Inspiration and Information for your Tabletop

In hospitality and catering, being able to easily and securely move things around is one of the most important objectives. This rule applies not only during service, but is also critical for setup, breakdown, and storage.

As we highlighted over the last year or so -- and in a recent piece we published recapping the top tabletop trends of 2018 -- the direction of tabletop design and décor is heading to a more organic place in its philosophy. Diners, in particular, are enjoying menus rooted in Earth-bound options, while operators are looking to accentuate natural elements in their designs and on top of their tables.

Differentiation. It's the name of the game in so many service-driven concepts. From fast-casual restaurants to high-end hotels, providing a memorable experience in order to attract guests and customers is critical. In the hospitality sector, the question is how can it be done?

The last year has been full of tabletop surprises. Décor patterns are becoming more and more organic in nature, capturing the essence of where our foods come from in the first place. Glassware is getting more diverse to accommodate for a wider palette of beverage choices. Buffets are more efficient and elegant. Serving food and beverage is more artful.

Every year, Tableware International selects a group of finalists in 17 different tabletop categories. This year, there were 274 different products under consideration from 148 different tabletop brands, and we are proud to announce that two of our distinct collections were selected as one of the finalists for the 17 different awards. Twenty-eight international judges assembled to select the finalists.

If you look at just about any data source and analyze their beverage trends, there's one glaring fact you'll see in just about every single one of them: the non-alcoholic beverage market is growing at record pace.

In most parts of the country, winter is not only coming, it's here. And as we look toward Christmas, Hanukah, New Year's and other frosty holidays, we'd like to show you a few of the essential tabletop collections that can help you make the most out of the winter months.

If you're watching late night TV, you might run into an episode of Top Chef, Beat Bobby Flay, or even Chopped Junior, where some of our future culinary talent gets to try out different flavor combinations in some version of a kitchen stadium.

Every guest is different. Every event is different. Every buffet is different. Every piece of art is different.

Pretend you're in a new city on a Sunday morning. You're looking for a great place to grab some breakfast downtown, so you have a few options. You can check with your hotel's front desk to see if they have any recommendations, or you can pull out your phone to see what Yelp! has to say. Inevitably, you're looking for those five star reviews.