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HOTEL Business Review
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Making an Impression
hotel’s tableware gives indication of the image of the restaurant and reflects what it offers at a first glance. Furthermore, it creates a visual appeal which Chefs like to call ‘visual synchronisation’ with food. Food is not just about filling up your stomach. It has always been about the experience. Presentation of the dish is as much important as its taste. The sensory perception of food begins with visual appeal and then moves on to aroma, flavour, taste, etc. If the first perception of food goes wrong, the rest of the experience also tends to go wrong. So tableware adds character and personality to the dish and thus can make the food more appealing. Tableware is very important as its sets the mood for the dining experience. A presentable and attractive table enhances a guest’s dining experience, as well as the feel and ambience of the restaurant. For a restaurant in a luxury hotel, the right selection and showcasing of tableware is no less important than having the right dish on the menu. Customised crockery and tableware seem to be the trendsetters these days since they also give a personalised touch by embossing the logo of the restaurant. The customisation can further be tweaked to help enhance the overall look and feel of the restaurant. Earlier, it was only chinaware that was commonly used, but restaurants across India nowadays have started to diversify into stoneware, clay crockery, granite slates and metal ware. The visual appearance of crockery and cutlery used in a restaurant plays a crucial role and helps improve the overall presentation
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of the food served, which thus can lead to more customer satisfaction and can help generate more revenue. Tableware should vary according to the cuisines. Different cuisines require different tableware. However, customisation of crockery helps a restaurant give cuisine-centric crockery, set a personalised twist or give a surprise element/innovation to different dishes. The selection of tableware depends on the kind of restaurant and the overall concept of the restaurant. For example, if a restaurant is more about fun dining then the crockery used should be quirky in design. On the other hand if the restaurant is more about fine dining then the crockery used should showcase luxury. The type and design of tableware are integral to food presentation. Also we should keep in mind the colour of the dish, the texture of the dish, ease to serve the dish on the table, size of the table, how would the plate look on the table, ease of eating off the dish, cost of the tableware, durability of the tableware, its washing ease, its reaction to sharp objects like knives, etc., tableware’s ease
of stacking/storage among other factors. When so many things are to be seen in tableware, it automatically becomes important or rather critical to the overall dining experience across food service outlets.
Choosing the Right Tableware Tableware comprises the dishes or dishware, which are used for setting table, serving food & beverages and for dining. Its wide ambit includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes and other useful items. Tableware has utilitarian and as well as cosmetic appeal for the guests. There are several challenges for a hotel’s restaurant to source the right kind of tableware. Tableware cannot be bought by only seeing its picture. You need to see it in real and feel it. However, getting a variety of samples is a big challenge. Moreover, repeat supply of tableware can be a challenge. Very often we do not buy a given tableware because we like the design, just because we know that if we reorder them after six months, stocks are not likely to be available. Buying tableware for a foodservice establishment is always a crucial decision, often involving major investment. The right plates and cutlery can facilitate in bringing the right look to the restaurant’s design. On the other hand, clumsily designed tableware or tableware which doesn’t gel with the theme of the restaurant, can attract resentment among the discerning restaurant goers. We can say that procuring the appropriate crockery or cutlery can help in developing the image or branding of the restaurant. Tableware is an important component of the overall look of the dining area of the restaurant.
