Restaurant Glasses

Ever wonder how restaurants got started? Humans have to eat to sustain their lives, so the idea of serving up food in a centralized location came about many moons ago. Superior Products Restaurant Equipment and Supplies begins a three part series today on restaurants, their history and evolution. You can follow eating establishments from their very earliest days to today’s cornucopia of places to eat.

Today’s post will focus on the early history of restaurants worldwide, while our second installation will review early American dining places. The third and final post of our series will take a look at modern day restaurants, diners, cafeterias, bistros, and other eateries we have available as dining options today. Most of the information contained in this article came from Wikipedia.com and their attributed sources.

So, way back when…

Restaurants are believed to have originated in ancient day Pompeii, Rome. Many small restaurant/bars sprung up and served as a social outlet for the citizens. Many homes were without kitchens, and these thermopolia usually had L-shaped buffet type setups, offering hot and cold prepared food to those who might have trouble finding it otherwise. 158 such thermopolia have been found throughout ancient Pompeii, many of them located in busy public areas.

During China’s Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the hospitality and catering industry took off in Kaifeng, the northern capital of China in the 11^th century. The industry expanded from the taverns and teahouses that had been set up for individuals travelling through an area to new restaurants catering to the local community. Kaifeng had paper currency and had a population in excess of 1 million people. In addition to locals, visitors from other parts of China also visited these new “restaurants”.

Individual restaurants offered specialized menus to its patrons based on different types of cuisine, and socio-economic and religious considerations. Many of the families who ran restaurants in Kaifeng moved to Hangzhou, the capital city during the 12^th and 13^th centuries, after the Jurchen invasion.

Cafes began in Constantinople during the 16^th century when the first coffee house was born. They were popular gathering spots where the educated class would gather for hours sharing ideas, and indulging in drinks and snacks. The concept spread to Europe in the 17^th century, when the first modern-day café was opened in 1696, the Café Procope. This café in France offered wine, brandy, and liqueurs, as well as coffee.

During the 18^th century, the French government oversaw highly regulated establishments that served food for the purpose of restoring one’s strength or to help the sick and ailing recover. The French word restaurer means “to restore” and this is the origin of the word restaurant. The French Revolution was when restaurants as we think of them today were born. Laws were lifted on restricted foods that now allowed anyone who could afford the food to buy it. Many chefs capitalized and created menus with cooked-to-order food for the public to enjoy.

Can you imagine cornering the foodservice equipment and supplies market early on? Being a supplier of wholesale coffee cups and restaurant glasses could have quite the lucrative business back then. Today, you need look no further than Superior Products to find all of the equipment and supply needs for your foodservice establishment.

Stay with us this week as we continue our “History of Restaurants” series. Remember as you retrace the origins of restaurants, cafes, and catering establishments, that if you are in the foodservice business now, you need look no further than our website for quality kitchen cooking equipment, catering supplies, bar equipment and much, much more!

Social media is helping build new business and potentially increase check averages. This is according to an article appearing on Nation’s Restaurant News website (www.nrn.com) by Alan Snel. The article references a webinar about online ordering. The webinar was sponsored by social media provider Exit41 and presented by Nation’s Restaurant News.

As noted in the article, this type of program must include a dedicated and well planned marketing campaign and must be constantly monitored. However, the benefits that can be reaped include additional P.R. and increase revenues. For more details, read article.

Superior Products Restaurant Equipment and Supplies would like to help you build and increase your foodservice business as well. With over 11,500 products sitewide, we have all that you need to get started and to keep running a successful foodservice operation. Many of our products including restaurant glasses and catering supplies are stocked in our 4 national distribution centers and ready to ship to you within one business day.

Today is St. Patrick’s Day and Superior Products Restaurant Equipment and Supplies is offering values on select products until the end of the month. Get yer Irish up and order now to receive super savings. View the selection of products here.

Green is the color of the day and you can save some green on these great deals. Over the land, beer will be flowing liberally on this day throughout bars and restaurants, so make sure you’re prepared! Make sure you’re stocked up on beer glasses, pitchers, and bar equipment.

In business for over 75 years, Superior is a name you can trust in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry. We strive on speedy delivery and great customer service. Our user friendly website offers a worry free online experience for our customers with a great selection of over 11,500 products.



