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Are you scratching your head at the question ‘how much linen hire will cost for your restaurant?’ Well don’t worry, you’re not alone! In this article, we will explain the rough cost of linen hire for your restaurant and the different variables that determine the cost for a linen supplier.
What factors into the cost of linen hire for a restaurant?
Restaurant with Table Linen
The cost of linen hire for your restaurant depends on three variables – the volume of linen that you need hiring, how often you need pick up & drop off and the scalability of the company you are hiring from. As a rough estimate, napkins can cost anywhere between £0.15-0.75 per napkin whilst table cloths can cost between £1-£5 per table cloth – contracts are usually a minimum of 1 year with linen suppliers. Let’s look into the three variables to determine how much linen hire will cost for your restaurant…
1. Volume of Linen
This is pretty much a given in any type of business, of course the more linen you hire, the cheaper it will cost for you per hire. Most linen companies work on the basis of a spend structure, therefore they will evaluate the different type and amount of linen you hire to determine what the total price of the package should be. For example, by hiring napkins, table cloths, kitchen cloths and chef uniforms, you will get a better deal than hiring just table cloths.
2. Frequency of Pick up/Drop off
Most linen companies have existed for a very long time, therefore, they tend to have very rigid logistics and are unable to offer flexibility when it comes to this. Due to this, frequency of pick up and drop offs play a big part in the quotation of linen hire. Often, linen companies will charge extra (around £10) for any addition pick up and drop off’s you may need. If you can find storage at your restaurant to keep a good amount of dirty linen, you can most likely save money on your linen hire as you will be able to keep at one pick up/drop off per week but be careful, you don’t want bad odor building in the restaurant due to dirty laundry..
3. Scalability of company you’re hiring from
Linen hire, like any business, is cheaper to provide for a business if they have scaled an operation, however; this often comes at a price of reliability and bespoke service. Though partnering with a large linen company can save you money in the short term, they are often servicing a large number of restaurants and this can make it difficult to provide a consistent and reliable service to all restaurant partners.
On the other hand, it can often be cost effective and ‘less of a headache’ by partnering with a local and smaller laundry/linen company. You will often pay a premium for this but will face less of a headache and far more of a consistent and reliable linen service – they will also often be great for emergency laundry needs.
What linen company should your restaurant partner with?
Your choice of linen partner will largely depend on the type of service you need and how your restaurant operates. If you have enough storage and have a consistent and predictable restaurant business, then partnering with a large linen company may be viable.
However if you’re looking for more reliability and flexability, then going local for a more bespoke service will most likely be the best decision even if it is a little more expensive. Restaurant operators often underestimate the importance of a reliable laundry partner within their operation of business when first looking for a supplier, as contracts can be a minimum of a year, operators can be stuck in long contracts with a lack of service that hinders their own restaurant’s performance.
To conclude
Linen hire for your restaurant will depend on the volume of linen you hire, the frequency of pick up and drop offs you need as well as the choice of company you partner with. By choosing a large linen company, you can save money in the short term, but can cost more in the long run due to a lack of service and reliability, it is often best to pay a premium to go local so that you have added flexibility and reliability for your restaurant.
1 Stop Wash Linen hire and chef uniform service
1 Stop Wash offers a bespoke linen hire and chef uniform service in London. We have added flexibility due to us being an on-demand & online service – the 21st century logistics technology used by us gives nimbleness of deliveries allowing our many restaurant partners to benefit; drivers are always on hand to take care of emergency laundry when needed.
We offer exceptional commercial laundry services to all businesses across London. Some of our other services include:
This competitive edge also allows us to provide very competitive quotes despite giving a very personable and bespoke service. This is why a number of restaurant operators in London are switching over to us. Contact us to schedule a consultation about your linen needs before receiving a free quote.