Clear as Glass: A quick guide to making glassware purchasing decisions

Glassware is the best option for almost every beverage in almost every restaurant and bar. Though sometimes the multitude of glasses available for different types of beer, wine, and cocktails can be overwhelming, in some cases having a few different glasses on hand can have definite advantages for the drinker’s experience. Different glasses offer different benefits, depending on the drink. A downside to using glass cups is the cloudy buildup that sometimes accumulates, making the glasses seem less attractive. The stains are caused by the residue in hard water, making it important for businesses to consider alternative water options which will better preserve their glassware. By planning glassware types and quantity before purchasing, serving drinks with their compatible glasses, and properly maintaining glassware, food and drink establishments can maximize the usefulness and appeal of glassware.

Cold Drink Glasses

Cold drink glasses are usually tall, with many different styles and shapes to choose from. The condensation, ice cubes, and bubbles of a Coca-Cola in a clear, tall glass, on a hot summer day is irresistible. This effect provides a benefit of serving many types of cold drinks in clear glassware, making them the most popular option for restaurants and bars.

Hot Drink Mugs

Scientists have found that the color of a mug affects the drinker’s perception of the taste of coffee. Coffee served in white mugs is generally perceived as being bitterer than coffee served in transparent and blue mugs. The study suggests that restaurants should serve coffee in clear or blue mugs; glass mugs are a perfect option. Glass mugs should be tempered, a process of heating and cooling cycles which strengthens the glass, making it less susceptible to shattering as a result of extreme temperature fluctuations. Many different sizes and styles of tempered glass mugs exist, making it convenient for venues to select the options which best fit their hot drink menu.

Wine Glasses

Wine glasses can help enhance the wine drinking experience, but they can also help a restaurants sell more wine. It has been found that people tend to pour themselves more wine when they use wide wine glasses, possibly leading to customers finishing of the bottle faster, and ordering more. Different types of glasses help highlight the flavors of different types of wines, making it worthwhile for restaurants to stock up on a few different types. Tall, flute glasses help prevent bubbles from escaping and air from heating up sparkling white wines, while wide, round glasses promote oxygen to open up the flavors of red wines. Wine glasses are absolutely mandatory for venues selling wine, but the number of different shape and size variations may differ depending on the level of the venue, the types of wines they offer, and their budget.

Beer Glasses

Similar to wine glasses, different beer glasses purportedly complement different types of beers. Though as with wine glasses, there is no rule set in stone or general opinion adopted as to the benefits of having very specific shapes and sizes of glasses to best accent the tastes of the drink, many venues choose to keep at least a few different options on hand. From stemmed glasses which can almost be mistaken as wine glasses to hefty beer mugs, beer glasses take on many shapes and forms.

Miniature Glasses

Miniature glasses can have a multitude of purposes in venues. Verrine, layered desserts, soup samples, beer samplers, espresso, herb sorbets to cleanse the diners’ palettes in between courses, and hard liquor shots can all be served in miniature glasses. With a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors available, dining venues, bars, and caterers can mix and match different styles for serving different samplers or miniature courses. With the hip culinary trend of serving miniature courses, or tapas, as well as canapés, miniature glasses provide a multipurpose tool for culinary businesses to follow modern serving styles in food.

Glassware can be a huge expense for a food and drink establishment. Its fragility leads to a need for frequent replacements and the unpredictability of customer choices requires extras to be on hand at all times. However, the attractiveness of serving beverages in clear glasses, and the psychological impact they have on the perceived taste of drinks such as coffee, makes them an important serving item for venues. Miniature glassware can provide many different serving options to help food and drink businesses stay on top of the latest culinary trends. Glassware can have a place in every type of food or drink venue, but restaurateurs and managers must weigh and decide which glassware belongs in their venues, based on the type of venue, their menu, and their budget.