Ordering Your Table Linens

Ordering Your Table Linens

linen inventory requirements are computed by considering one day’s use in service, one day’s use on the shelf, and one day’s use in the laundry as a minimum.

napkins should always be inventoried at 4 to 5 times the tablecloth requirements to compensate for 2 place and 6 and 8 place settings. your needs may vary according to actual experience. remember to allow at least 24 hours of shelf time for all items to improve the flat-dry appearance and to “rest” the fabric.


how to measure special siZes square or rectangular tables
1. measure the table - for this example we will use a 36” x 96”.
2. figure the amount of drop (or drape) you would like from the edge of the table. generally, the longer the drape, the more formal the service. the standard drop is 9”. a more formal drop is between 12” and 15”.
3. double this drop number (example, 10” x 2 = 20”) and add this to the table width measurement (example, 36” + 20” = 56”).
4.find the closest standard width fabric available. cotton and blends are available in standard widths of 45”, 54”, 64”, 72”, and 90”. polyester standard widths are 42”, 52”, 62”, 71”, and 90”. subtract the table width from the fabric width and divide by 2 to find the drop that width will give you.

example    54” -36”
18”/2 = 9” drop
64” -36”
28”/2 = 14” drop

5. determine which of these drops is appropriate for you and add double this drop to the length of the table.
9” drop    example    14” drop x2 x2
18” + 96” (table length) = 114” long    28” + 96” (table length) = 124” long
6. the exact tablecloth siZe for this 36” x 96” table is either 54” x 114” or 64” x 124”. standard banquet lengths are 110”, 120”, or 126” so the best choice for this table would be 54” x 120” or 64” x 126”. (width drops and length drops do not necessarily have to be the same.)

Tables
height = 29 to 31 inches depth of each place setting (measure from the edge of the table in front of the diner, toward the middle) = 14” minimum
place settings minimum width
fine dining = 27” normal = 24”
aisle minimum width
occasional service = 30” regular service = 36”


Example
tablecloths number of tables
turns per day one day’s use times 3 days
napkins
40
2.5 100 300 pcs
4 times (minimum) the amount of tablecloths is recommended. 300 x 4 = 1200 napkins
this above example is figured for an on-site laun- dry or daily delivery service. rarely will a res- taurant have 40 tables of the same size so the figures will need to be adjusted to accommodate each table size and usage.