KFC was one of the first restaurants to use disposable wipes way back in the 1960s. Since then, restaurants and the wider food industry have adopted the use of various disposable paper products, from wipes and tissues to a range of non-woven food service towels.
Understanding the differences between restaurant disposable table wipes and disposable food service towels can give you the edge as a distributor of bulk wipes and paper products. Having a bulk wipes manufacturer that works carefully with you to ensure you get the right products helps keep your customers in the food industry happy – and keeps them coming back to you for repeat sales. Let’s take a look at the different service and table wipes for restaurants and their various features.
Uses of Wipes in Restaurants and Food Service
Wipes and paper towels have numerous uses in the food industry. In a restaurant environment, wipes are used behind the bar, by wait staff, and in the kitchen – plus they’re a jan/san staple as well.
In the kitchen, surfaces need to be cleaned and sanitized fast to ensure a quick turnaround. Woven dishcloths hang onto moisture and bacteria. Alternatively, staff can use wipes to quickly clean an area down, then dispose of the wipe safely without worrying about lingering germs.
In the front of the house, a quick turnaround is also critical to prevent customers from getting impatient and leaving while waiting for a clean table. Strong wipes that can deal with disinfectants and sanitizers are ideal for quickly wiping up food stains and cleaning dirty tables. Super absorbent wipes are essential for dealing with spills, while extra-strong wipes that can handle picking up broken glass can save bar staff from cutting their fingers.
Paper and non-woven material are also a fantastic replacement for linen napkins because they cut down on exorbitant laundry bills for the restaurant. Some restaurants spend upwards of $200,000 getting their linens clean, so anything that reduces this cost is welcome. Plus, disposing of used napkins helps with hygiene.
Of course, washing your hands has always been important in the food industry, but never has it been more critical than since the recent pandemic. With this in mind, a conventional cloth towel shared between perhaps dozens of kitchen workers doesn’t meet the strict standards of hygiene expected not only by the food industry but by its customers. This makes paper towels a “must-have” for drying hands quickly and safely.
Features of Food Service Wipes
Food service towels can be a key component in avoiding cross-contamination. The towels in the
Chef’s Select® range from Berk can be used for prep or clean up, are strong and absorbent, and even come with an
anti-microbial option. But what makes these disposable food service towels so useful is that they come in a range of colors, so restaurants can code them to specific uses. Chefs and their teams can use red for meat, green for veggies, red stripe for cleaning grills, and so forth.
When it comes to replacing linens with non-woven wipes, quality is the primary concern. Linen Replacement Napkins come in a range of mixed materials, each designed to give the feel and durability of real linen – a must for impressing guests. These napkins are both absorbent and disposable making them as luxurious as linen but as convenient as paper wipes. They also come at a fraction of the cost of linen wipes, an important consideration for many restaurants.
For spills and leaking food containers, highly absorbent wipes made of cellulose-based materials are the order of the day. Large rolls that allow your customers to rip off exactly how much paper they need for mopping or drying are practical and cost-effective, as they reduce wastage. In the front of the restaurant, disposable table wipes in singles may be more useful, and easier for wait staff to transport from table to table.
More heavy-duty tasks like cleaning griddles or inside ovens need heavy-duty wipes or towels. Food service users require non-woven wipes that combine synthetic and organic materials for strength and absorbency. If you can explain the physical properties of the wipes you provide, you’ll engage your customers more and earn their trust.
Berk and You – Servicing Your Food Service Clients
Towels and table wipes for restaurants will always be in demand, even more so now that hygiene is at the forefront of the food industry’s collective consciousness. As a paper products distributor, is your bulk wipe manufacturer set up to support you to bring the right products to your customers?
Berk International likes to work closely with its distributors to ensure they’re aware of the range of products available for the food industry.
ChemWipes®, for example, combines the strength of the MIGHTYWIPE® with a bucket dispenser system that allows restaurant employees to add their own cleaning or surface prep products. Discussing options like these with your food service clients makes them realize how invested you are in their success – just like Berk is in yours.
Berk knows that you have the best relationship with your customers, so talk to us about your food industry clients and their specific needs. Berk’s experience in manufacturing bulk wipes for the restaurant industry plus our personalized approach allow us to help you choose the best products for customer satisfaction and increased profit.
Set up a phone call today and find out how Berk can help you on your journey to become a successful disposable paper product distributor to the food industry.
Image Credits: Photo by
Michael Browning on Unsplash