We also offer a variety of energy efficient Energy Star rated equipment products. Many of our refrigerators, ranges and food prep equipment have this rating. Eco friendly products are also available, such as our carryout containers and hot beverage holders. So with green in mind today, you can buy green, save green, and celebrate green! Happy St Patricks Day!

Dining traffic showed positive growth signs in the fourth quarter of 2010 and has restaurant owners hopeful for the rest of this year. There were declines in 2009 over 2008 in restaurant guest traffic, but traffic was flat in 2010 when compared to 2009. This is optimistic news for the industry, as the steady decline that was happening seems to have turned around in 2010. 



Spending at restaurants also increased, according to the NPD group market research company. An article in the Nation's Restaurant News details the results of their study.

This is also good news for the restaurant equipment and supplies industry. Superior Products prides itself on being an industry leader for over 75 years, offering over 11,500 products on our website. Choose from restaurant glasses, bar equipment, commercial kitchen equipment, and much, much more!

Our 4 nationwide distribution centers stock many of these products, so they are ready to ship out right away. Once your order is placed, in-stock products will ship out by the next business day, and you should receive product in 4 to 6 business days. Now is the time to order and take advantage of our free shipping offer on in-stock merchandise totalling $250 or more for orders shipping within the continental 48 states (offer excludes furniture and premium shipping services such as liftgate and inside delivery).

Choosing which glass to serve your cocktails in will only enhance the presentation of the product. At Superior Products, we have a large selection of glassware, designed especially for serving and merchandising specific drinks. Our selection of beer glassware includes mugs, pilsner glasses, beer coolers (pint glasses) and glass pitchers. Plastic pitchers are also available. Wine glasses are available in a variety of patterns for white wine, red wine, and champagne.

If you serve specialty frozen drinks, we have margarita glasses, hurricane glasses, and super sized glassware. Cocktail glasses are available in different sizes, shapes, and colors for your specialty martinis, cosmos, and gimlets. Choose from a variety of rocks glasses, shot glasses, and cordial glasses for serving your cordials, after dinner drinks, and shots. If you serve Irish Coffee or other hot libations, you can select the perfect glass from our selection.

Our restaurant glass selection includes hi-ball glasses, old-fashioned glasses, and tumblers. Water glasses and goblets are also available in a variety of patterns and sizes. For your entire bar equipment and supply collection, choose Superior Products Restaurant Equipment and Supplies as your source; we have been a leader in the industry for over 75 years. Most of our glassware is stocked in our restaurant supply warehouses, and are shipped out within one business day after placing your order. Your shipment generally arrives within 4 to 6 business days.

It’s Super Bowl Week and Superior Products Restaurant Equipment and Supplies has the products you need to satisfy your hungry and thirsty guests. If chili, nachos, hot dogs, and beer are on the menu, we’ve got the supplies for you!

Our Superior 7 Quart Round Cooker/Warmer is ideal for bringing your room temperature chili to a rolling boil within 30 minutes. Thermostatic control allows you to have it simmer at warm temperatures for hours. We offer an optional pan kit that includes inset, cover, and ladle. This product is also available in an 11 quart capacity and is great for keeping cheese warm for your nachos.

 


The Star Lighted Nacho Warmer has a heated spout that measures ¾ oz. pours of heated cheese to top off your nachos or other snacks. This works well for toppings for ice cream (such as hot fudge or caramel), chili dogs, and sandwiches (barbeque and other heated sauces). #10 cans fit perfectly in the well, or a 3-1/2 oz. optional inset pan is available.

If nachos are a big seller for you, you may want to invest in a commercial nacho warmer.  Carter-Hoffman front loading models keep chips warmed at 175 degrees F. and have 20, 22, and 44 gallon capacities. Vulcan top loading models maintain temperatures of 180 degrees F, and hold 22 gallons or 44 gallons of chips. Countertop Nacho Chip Merchandisers by Star are available for those who have a lower volume of nachos sales.

Hot Dog Rollers and Steamers can also be found at Superior Products. Prepare up to 50 franks at a time. Superior Bun Warmers can keep up to 100 buns at a time heated and ready to go for that next hot dog sale. Countertop merchandisers and sneeze guards for some models are also available.

