaurant placemats will look fresh and great for a long time.
When a more tradition look is sought then the classic melamine tablemats with a cork base are a possible option. With availability in a variety of designs that could match your restaurant, from fun scenic images such as the Emma Ball Lake District or Cornwall designs through to the traditional single colour Plymouth Pottery Pro range which are available in classic claret, green or cream colours for a neutral and unobtrusive option for your tables.
The William Morris designs from Castle Melamine includes a variety of colour choices when a stylish floral theme would coordinate nicely with the decoration of your café or restaurant. These melamine tablemats would last for a long time, so although they are more expensive to buy, in the longer term these restaurant placemats would not need replacing as often and can be considered as being fantastic value for money.
