DOILIES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE is a vintage video that has a wealth of information about how to use Royal Lace® Paper Doilies in your home, pastry shop, restaurant or catering business. Take the time to watch it. You will love it!
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
>>NARRATOR: The following presentation is brought to you by Royal Lace. The appetizers look mouth-watering, the desserts divine, in fine dining and casual settings, in the kitchen and out. As food service professionals, we know we’re not just selling food. We’re also selling the presentation of food. And there’s a simple and inexpensive way to set apart and enhance the presentation of virtually everything that’s served.
>>EZRA EIGELBERGER: Hello, I’m Ezra Eigelberger. And in the next few minutes, I’m going to show you many functional and creative ways that doilies make the difference. These lace paper doilies add elegance to any place setting, and make an entire meal more appetizing. But they have other benefits too, many of which you may have never considered. Let’s start with doilies in the kitchen, and a couple of things that are important to every chef these days. On the issue of food safety, a doily will provide a safe barrier between food and a surface that may have contaminants on it because of improper cleansing and disinfecting. And if you’re concerned about the disposable nature of doilies and the environment, keep in mind that they can be composted with other degradable waste. When you consider that doilies can make such a difference with appetizers and desserts, which we know are high profit items on a menu,there’s no question that doilies are a great investment. For just a few pennies, doilies can make the difference in the dining room too. When you have two surfaces touching, such as china on silver or china on china, doilies not only protect these surfaces from scratching one another, but they also reduce slippage, which can help prevent a messy spill. Look at how the appearance of this side stand is enhanced by doilies. The glass and stemware is kept sparkling clean and impeccably free of germs. Doilies can be used as shelf liners too, and can be utilized in a variety of ways to make your side stand shelves look more attractive. There’s also something to be said about the way doilies keep your side stand or pantry clean and tidy. Doilies under the salt shakers, pepper mills, the honey jars or the oil and vinegar cruets make for an appearance of cleanliness and can facilitate cleanup as well. >>CARMINE STANZIONE: The most common use of doilies in my restaurant is when we have glassware and china coming in contact with each other. And…we use it as a noise buffer and to prevent accidents, prevent sliding and to some extent it also provides a decorative touch to what we’re serving. >>EZRA EIGELBERGER: Doilies make a difference throughout the course of a meal. At table side, we sometimes take doilies for granted. For example, when cocktails are served doilies help keep noticeable spills to a minimum. The same can be said about soup served with a doily between the bowl and the plate. Customers appreciate attention to this type of detail. Iced tea service is another example, where a doily under the glass and an extra doily on the table under the spoon is a special touch that will be noticed. There’s a place for doilies in the main course too. Lobster or clam service, for example, comes with a doily set under the bowl that will be used for the shells. And look at the way doilies are both practical and pretty in the appearance of the overall table. Butter curls on ice look better with doilies. Under the olive oil cruet or under red wine, they prevent dripping on your fine linens. This is a good time to reiterate how cost-effective doilies are. We compared two fine dining establishments, one of which uses linens exclusively versus another that supplements its linens with doilies. When you factor in the cost of laundering, the cost of folding, labor, storage and linen replacement,it is clear that a restaurant that uses doilies comes out way ahead. Doilies have a special place when it comes to desserts, of course. Remember, these are the most profitable items on the menu. And because people buy with their eyes, doilies will help boost your bottom line through increased impulse sales of desserts.
Doilies also make a big difference when it comes to coffee and tea service. Aside from the quite obvious benefits in appearance, doilies actually help improve the ambience of your dining room. There’s no rattle or clatter here. Using doilies between your cups and saucers as well as other china can significantly reduce noise levels, allowing patrons to savor the dining room atmosphere you’re worked so hard to create. There’s another practical use for doilies here: waiter no longer have to interrupt customers to ask if it’s decaf or regular with every refill. They know exactly what’s in order because you’ve distinguished between the two with two different doily designs. What a concept! And those annoying little dribbles of coffee that may roll off of the cup and onto the peoples’ clothes? Here too, the doily makes the difference by absorbing the extra drops. Dinner just about over? Consider complimentary truffles or cookies for your guests. Doilies add a special touch. We want to note that the benefits of doilies extend to other areas that you may not have imagined. Let’s go to the bakery case first. Doilies work wonders in the presentation of your pastries. Glassine or grease-resistand doilies are perfect because they do not absorb butter or shortening from the baked goods, which means your display will look nicer for a longer period of time. And because of the special quality of these particular doilies, you won’t have to replace them frequently, which helps you save money too. >>JOSEPH MCKENNA: Some good examples of baked goods that can be successfully used on a grease-proof doily would be things like croissants and danish, muffins, things like that tend to have a higher butter content and might be a little bit on the, you know the, I don’t want to say greasy side, but the buttery side, the richer side, a paper doily would tend to absorb that, usually it doesn’t discolor it, it just tends to get a bit of an oily type look to it, whereas a good example of where you would use paper doilies would be chocolates and things that are more dry a surface, different types of cookies, biscuits, things of that nature. I think doilies are very effective and an efficient way of enhancing the look and presentation of the products that you want to display. >>EZRA EIGELBERGER: In casual table settings, doilies work wonderfully between condiments and a wooden tabletop, or coffee mugs, main courses too. Fish and chips can be served simply in a basket with a grease-resistant doily in between. Chicken pot pie on the menu? Be sure there’s a doily between the plates to protect them and enhance the presentation. There’s a place for doilies in the bar area too. Snack foods such as peanuts can be served over doilies. Finger foods take on a bit more significance when set on doilies. And there is no question that bar doilies set on glasses in the work area are a big boon to the bartender, who doesn’t have to wipe up as much as usual. Takeout is another area where you may want to put doilies to work for you. Increase the value of an increasingly popular takeout item by presenting that menu as nicely as you would if your customer was in the dining room. Whether it’s a whole meal or a sandwich, doilies can make a difference in how many people opt for an order to go. The use of doilies isn’t limited to food establishments only. Hotels have taken advantage of them for years. They are regularly used in preparing meals for room service, under fruit baskets in the morning, ice buckets during the cocktail hour, and on the pillow at night under mints and chocolates. Hotel customers are accustomed to doilies in the bathroom too, where they improve the overall look of the room and keep the rims and insides of glasses safe and sanitary. Finally, let’s not forget the value of doilies in a meeting room. Under the water glasses, bottled water, or candy dish, under the brioche and croissants, coffee mugs, juice pitcher, cookies and fruit basket too. Doilies help make the service both attractive and efficient. Doilies do make a difference. We’ve spend the last few minutes showing you why doilies play such an important role in the kitchen, dining room, and other areas. Now we’d like to expand briefly on the diversity of doilies. Doilies are available in all different styles, shapes, and sizes. This allows you to use doilies in many creative situations. For example, celebrate that special occasion with an appropriate doily. Like a silver one, for a 25th wedding anniversary. Do you have gold specials on the menu? Whether it’s an entree or a gold margarita, the gold doily helps make the point. Remember too that there are doilies designed to be specifically grease-resistant, very important for your pastries, and fried appetizers and entrees. Doilies can be purchased in various package sizes. You can order as few as a dozen, or bulk quantities. Want something you may not see in the catalog from your food service distributor? Simply ask. In the last few minutes, we’re tried to make you aware of how doilies can add value to everything you serve. For visual appeal to practical applications to food safety, and your bottom line, doilies make the difference. >>NARRATOR: Royal Lace® produces the widest selection of designs and patterns in the world. Also, Royal Lace makes baking cups, nut cups, cake boxes and whole meal replacement boxes. Call 1-800-436-4919 or email us at support@theroyalstore.com.