Getting thirsty? Your customers are likely to need a cold beer to wash down their Super Bowl gastronomic favorites, so make sure you have the proper restaurant glasses to accommodate them. Choose from a variety of beer mugs, pilsner glasses, and pitchers in our huge inventory of in-stock glassware. These glasses are ready to ship out the next business days and should arrive in 3 to 4 business days.

Superior Products Restaurant Equipment and Supplies has had a presence in Southern California for many years. We currently have an outlet center in Anaheim, California. The original Anaheim SuperStore opened in 1989 and has been at its current location since February 2007.

The Anaheim Superior Outlet Center caters to several foodservice clients in the Anaheim area, including Slater’s 50/50, who were just featured on the Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food series. You can find bar equipment, catering supplies and restaurant glasses there, along with many more of your foodservice equipment and supply needs.

The staff really enjoys serving the local foodservice community. According to Juan Armenta, Anaheim Outlet Center Manager, “It’s exciting when you get a chance to work with a customer setting up a new business or expanding its current location. It’s also rewarding when that customer invites us to their grand opening. Other people may be enjoying the food. Me? I get a rush seeing the equipment purchased from us in operation.”

Armenta started in Anaheim in 1998, and transferred to Superior’s former San Diego, California location, in 2003 as store manager. In 2005, he transferred back to Anaheim and in 2007, he accepted the position of Anaheim Outlet Center Manager. Juan works with three other staff members. Doug Best has been with Superior since 1996, Rico Gonzalez started in 2007, and Victor Martinez joined the team in 2008.

Juan recalls a situation that took place a few years ago in the Anaheim store. One of their customers was at the checkout counter, and when Juan asked him for the name of his business, his heavily-accented response was the French equivalent of “If You Please” (pronounced “sill-vu-play”). Juan tried relying on his high school French class knowledge to spell the name of the restaurant. He then confessed to customer that he did not know how to spell the name of his business. The customer spelled it out for him by writing SEA FOOD PLACE, which turned out to be anything but French. Juan came to the conclusion that a little knowledge can get you into more trouble than no knowledge at all!

Excalibur stemware is manufactured by Cardinal International, an industry giant in the foodservice supplies industry. This pattern of restaurant glasses is both elegant and durable. Excalibur is fully tempered and is 5 times as strong as regular or annealed glass. Superior Products Restaurant Equipment and Supplies is pleased to announced that we have recently expanded our selection of Excalibur glasses to include beverage, old fashioned and hiball glasses.



Cardinal uses environmentally beneficial "green" practices when manufacturing their products. One example of their green practices is that they use glass waste, known as mullet, during their melting process. This reduces energy consumption. Fully tempered restaurant stemware such as Excalibur is made from recycled glass, which in turn can be recycled again post use. Using this recycled glass during production lowers furnace temperatures and reduces emissions.




Because of the added durability, less waste is created. It may sound far fetched but these glasses can be used to drive nails into the wall. Seeing is believing- view this video from Cardinal that demonstrates the toughness of this glassware.

 

Spinach Salad is our latest featured recipe during Recipe Week at Superior Connections. We hope that you enjoy this delectable meal and that Superior Products Restaurant Equipment and Supplies can help you with the tools needed to make your recipe a success! Featured after each recipe this week will be a listing of foodservice supplies we offer to accomodate this recipe.

Superior has been in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry for over 75 years, and is a well trusted name. Visit our website where you can view and purchase over 11,500 products, many of which we stock in our restaurant supply warehouses. These products generally ship out within one business day and can arrive in as few as 2 business days! We've got you covered when it comes to commercial kitchen equipment, bar equipment, restaurant glasses, and commercial griddles. Shop Superior and save!

Spinach Salad

Submitted by Jeanne T.

Note: Try adding some crumbled cooked bacon.

1 tbsp butter
¾ cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 lb spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
½ cup white sugar
2 tsp minced onion
¼ tsp paprika
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ cup vegetable oil

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil.

Toss with spinach just before serving.

Recommended Restaurant Equipment and supplies:

• Intrigue® Sauce Pans
• Olive Oil & Vinegar Bottle Sets
• Cook's Knife

Recipe Week returns next week at Superior Products. Each day next week we will be featuring a new recipe submitted by our associates here. Highlighted after each recipe will be restaurant equipment and supplies that can be used to prepare the recipe.

