Magazine: The table is laid

According to Bence Víg, managing director of Progast Kft. gastronomy is one of the most easily accessible parts of any nation’s culture. Now that many people visit foreign countries, consumers get to see what is happening in international cuisine and what the latest restaurant trends are. At the same time restaurants all over the world have smaller budgets.

Consequently, the culture of laying the table and the cutlery and dishware used have gone through great changes. Trendy restaurants now have a more relaxed attitude about laying the table and simplify the table service, using paper tablecloth, just one fork and knife and one universal glass. In parallel with this trend, chefs’ role is becoming more significant and for their creative work they need more and more special plates, bowls and cups. Yvette Krubl, communications manager with Metro Hungary told our magazine that changing trends mean the emergence of new demand, from which both manufacturers and retailers can profit. In table service the colour white can be considered a constant element: it goes well practically with any kind of accessory and it is still the symbol of hygiene. In addition to the fundamental objects used in table service, appetiser plates are more and more frequent – they are now standard feature in fine dining restaurants. As for cutlery, the simplest forms prevail at the moment. Attila Galló, sales manager with Tork Horeca is of the opinion that when it comes to table service the possibility of making changes quickly is very important, because it carries the opportunity of constant renewal and diversity. The most obvious object in this process is the napkin and the tablecloth. Restaurants can own these and the like in many colours and sizes at relatively low cost. The expert sees the biggest progress in the length of table service objects’ usage period. Tímea Várvölgyi, marketing director of Assist-Trend Kft. told Trade magazin that colours and patterns from the world of fashion appear in table service trends from year to year. What is more, major manufacturers of table service decoration products use the services of famous fashion designers to create their new product ranges. METRO caters for the needs of public catering companies too, for instance they sell unbreakable plates and glasses for kindergartens, etc. From the products sold in METRO stores 60-70 percent are private label cutlery and dishware. Progast Kft.’s experience is that there has been a great divide in the size of dishware: either really big ones are sought for or small, finger-food plates and cups are preferred. At most places practicality is also taken into consideration: they choose round-shaped porcelain dishware parts of which can be put into each other for easier storage. Cutlery-wise there have been no significant changes, only a few restaurants have replaced their old cutlery sets with modern ones. In the field of glasses the situation is rather stable as wine culture designates which types of glasses are ‘must-haves’. Tork Horeca’s expert told our magazine that among napkins white is forever trendy, but colour napkins and those with patterns already constitute one third of all napkins used in Horeca. Dark colours are quite popular, while elegant pastel colours are frequent in restaurants with a modern concept. In Assist-Trend Kft.’s portfolio we find neutral grey and brown shades combined white and champagne colour, but there are also natural greens and elegant-romantic pastel shades of purple. In fine-catering angular-shaped patterns are in fashion.