Why Granite and Wood Are The Best Materials For Restaurant Tables

Restaurant owners, managers and chefs need easy-to-use tabletops that are functional and affordable. Material type has a huge impact on these factors, which is the reason why restaurant professionals choose natural tabletop materials, such as granite and wood restaurant tables for dining customers and kitchen staff.

Why Granite & Woods are Best Materials?

Here is what any restaurant professional needs to know about why granite and wood tabletops are superior to other materials for restaurant use.

1. Granite and Wood Offer Durability

Granite and wood table tops offer many benefits. Both are extremely durable, allowing the tabletop to endure a lifetime without diminished quality. Granite is difficult to scratch, chip, or stain, and it is virtually impervious to burns from toasters or griddles, all important factors in a restaurant environment.

Wood can take a real beating over the years, but even when it shows some wear, a simple sanding and polishing makes it look as good as new. Wood is an ideal material inside kitchens. Chefs across the world use wood butcher block table tops.

2. Beautiful and Timeless

Granite is a form of hardened magma found in different environments throughout the world, so each piece is unique. It comes in hundreds of colors and contains various swirls and other patterns, allowing customization to fit in any restaurant. Granite is also versatile — it’s suited for both indoor and outdoor use, which means more options to expand restaurant seating.

Wood is one of the most aesthetically pleasing materials available for restaurant table tops. It also allows customization options from the thickness, shape, and hue. Although wood doesn’t perform as well outdoors as granite does, it’s an excellent choice for indoor use. Certain types of wood such as teak can survive outdoor use.

3. Sanitary and Easy Cleaning

Granite and wood help create a sanitary environment for customers and staff. The surface of granite serves as an unfavorable environment for bacteria growth; there is less maintenance required and less chance of contaminated food.

Wood that is properly finished and maintained is highly resistant to staining and bacteria as well. Both materials are easy to clean, allowing staff to quickly clear tables to ensure fast turnover of customers.

4. Affordability Is Key

Wood and granite restaurant tables are affordable options, especially considering the long-term value these materials offer. Both materials require very little maintenance, meaning you won’t have to invest inordinate amounts of time and money into their upkeep. Granite restaurant tables may need only occasional resealing, but it is much more durable and less porous than other tabletop materials like marble, soapstone and limestone.

Why Marble Isn’t Good In Restaurants?

Some restaurant owners express interest in marble, but there are plenty of reasons this material is not suitable for restaurants. Marble is prone to staining from glass rings when a coaster isn’t used and from food and wine spills. If you spill citrus juice from a lemon or orange on marble, it will also quickly diminish marble’s polish, meaning this material is simply not as well suited for a restaurant’s dining environment.

The edges of marble can chip easily, and the material can crack when exposed to high fluctuations in temperature, which is often the case inside restaurants. Marble can cause broken dishes, due to its surface texture, which can quickly add up to big losses. Because marble is expensive, many restaurant owners view it as a bad investment.

Conclusion

There are many natural material restaurant tables, but granite and wood come out on top. Consider the unique needs of the restaurant to determine which material will work best.