Tablebases.com Blog

  The world of restaurants is a fast paced, low-margin, cut-throat environment. Starting a restaurant is a huge initiative, and keeping one afloat is an even larger endeavor. No wonder then that restaurateurs are eager to shine a positive spotlight on their establishments. Journalists and food bloggers from all over the world review restaurants and write diligently about foie-gras this and bone-marrow that, exposing the strengths and (we hope) the weaknesses of our local fare. But what happens when restaurateurs, like lobbyists to politicians, start to offer incentives to food bloggers and critics? Does this change the relationship, and the validity of the blogger's word? Continue reading →

A lot of our customers are homeowners looking to create custom dining tables. Luckily, these creative DIYers have taken the time to share photographs of their beautiful projects, providing a great resource for those needing ideas for a dining table, bar table or banquette. You can find the images on our blog, and our Pinterest boards are full of great pictures from our customer and from around the web. We don't just limit ourselves to tables. We search the web to find the best images of awesome flooring, standout statement pieces (hello gorgeous tête-à-tête!) and even our favorite cocktail recipes*!  Be sure to take a look before you start your customer table project, you may just discover some details you never knew you needed! *Please refrain from DIYing and drinking. You might end up with a crooked dining table! Continue reading →

  Bondi Series Aluminum Table Base with Built in Tilting Mounting Plate We are very happy to introduce the newest table base in our line up, the Bondi Aluminum Table Base! The Bondi series (named after Australia's famous Bondi Beach) incorporates a few well designed tricks. To start, the included mounting plate folds up, to flip your table tops vertically. The specially designed base legs are of staggered heights, meaning you can push bases together and nest them for a compact and simple storage solution that does not require you to remove your table tops! Plus, this base is made from aluminum, which means it is perfect for indoor or outdoor use. For cafés, bistros, event centers, airports, and a variety of other locations, this makes moving and storing your tables a whole lot easier.  Continue reading →

  A new study published in the Harvard Business Review took a look at how diner's satisfaction changed when chefs were able to see their patrons, and the results are pretty revealing. As reported by Eater, the researchers monitored a four scenarios, in which: chefs and diners could see each other, chefs could see diners but diners could not see chefs, where diners could see the chefs but the chefs could not see the diners, and finally, where neither party could see each other. Continue reading →

Our customer submission today comes just in time for Halloween! Mike Rau, of Iowa, sent in this photo of a custom table. Adorned with Grateful Dead artwork, and made using our B22 Chrome Table Base at bar height, this table really stands out! Mike's story is below: Continue reading →

Our Large Cantilever Table Base, used to create a granite dining table. Cantilever and bolt down table bases are a great option for smaller spaces, for creating custom height tables, and for anyone who wants a sleek and simple look for their dining table or kitchen island. Because cantilever bases bolt into the wall, they leave the underside of your table completely free for chairs, and provide ample leg-room. For apartments with limited space, or for banquettes, they provide strength and peace of mind without visual clutter. The photo above comes courtesy of Janel Schroder, who wanted to create a nice granite dining table for her son's compact apartment. Continue reading →

  A new book, "The Language of Food", analyzes restaurant menus across the US, and tries to find patterns between the words used on the menu and the price of dishes. As The Independent reports, Dan Jurafsky, a professor of Linguistics at Stanford University in California, studied 6,500 restaurant menus, to try and unearth what words correspond with price increases and decreases. His research, quite thorough, gives restauranteurs and consumers a like a lot to think about. While some of the points are obvious, many are very subtle. Keep reading for the full breakdown.  Continue reading →

  With the Affordable Care Act requiring larger businesses (50 + FT employees) to provide health insurance for workers, some restauranteurs  have begun adding a 3% surcharge to customer's bills, to help cover the increased costs of doing business. While San Francisco restauranteurs were faced with a similar issue in 2008, when a citywide mandate required they provide health insurance, the LA Times is reporting that many Southern California restaurants are now following suite.  Continue reading →

Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign, in which the company printed some 250 different names on Coke bottles and cans, boosted sales for the first time in a decade, the Verge reports. While sales of soft drink have been steadily declining for the last 10 years as people move towards "healthier" alternatives, Coke's crafty marketing gave the company a 0.4% boost. Continue reading →

  A new San Francisco based start-up, called 6SensorLabs, has recently raised funding to manufacture a small, personal device called Canary. The portable device can detect Gluten in foods and beverages, and is aimed at helping those with celiac, or those simply avoiding gluten, gain more knowledge about the products and restaurant dishes they consume. Continue reading →