The true mark of a table setting is the water glass. There. I said it.
Your guests are seated. Chairs slide in, menus drop, and the first question from your server is: “Sparkling or still?”
The water glass sets the stage; its’ touch (textured or smooth?), its’ rim (sheer or beaded?), and its’ base (thick or fine?), offer the first indications of what the rest of service may hold.
And that is the power of tabletop. It is the heart and soul of hospitality; how your guests feel after they’ve left the restaurant and gone home—and whether they decide to come back again. These are, in fact, conscious decisions.
At Singer Equipment Company, our tabletop team is here to bring your concept to life—and what a concept means, for guests and ownership—is shifting.
Beyond that first splash of an opening, friends and family, and the PR run, operators are now facing a challenge in retention. Creating a memorable experience that keeps guests coming back is the real challenge.
At the risk of upsetting some of our vendors, it’s not just about the plates and glasses. It’s the lasting impressions of these tactile experiences.
One of my hometown heroes in creating comfortable, cozy lasting impressions in the dining room is Chef Andrew Carmellini and his team at NoHo Hospitality. With 15+ restaurants across the country, every concept I’ve ever visited feels like home in its own way.
“It’s a collaboration,” said Joshua Gripper, Culinary Director for NoHo Hospitality. “It’s not just one person or one ethos. It’s many different views.”
As a New York based restaurant group, NoHo Hospitality works with Ashley Bradford, Account Executive at Singer Equipment Company, to collaborate on all their concepts, new and existing.
“NoHo treats tabletop as an extension of the overall dining experience—not a separate category,” said Bradford. “Every piece supports the food, the space, and the flow of service.”
At Café Carmellini in Manhattan, the fine dining flagship’s tabletop also has a sense of humor. At the end of every meal, guests are presented with dessert inside the Haas Lazy Susan Catchall from L’Objet—and the crowd goes wild.
“He looks like he has his feet up and his belly is full,” said Gripper. “It’s that moment where you’re thinking ‘Oh I’m so full,’ but there’s always something more to be done [for the guest].”
If you’ve had the privilege of dining at Café Carmellini, that chocolate monster will haunt you with delight for a lifetime.
At Leuca, inside the William Vale Hotel in Williamsburg, if risk and reward in design were played in a band, it would be a funky bassline. Gripper said the importance of rethinking the reorder and staying current are what makes these concepts tick at such a unique cadence.
“We looked back at Leuca [about a year ago] and we refreshed it to a more modern aesthetic but still living in the context of Southern Italian soul food cooking,” said Gripper. “There are still some of the classic motifs that we needed to keep but wanted to round it out.”
According to Bradford, the importance of the reorder process cannot be understated.
“NoHo’s tabletops evolve with the restaurants,” said Bradford. “Post-opening, they refine based on service, menu changes, and guest interaction adjusting, upgrading, and improving over time.”
For linens at Leuca, the team selected a unique pattern from Casarovea, made in Italy in a midcentury modern checked pattern take another overlooked tabletop touchpoint and made it memorable. Costa Nova stoneware also provides a layer of classic rustic warmth, paying homage to the region they celebrate.
I’ll be back for that tabletop. And the playlist. All together, all love.
Our industry could use love now more than ever and that is what keeps customers coming back and makes the experience memorable.
Tabletop moments aren’t just programmed. They require attention to detail, an emphasis on time management (both internally and in service) and investment—and help from your partners.
“I like to think of myself as the ‘hospitality behind the hospitality,’ said Bradford. “The most important question I can ask is, how can I help? Operators have so much on their plate every day, and their focus is taking care of their guests—so my role is to take care of them. That can look like a lot of different things, but it really comes down to being present, paying attention, and stepping in where I can make things easier. Whether it’s helping solve a problem, bringing a new idea to the table, or just being a reliable partner, I’m there to support them however they need.”
We’ll be back in your feed with more tabletop news and insights next month. Until then, explore our latest work on @singertabletop or connect with our team at tabletop@singerequipment.com.
