To qualify as "fine dining material" linen and apparel must be sourced from the most trusted providers with name-brand items. Ensuring the feel and luxury expected of fine dining linens is essential in maintaining the experience the customer expects. Only certain manufacturers know and implement what's expected in the engineering and construction of fine dining linen and apparel.
Unfortunately, managing linen and apparel that qualifies for fine dining experiences does not end when the order is placed. This article will discuss the best methods for sourcing and managing fine dining linen and apparel.
How to Source the Best Restaurant Linen and Apparel
There's no secret to finding the best source of restaurant linen and apparel. Here's how to do it:
Finding a Distributor
Many restaurant linen and apparel providers will work with you to find the right products for your needs, but it's best to partner with a fine dining specialist. Not all distributors have access to the same high-quality products. So, it's important to find one that specifically deals in fine dining linen and apparel.
Estimating Needs
It's important to have a good idea of how much linen and apparel you'll need for your restaurant. This will help determine the best way to source products and how much to budget for each purchase. To get an accurate estimate of your needs, start by calculating the number of tables in your restaurant, the average occupancy per week, and employee shifts started during that week. Then, add some more of each to keep a surplus just in case.
Sizable Payment
Be prepared to make a sizable payment when sourcing restaurant linen and apparel. This quality comes at a price, but it's worth it to maintain the luxury feel customers expect.
How to Manage High-Quality Restaurant Linen and Apparel
After sourcing the best restaurant linen and apparel, it's important to keep it pristine for as long as possible. That requires some laundry know-how and reliable methods of regular cleaning. There are two ways restaurants can keep their linen and apparel clean: self-laundering processes or hiring a laundry service.
Self-Laundering
Restaurants that opt to self-launder their fine dining linen and apparel must have a few key elements in place:
A reliable washing machine and dryer. A standard top-loading washer will damage delicate items. Front-loading washers are best because they don’t have an agitator that can snag and tear the fabric. The dryer must have a large capacity and dependable heating elements.
The right laundry chemicals. Fine dining linen and apparel require specific delicate-cycle detergent, fabric softener, and a bleach alternative. These can be found at most home goods stores.
Stain treatment. It's important to have a few different options for treating tough stains on restaurant linen and apparel. A good pre-treatment spray, enzyme-based detergent, and oxygen bleach are all effective options.
Trained employees. Launder restaurant linen and apparel only with employees who have been properly trained in how to handle and care for delicate items. Mistakes made during care can be expensive.
Laundry Service
The other option for keeping fine dining linen and apparel clean is to hire a laundry service. Laundry services will come and pick up dirty linen and apparel, launder it, and deliver it back for a fee.
Benefits of Laundry Service
The benefits of using a laundry service are that you don't have to worry about any of the equipment or chemicals needed for self-laundering. You can also be sure your items are being handled by professionals this way.
Drawbacks of Laundry Service
Unfortunately, a laundry service won't repair damage or replace the linen when they need replacing. That kind of service is only possible through linen and apparel rental through a trusted provider like Metropolitan Linen.
Contact a Trusted, Reliable Restaurant Linen and Apparel Rental Provider Like Metropolitan
For fine dining linen and apparel that will make your restaurant stand out, contact Metropolitan today! We offer restaurant apparel as well as restaurant linen that enhances fine dining experiences in New England restaurants. Call us at 617-381-1156 or leave your information here, and a representative will be in touch shortly!