Along with the recommended tools for perfecting the recipe, our Superior Products website offers over 11,500 foodservice equipment and supply products. Many of these are stocked in our 4 restaurant supply warehouses, located throughout the country. Shipping of these products generally occurs within one business day after order is processed, and are delivered in approximately 3 to 5 business days.

We have been in business for over 75 years and have a large selection of commercial kitchen equipment auch as double door refrigerators and restaurant ranges. We feature all of your dining room needs, including restaurant supply linen and table covers, restaurant glasses and a great selection of china and table top accessories.

Superior Products Restaurant Equipment and Supplies offers a variety of restaurant supply linen and table covers for your dining room and patio seating. We carry Marko by Carlisle vinyl tablecloths in their Classic, Fashion and Designer Series lines. Many different colors are offered in each of the lines, and we stock some of the more popular colors in our restaurant supply warehouses.




In addition to vinyl tablecloths, Superior carries cloth napkins and tablecloths from both Marko and Snap Drape. Our linens are made from materials such as polyester and cotton/polyester blends, and come in a variety of colors. Vinyl table padding is also available for extra protection for your table tops.


Table skirting manufactured by Marko and Snap Drape are also offered by Superior Products. Skirting clips are available in velcro and snap-on styles. We also carry specialized covers, such as trash can covers and beverage dispenser covers, and offer such accessories as mobile skirt caddies.






To accentuate your restaurant table top setting, choose from a variety of candle, lamps and fixtures. Our large selection of china and glassware will help you choose the perfect restaurant dinner plates and restaurant glasses to complete your table top setting.   

Superior Products has been a leader in the foodservice supplies industry for over 75 years. With the majority of our products in stock and ready to ship, you will generally receive your order within 3 to 5 business days.

Quality Wine Glasses 

If you plan on serving wine, it is imperative that you invest in quality wine glasses and you don't have to strain your budget at www.SuperProd.com to find the types of quality wine glasses that meet your expectations.

Wine glasses vary in type, style and design; whatever your menu or ambience dictates, we have the perfect glass for you! Made to last and durable, our wine glasses help reduce replacement costs due to breakage. All of our wine glasses, as well as our other restaurant stemware and glasses, are manufactured so that you can create and serve quality drinks in durable glasses that will continually satisfy customers.

Solid wine glasses are recognized by customers. When wine is served in thin, fragile glasses, customers take note and it affects your establishments' reputation. We stock our wine glasses in our restaurant supply warehouses, and you can receive them within 5 business days aftering ordering.
 

Wine Glass Materials 

Restaurant quality wine glasses are made from a variety of materials - ranging from plastic to titanium. Some of these materials may not be of high enough quality for many restaurants, and others are unnecessarily extravagant and are too expensive to purchase in bulk.

Most glasses are made from lead crystal or blown glass. Both casual wine drinkers and connosieurs can appreciate wine glasses made from these materials.

Superior Products offers many wine glasses that have the look, feel, and style of lead crystal without the high prices associated with them. These glasses will enhance your customer's experience and offer value and quality to you! 

Types of Wine Glasses

Superior Products offers a variety of different wine glass types: red, white, champagne and sherry to name a few. Wine aficionados can be picky about what glass they use to drink their favorites, so we stock all types of wine glasses to help you better prepare to meet your customer's needs.

If you are looking for a wide, full bodied red wine glass, we have many to choose from. Large openings in the bowls of the glasses allow maximum oxidization and allows the wine drinker to really enjoy the smooth flavors of a complex red wine.

Champagne and white wine glasses are slimmer and this allows these light drinks to retain their subtle flavoring after being exposed to open air. For more robust whites, we have glasses that resemble red wine glasses in that they are a bit wider and more shallow. Shop our selection today and find your bar glassware including wine glasses, as well as all of your bar equipment and supplies needs!

This month we have over 100 different restaurant glasses on sale. Stock up now and save on glasses and all your bar equipment needs. Superior Products offers a full array of foodservice equipment and supplies to fill your dining room, kitchen, bar area, and outdoor seating area.

Serving you for over 75 years, we offer outstanding customer service, a low price guarantee, and a lease-to-own program for larger equipment. We feature products at wholesale prices from such vendors as True, Manitowoc, Pitco, APW Wyott, Carlisle and Cambro. We feature restaurant stemware and glasses from Libbey, Anchor Hocking, and Cardinal. Click on the link below and start saving on your glassware!