Top 5 Timeless Table Tools for your Restaurant
The back of house and back of bar is chock full of tools for your cooks, bartenders and staff to prepare foods and beverages for your guests. Though many of us in the food service industry believe that our guests eat out or attend events to be completely catered to and expertly waited-on, recent trends reveal that many guests prefer a more hands-on experience. Simple tools offered at the table will empower and encourage your patrons to interact and engage more with their food or drink. This not only improves the customer experience, but also can also reduce the number of table trips your staff must make.
Make sure that you are giving your customers everything they need to have a great experience at your establishment. Here are 5 timeless tools that your guests will appreciate having at the table:
Bar Spoons
Though it seems obvious, a bar spoon is often neglected when a large beverage or pitcher is served. Of course a pitcher of beer or soda does not need a spoon, but anytime there is a large beverage on the table that can easily separate like fresh squeezed lemonade, ice tea, sangria, or margaritas; a spoon should be offered. As ice melts, it is important to stir occasionally to make sure the mixture remains homogeneous. In the case of sangria, the bar spoon will enable your guests to serve themselves the delicious alcohol infused fruit chunks. Also consider a trident bar spoon for hard to reach fruit in the bottom of mixed cocktail carafes.
Lemon Wraps
For those who enjoy citrus, lemon slices and their juice enhances practically every type of cuisine. The same cannot be said however, for their seeds. Squeezing lemon on a beautiful tray of raw oysters or a freshly prepared pan of paella only to have a lemon seed end up in the goods is not an ideal experience. This is easily fixed with a lemon wrap. Choose from tie or elastic varieties. This is a very inexpensive gesture that will pamper your guests and distinguish your brand and service.
Pipettes
Flavor pipettes are an exciting way to to inject sauce, booze and other luscious liquid combos into appetizers, desserts, or cocktails. They have proven themselves completely invaluable in the takeout salad realm as it is no longer a challenge to evenly drizzle the dressing over and under the salad ingredients. To use: remove the air from the holding chamber by squeezing it together, put the tip under the surface of the desired liquid and release. The partial vacuum will move the liquid up the straw tip and into the chamber. Liquid delicious!
Shears
Korean restaurants are on the rise as more and more consumers are experiencing the "grill your own meat" phenomenon and delight of kimchi everything. With the responsibility of grilling comes the necessity for the patron to trim and cut his/her own meat to the perfect size. Once your guests have experienced the convenience and ease with which they can manipulate their meat, plus the "shear" joy of working with scissors at the table, they will want to have that experience over and over again.
Tongs
Though finger foods can be fun, it is important to supply your guests with tongs to make sure that they can handle hot or messy appetizers or garnishes. Once a set of personal chopsticks have been used to eat, it is no longer sanitary for them to be used to take food from a communal plate. It is important to offer tongs as a sanitary tool that can be used by everyone at the table to separate portions.
Treat your team, staff, and patrons to awesome tools from Superior Equipment!