Table coverings sit at the intersection of maintenance, budget, and guest experience. Get those features right, and benefit from fewer replacements, less cleaning labor, and a room that looks and sounds the way you’ve envisioned. In this article, we review the key decisions that determine whether operators achieve their desired results or end up with a room that falls flat.
Presentation Backed by Protection
Table coverings are practical and elegant. Operationally, they offer excellent surface protection. When food and drink are in play, tables are inevitably met with scratches, heat damage, water rings, spills, and stains. This risk increases exponentially when children are at the table, so it’s best to keep those surfaces protected.
When guests spill food and drink, table coverings can be rapidly replaced with a fresh set. No chemical wipe downs (and the harsh odors that come with them) are necessary. Moreover, table coverings absorb the mess before it has the chance to drip on guests.
Visually, table coverings in classic colors like whites, ivories, or deep jewel tones are backdrops for plated food to stand out. Adding a runner or topper adds dimension. Acoustically, table coverings absorb sound which is especially useful for upscale dining, open-concept dining, and industrial buildings repurposed for foodservice. They dampen the sounds of flatware clatter and glasses bumping into porcelain plates, and reduce echo for a more intimate and pleasant atmosphere.
Owning vs. Renting Table Linens
In most cases, owning surpasses renting in terms of cost and convenience. Renting is useful for one-off or occasional events. But for regular use, costs accumulate fast.
The downside of purchasing is the upfront cost. The initial investment will be more; however, the ROI far exceeds frequent rentals and owning lessens operational risk. For instance, your preferred colors, styles, and sizes will always be available. Similarly, you won’t risk shortages during the winter holidays, the wedding season, or for last-minute events.
Additionally, if your operation has its own laundry facilities or a small washer/dryer stack, cleaning can be an in-house responsibility, further removing risk from outsourced laundering. All of this guarantees consistency for your brand and provides peace of mind when so many moving parts are in play.
Which Fabric Works Best?
Fabrics perform differently and some are more suitable than others for commercial use. Operators seeking an aesthetically pleasing fabric that is also practical, long-lasting, and easy to care for, find value and success with polyester.
The qualities of polyester mirror exactly what commercial foodservice requires for steady service. Appearance-wise, it resists wrinkling and colors stay consistent after repeated washes. It generally doesn’t require ironing, it is significantly more stain resistant than other popular fabrics, like cotton, and no dry-cleaning services are necessary. Lastly, polyester is an affordable choice.
The Formula for the Right Fit
Proper linen sizing makes or breaks a room’s appearance. Luckily, determining the correct tablecloth size just requires measuring your table and deciding on your desired drop.
Square and rectangular tables:
Tablecloth length = table length + (2 x drop)
Tablecloth width = table width + (2 x drop)
Example: A 72″ x 30″ table with a 12″ drop needs a tablecloth measuring 96″ x 54″ (72″ + 24″ length, 30″ + 24″ width).
Round tables:
Tablecloth diameter = table diameter + (2 x drop)
Example: A 30″ round table with a 30″ drop needs a 90″ diameter tablecloth.
Reputable commercial brands carry a wide range of sizes to match your specifications. When in doubt, use a sizing guide or online configurator to confirm before ordering.
A Better Surface for Service
Getting your table linens right doesn’t need to be complicated: measure correctly, choose polyester for durability, and buy rather than rent for regular use. The payoff shows up on every table you turn.
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Partnered With 
CFS Brands is a house of brands including Carlisle Foodservice Products, San Jamar, Sparta, Snap Drape, Marko, Dinex, WipesPlus, and Mercer Culinary. Delivering best-in-class selection, legendary quality, and the powerful support you need — all in one place. From long-lasting professional cleaning products, to the finest brush line for maintaining food processing and foodservice sanitation, only CFS Brands offers so many items designed to work from the start in specific cleaning applications and help you get the job done.
At CFS Brands, we are dedicated to designing, manufacturing, and sourcing professional-grade products for commercial foodservice, janitorial and healthcare markets. Whether you’re serving and preparing or dispensing and cleaning, our North American Manufacturing and nationwide distribution are here for you and your business every step of the way.
Help your operation run smoothly and more profitably with products that have a practical day-in-day-out value from the brands you know and trust. It is our goal to give you solutions that make your work easier and more efficient in order to save time, money and resources. If you provide the food, rest assured, we’ll provide the rest!
