Tablebases.com

Choosing a table base can be tricky enough with our wide selection, and the process becomes a bit more complicated when stone table tops come into play. Due to their sheer weight, extra consideration is required when deciding on the most appropriate table base for your beautiful granite top. We think about the size, height, weight and use for your table, and try to come up with the most appropriate solution. Read on for some helpful tips on how to pair your granite or marble top with a table base from Tablebases.com. Browse Table Bases for Stone Tables Continue reading →

Tablebases.com has a fantastic selection of bases to suit any table top and décor. One question we get quite often is how to couple a table base with a glass table top.  Tablebases.com offers a glass top adapter that can be paired with select models of stainless steel and steel table bases. The glass top adapter takes the place of the mounting plate, which would normally be bolted or screwed into the table top material. The glass top adapter is an aluminum disk that matches the brushed metal finish on our stainless steel bases. It attaches to your glass table top with a clear epoxy glue (not included with the adapter), and is then bolted to the table base. The result is a very stable connection between your glass top and your table base, without ruining the sleek and modern style that glass tops provide. Looking down onto your finished table, you would only see your beautiful table base, and the aluminum disk(s). Keep reading for more complete instructions. Continue reading →

  It's a good practice for hospitality business owners to consider the range of different guests they serve, and to try to think of the best ways to make everyone comfortable. Do your guests have allergies? Children? Perhaps they have limited vision and travel with a service animal. There are a range of different circumstances your business should be prepared to handle. One of the questions we get quite often is, "How do I make wheelchair accessible tables?" With that in mind, this post is an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides guidelines (actually, hard and fast rules) for how restaurateurs should accommodate guest's using wheelchairs, to make sure they can enjoy your hospitality in comfort. Shop Accessible Table Bases Continue reading →

We know that visualizing a project before it's complete can often be a challenge. To help you create the perfect table for your space, we've put together a handy little diagram showing how many guests you can fit comfortably different sizes of tables, as well as some handy tips for choosing the best size and shape table for your dining space. While it can sometimes be hard to find a complete dining set in the size and shape you want, with the help of Tablebases.com you can pick your table top, table base, and chairs separately, to find the perfect size and shape for your dining area. Continue reading for more info! Virtual Assistant: Find A Base for Your Table Top Continue reading →

We often have customers ask if we can custom-cut our table bases to specific heights. Maybe you have unique chairs that are a bit taller than standard, or are trying to match an existing countertop. You can order a custom height table base from www.tablebases.com, just give us a call to place your order over the phone. Not all of our products can be custom cut, for example, most vintage cast iron models with decorative columns are not customizable. However, most of our bases with steel columns can be custom-cut (click the button below to see a complete list of table bases that can be cut to custom heights). Custom Height Table Bases Continue reading →

In normal times, any hotel that offers hourly rates would be considered a bit low-rent. However, anything goes in a pandemic! In Montréal, the beautiful eastern Canadian city known for its vibrant dining scene, three hotels are hosting private dining experiences for guests that are just looking for a few hours out of the house, and not a room for the evening. Think of it as room service, but you’re there specifically for the food. The ingenious idea sidesteps the dining restrictions that are in place in Montréal (and much of the rest of the world), without running afoul of social distancing practices or restoring to outdoor experiences. Continue reading →

Get Ready for a Post-Pandemic Rush With multiple vaccines available, the end of the pandemic is finally in sight. After a year of shelter-in-place mandates that slowed business, many customers will doubtlessly be thrilled about the idea of dining out. Make sure you are ready to provide the best service possible by preparing ahead of time. Continue reading →

Restaurants in the Canadian city of Montréal received a mixed bag of news this week with the announcement of extended closures by the Quebecois government, led by premier Francois Legault. Due to COVID case numbers – which are flat in Quebec, but still high, and going up dramatically in the United States – Montréal restaurants will be forced to remain closed for at least another four weeks, through November 23rd. Unsurprisingly, restaurateurs are not pleased, with some airing their disagreements on social media. Many take issue with the fact that restaurants have been forced to close, while many retail outlets are allowed to remain open to a certain degree. However, there is some good news, in the form of financial assistance for restaurants. Continue reading →

