Why you should eat at a table set with table linen
As lockdown is relaxing in many countries, the hospitality industry is preparing to reopen its doors by installing guidelines in order to safeguard the health and safety of guests and personnel.
Is goes without saying that extraordinarily thorough cleaning will be on the top of the menu. To achieve a hygienically clean environment in restaurants, reusable table cloths and napkins should be introduced. Even more so, as a recent study has shown that bare tables in restaurants are fifth on the list of “Dirtiest Places in Restaurants”, scoring ahead of toilet door handles and taps.
That same study by ABC News and the NYU Microbiology Department also shows that dining on a tablecloth means far less exposure to microorganisms than bare tables. Even with regular cleaning, bare tables remain a breeding ground for all types of microscopic bacteria. Tablecloths, however, can provide a five-times-cleaner surface and are touched only at the corners by the server laying the cloth and by the immediate restaurant guests. In addition, using reusable table linen is far more sustainable than the disposable paper placemats and napkins. In fact, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states that paper products represent more than 25% of all trash sent to landfills. And textiles? Less than 1%.
By outsourcing the cleaning of the table linen to commercial laundries that are specialised in washing and disinfecting, the hospitality industry can focus on what they are good at: serving their guests.