Tablebases.com Blog

Our customer photograph today comes courtesy of Michael Ganucheau, who wanted to create a custom, bistro-style table for his home. Shown is our Brasserie 4 cast iron base, paired with a custom Italian Carrera marble table top. The simple combination brings a some Italian flare to everyday meals, and makes an excellent table for two. If you want to create a table like this for your home or restaurant, be sure to check out our cast iron bases and granite table tops. Continue reading →

Anyone who owns a smartphone (i.e. most Americans), and even most who do not, are aware of the recent trend of photographing one's food to post on social media. You log onto Instagram only to find the most recent photos in your feed are of summer barbeques, homemade pies and decadent brunches. Some call it bragging, some think of it as irreverent, while others consider it a necessary byproduct of the foodie movement, with craft this and gluten free that. With the proliferation of smartphones equipped with digital cameras, ready to upload a photographs at a moments notice, it makes sense that the online social-sphere would be inundated with photographs. In a recent New York Times article by Pete Wells looks to explore the sweeping trend that is "camera cuisine". Continue reading →

American consumers have shown that craft brews certainly have a place in their hearts (and stomachs), but just how much would you pay for your favorite brew? A new bottling, released last month by the young Moody Tongue brewery, is pushing the envelope, with expensive and exotic ingredients that push their bottles to $120 for 22 ounces of beer. While craft brews are often on the more expensive side - an unavoidable byproduct of smaller scale operations - asking more than a Benjamin for a single bottle is jaw-dropping excessive. Or is it? Continue reading →

Barrel aging is all the rage in today's world of craft everything. From honey, to maple syrup, and of course, spirits, craft food and drink makers are pushing the sweet vanilla and clove notes imparted by the charred oak barrels. With the recent explosion of craft distillers in the US, combined with a renewed taste among consumers for classic spirits, cooperages (barrel making companies) around the country are busy around the clock. As Modern Farmer points out, there is one big caveat: the prices of barrels are going way, way up, due to renewed popularity and a shortage of proper wood. Continue reading →

Earlier this year, the IRS made changes to its policies regarding automatic gratuities. While adding gratuity to a large party's bill is fairly standard in America, the new rules may have restauranteurs making some serious changes. The controversial practice ads 18-20% of the bill in order to guarantee a fair tip for servers. However, under the new guidelines, these automatic gratuities now count as "service charges", and must be reported as wages for tax purposes. As Nation's Restaurant News points out, this could mean big changes for restaurant prices around the country, as operators struggle to keep up with rising labor costs and increasingly complicated wage laws. According to the IRS policies (quoted from NRN), a "tip" is defined by the following qualities: Continue reading →

Allergies, whether seasonal or to food, can be real annoyances for most people. For many others, more serious allergies can be a matter of life and death. About 15 million Americans suffer from severe food allergies (1 in 13 children), that take away from their ability to safely eat out at restaurants. Some new, emerging technologies on the horizon are looking to solve that problem, by creating handheld versions of the mass spectrometers used in professional labs. Bonnie Powell, director of communications for Bon Appétit Management Company, recently penned an article published on Food + Tech Connect, emphasizing the need for technology and food industry companies to work on getting these devices on the market sooner, rather than later. Continue reading →

Free Shipping on All Table Base Orders* June 17th - August 31st 2014 Tablebases.com is pleased to announce that we will be offering FREE shipping on all table base orders* placed from June 17th 2014, through August 31st 2014! No coupons, special codes or memberships required, all you have to do is place your order online or over the phone. No matter if you are purchasing 1 table base or 100, shipping is on us. With summer here, now is the perfect time to impress your guests by refreshing your outdoor dining area or by creating a custom dining table for your home. Our wide selection of indoor & outdoor table bases means you can create a table that fits in with your individual style. Whatever your needs, we are here to help! For more information, give us a call! Our customer service representatives are always eager to advise, so you can be sure you'll get the best products to suit your specific needs. Continue reading →

Most everyone has heard of the infamous "6th Sense", but scientists in New Zealand have conducted a study that may show our tongues actually do have a 6th sense of taste. Eater.com reports, researchers conducted a study to see if our tongue's tasting talents extend beyond the usual sour, salty, sweet, bitter and savory categories. In the tests, participant's tongues were exposed to one of three liquid solutions to test for a surprising 6th sense. Read on for the full breakdown. Continue reading →

  Sales of the Coravin wine accessing system, which we reported on back in February, have been voluntarily halted by the company due to safety concerns. The device, which pressurizes wine bottles so that they can be poured without exposing the bottle to oxygen, apparently does not play well with flawed bottles. As Eater.com reports, 7 bottles have apparently burst, with one of those incidents resulting in a laceration. The company will be temporarily stopping sales, and will be shipping neoprene sleeves to current and future customers that will contain the glass in the event of a rupture. Continue reading →

By Jacob Graham, June 3rd 2014 A strange debate has been occurring online as of late, concerning whether or not restaurants (more specifically, servers) should be burdened with the task of charging a customer's electronic devices. I say strange because what seems like such a trivial matter, plugging something in, has turned into a debate of principles. One argument, published in Vice, comes from server Tae Yoon, who believes that cell phones "can create a lot more bullshit" for servers to put up with, outside of their normal duties. A counter argument, penned by Matt Duckor in Epicurious, argues against Yoon, saying that it is all about courtesy and hospitality. I'm not going to rehash their opinions here, but rather ask a question: Is charging your customer's electronic devices good for your business? Short answer, yes. Read on for the long version. Continue reading →