When will demand go back to normal? When consumers feel safe. The United States is now in day 223 of the Coronavirus pandemic that brought the world's economies to screatching halts. While we've learend a lot about how much wearing masks and socially distancing can help keep us safe, consumers are still leery. New market research shows that despite many states allowing businesses to reopen — even movie theatres and gyms in some locations people are still largely avoiding activites we used to regard as normal and safe. Restaurants and the aforementioned gyms and theatres have been hit especially hard, despite going to great lengths to make dining as safe as possible in the face of COVID-19. USA Today quotes industry newsletter Restaurant Dive, who says that "Restaurants now reflect the highest total number of business clossures". The National Restaurant Association estimates that about 100,000 restaurants nationwide have permanently closed, unable to survive the initial "temporary" closures that dragged on for months. While many businesses were able to pivot, at least somewhat successfullly, to new business models including delivery and takeout, many were not able to sustain their operations. Continue reading →

Consumers have slowly been moving towards more sustainable products and practices for decades now, with efforts ranging from high-level federal regulations, all the way to individual efforts like the improved multi-use products, composting, and trendy sustainable agriculture. In the era of Covid, some of those sustainable practices are going out the window in the name of sanitation and safety. Specifically, the use of single-use containers and plastic-ware is on the rise as more diners opt for delivery and take-out service. With the pandemic showing no signs of slowing down in the U.S., we could be poised to reverse some of the environmental progress that has been made as we all adjust to life without in-restaurant dining.  In the medical field, single-use plastics are common and a necessary part of ensuring safety. When sanitation, cost and efficiency are the primary concerns, disposable materials make sense. There is much less margin for error with disposables than with more durable items that have to be sanitized between uses. With a widespread contagious disease like COVID-19, it makes sense that businesses are looking to the same methods as hospitals; no one wants their restaurant to be the source of the next local outbreak. In a busy restaurant environment, disposable options also save staff the time and hassle of having to thoroughly sanitize utensils, napkins, plates, and other items that may normally be reused. Time is money, and when restaurants are operating at half capacity, or even less in areas where indoor dining is still prohibited, less time spent washing and sanitizing can feel like it makes a difference. However, disposable materials are more expensive in the long run compared to reusable items, so it’s not as though restaurateurs are recouping profits. On top of that, by some measures single-use items are not actually any better at preventing the spread of viruses that are properly sanitized reusable options. Studies cited by plastics-industry manufacturers are usually based around other contaminants, not COVID. Regardless of whether single-use plastics are more or less sanitary, it’s hard to argue that they aren’t more convenient for takeout. How can you serve a salad with dressing, or tacos with salsa, without those small plastic containers? In those cases, there simply aren’t great or affordable alternatives. In the current situation where so many more diners are forced or voluntarily opting to eat at home, all those food containers can add up quickly. In some studies, food containers, fast food packaging, and drink bottles are some of the most prolific types of plastic litter found on beaches. And those results are pre-covid, when many cities and countries were working on reducing plastic waste. A key issue when talking about any type of plastic is recyclability. As the Wall Street Journal notes, many of the types of plastics that are being used more frequently during the pandemic are precisely the types that are hard to recycle, such as thin plastic bags and single use wrappers. While many companies are producing items made from recycled materials, and even making compostable food containers, the lack of recyclability means that tons of waste inevitably end up in landfills and the environment at large. There is no one great answer to these issues. Restaurants are going to have to continue to focus on takeout during the pandemic if they want to stay afloat, and they are putting in their best efforts to provide a safe experience for diners. As with everything COVID related, there is a learning curve that everyone has had to go through. As we settle into this post-COVID world, solutions will emerge, but for the near future it looks like we can expect to see a lot more plastic waste. Continue reading →