Restaurantware.com, a manufacturer and distributor of eco-friendly, disposable tableware for the food and beverage industry, has created plastic plates and smallware that are completely recyclable, and even some that are compostible, as well.
them to show off their work. In the past, with disposable items, you couldn't do that. You were forced to use porcelain or glass,” says Bouhareb. “Mini is such a cool concept today. You have mini tasting cocktails. Hotel lobbies will set out five with petite straws. Lots of color, and it just looks great when you see these all lined up on a table.” Restaurantware.com's products all have a sleek, sweeping appearance. They actually look like a globe. “The globe shape makes it unique among our competitors,” says Bouhareb. The company's art deco chair plates cradle a strawberry and other small arrangements of fruit like a gem, and actually look like an armchair you might want to sink into. Currently all 550 of the company's products come in clear but Bouhareb says the firm is developing a sea-green color, with the edges tipped in green, just like glass. Bouhareb says Restaurantware.com will be creating and launching over 100 new products by year-end. “They will capture interesting concepts of packaging from all over the world,” he says. Right now the products primarily come in a 2.2-ounce size, but there are also some 4-ounce options. The company is looking into larger sizes, but
“Mini is such a cool concept today. You have mini tasting cocktails. Hotel lobbies will set out five with petite straws. Lots of color, and it just looks great when you see these all lined up on a table.”
wants to wait to see what the market will be. Distributors are particularly happy with the product because it gives them something new and fresh to sell. Bouhareb says the disposables sell to a wide variety of markets, “from the St. Regis to upscale barbecue caterers,” he says. “It's really for everyone.”
69 • July 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com