Restaurant and bar supplies for hospitality buyers

Restaurant supplies for front and back of house

A restaurant or bar buys from two lists. Front of house covers what guests see and touch: cutlery, crockery, trays, buckets, tables, chairs and the small touches at the table. Back of house covers what the brigade works with: pans, knives, cutting boards, aprons, cleaning and waste. Keeping the two lists separate makes it easier to set budgets and to decide what to order online and what to put into a quote request.

The F&B services and equipment department is the starting point for both. From there, each section below links to the narrower collections and the suppliers who list in them.

Restaurant cutlery and tableware

Cutlery and crockery are a recurring spend in every dining room, because items break, go missing or wear out in the dishwasher. Browse restaurant cutlery, crockery and kitchen utensils or go straight to the Amefa cutlery range if you want a single pattern across several outlets.

How to size cutlery and crockery quantities

Start from the number of covers at peak, not the number of seats. For each piece in the setting, plan for the sets on the tables, a second set in the dishwash cycle and a reserve for breakage and loss. A busy brunch or a banqueting room usually needs a deeper reserve than an à la carte room with long table turns.

Check the pack size on each product page before you order. Cutlery is often sold in packs of a fixed number of pieces, so a quantity that looks right in units may round up to a further pack. The price per unit shown on the page makes it simple to compare patterns sold in different pack sizes.

What to check in cutlery and crockery specifications

• The stainless steel grade and finish, and if the supplier states that the pattern is suitable for commercial dishwashers.
• Weight and length of each piece, which affect how the setting feels and how it fits the plate sizes you use.
• Pattern continuity: ask the supplier if the pattern is a stocked line you can reorder for replacements.
• For crockery, the plate diameters you need for each course and how pieces stack well for storage and the pass.

Bar supplies and bar equipment

Bars run on small items used hundreds of times a night. The F&B buckets and trays collection covers ice buckets, wine buckets and service trays for the bar counter, the terrace and table service. Count buckets by the number of tables that order bottles at the same time, then add a few for the bar and for events.

For chilled storage behind the bar or in private dining, look at mini-bars and coolers. Check the external dimensions against the space under the counter, the door type and the noise level stated by the supplier, as many units sit close to guests. Small appliances and bins for glass and general waste complete the back bar.

Many bars serve a refreshing towel with cocktails, oysters or bar snacks. Individually packed oshibori towels need no warming cabinet or laundry, and the Oshibori Concept supplier page lists scented refreshing towels made in France.

Buffet, breakfast and banqueting equipment

Breakfast buffets and banqueting rooms need equipment that holds food at the right temperature, presents it well and moves easily between rooms. The Evinoks buffet and service equipment range and the F&B trolleys and dispensers collection are the places to start. For live cooking stations and hot holding, see pans and induction mats.

For hot drinks at breakfast and in meeting rooms, browse coffee and tea along with cups and mugs. When you plan a buffet line, list each station with its dishes, the number of covers per service and the refill cycle. That list is what a supplier needs to quote the right number of units.

Room service and in-room dining

Room service equipment has to travel through corridors and lifts and still arrive looking right. Choose room service and hospitality trays by the size of the biggest order you deliver on a tray, and use room service trolleys for full meals.

F&B packaging and kits serve takeaway, picnic orders and late-night menus. For drinks in the room, mini-bar equipment and in-room coffee and tea sit alongside the wider hotel room supplies department.

Kitchen equipment and back of house

For the kitchen, browse professional kitchen knives and cutting boards, commercial pans and oven mitts and holders. When you replace pans, check the base type against your hobs, especially if part of the line runs on induction.

Uniforms are part of the operating budget too. Kitchen aprons and uniforms can be ordered in standard sizes online, while embroidered or branded aprons for a full team are better handled through a quote request.

For staff and guest washrooms, see hand wash, soap holders, dispensers and hand dryers. Hygiene and cleaning supplies cover the daily routine in kitchen and dining room.

Restaurant furniture and terrace equipment

Tables and chairs are FF&E rather than OS&E, but many restaurants buy them with the rest of the opening list. See hotel and restaurant tables, the wider furniture and lighting department and chairs and sofas. Check table top dimensions against your cover plan: the space a setting needs depends on plate size, glassware and sharing dishes.

For terraces and lounges, bioethanol and decorative fireplaces from LeFeu add warmth without a flue. Ask the supplier about installation and the fuel the unit uses before you commit to a layout.

Guest touches at the table

Small items shape how a meal ends. Refreshing towels after seafood or finger food, wipes and tissue boxes in washrooms and pieces from the Luxury Collection for private dining all sit within the same order. Keep these items on a separate line in your budget, as they are consumed per cover and need regular reordering.

Ordering restaurant supplies online or by quote request

Each supplier on Suitality sets its own minimum: a minimum order amount in euros, a minimum quantity per product counted in units, packs or cartons, or both. There is no site-wide minimum. The product page shows the pack size, price per unit and minimum order, and the lead time, carton and pallet data when the supplier gives them.

For replacement stock in standard quantities, order online and pay at checkout. Suitality BV receives the payment and the order is split by supplier, each delivering from its own warehouse across Europe.

For an opening, a refit, several outlets, branded items or bulky furniture, use the quote request page. One request goes to several suppliers, and each replies by email with prices, lead time and delivery.

What to put in a restaurant or bar quote request

• The type of outlet, number of seats and covers at peak.
• The full item list with quantities, pattern or reference where you have one, and any substitutes you would accept.
• Branding or custom packaging, with logo files and the number of units per design.
• Delivery address, access constraints such as a loading bay or no lift, and the date by which you need the goods.
• Your plans to reorder the same items later, so the supplier can confirm the line will stay available.

Restocking during the year

After opening, most restaurant and bar purchasing is replacement stock. Count cutlery, crockery and trays at the end of each month and compare the result with your par stock. The gap shows what to reorder and also points to where items are being lost, such as room service trays left in rooms or cutlery thrown away with food waste.

Group replacement orders by supplier so each order clears that supplier's minimum, and order before the reserve runs out, allowing for the lead time shown on the product page. Before a busy season or a run of events, raise the reserve and order consumables such as packaging and refreshing towels in full cartons.

Supplies for several outlets or a restaurant group

Groups and hotels with several outlets benefit from a short standard list: one cutlery pattern, one tray range and one set of consumables used everywhere. It simplifies training, storage and reordering. Send the full list with quantities per site in one quote request and ask each supplier to quote delivery to every address.

Opening a restaurant or bar: a pre-opening order sequence

Order furniture and anything branded first, as they carry the longest lead times. Next, fix the cutlery and crockery patterns and order the opening stock plus reserve. Buffet, bar and room service equipment follow once the menus are final. Consumables such as packaging, refreshing towels and hand wash come last, sized to the first weeks of trading.

Open a free trade account before you start, so quotes and orders sit under one login. Read the FAQ for payment and delivery questions, and see all venues if your project also covers guest rooms or a spa. Suppliers who want to list restaurant equipment can apply at supplier.suitality.com.