How Much Tableware Does a Restaurant Need? Plates, Glasses and Cutlery per Cover

"How many plates do we need?" is the first question on every opening list, and the answer is never "one per seat". Plates are on the table, in the dishwasher, on the pass and broken in the bin, all at the same time. This guide gives the rules of thumb that hotel and restaurant buyers use to plan crockery, glassware and cutlery quantities, and how to turn them into an order.

Start with covers, not seats

A cover is one guest place setting. Plan your stock from the number of covers you serve at your busiest time, not from the number of chairs. Write down:

• Seats in the restaurant (and terrace, private room, banqueting).
• How many times a table turns at peak (for example 1.5 turns at dinner).
• How fast your dishwasher returns clean items during service.

A slow dish return or a single small dishwasher means you need more stock on the shelf.

The "par level" rule

Buyers use a par level: the number of each item you keep per seat. A common starting point is:

• Plates and bowls: about 3 per seat (one on the table, one in the wash, one ready on the shelf).
• Glasses: about 3 to 4 per seat for each glass type you use, because glasses break most and turn slowest.
• Cutlery: about 3 sets per seat, more if you change cutlery between courses.
• Cups and saucers: about 2 to 3 per seat for cafés and breakfast service.

These are planning numbers, not rules. A banquet hall that serves everything at once needs at least one full set per guest plus spares. A café with a fast glass washer can work with less.

Example: a 60-seat restaurant

Adjust each line to your menu: a pizza restaurant needs pizza plates instead of soup bowls, a steakhouse needs steak knives.

Round up to the box quantity

Professional crockery and glassware are packed in boxes of 6, 12 or 24 pieces. Ordering in full boxes keeps the price per piece lower and makes reorders simple. On VagoShop each product page shows the pieces per box. If your plan says 180 plates and the box holds 12, order 15 boxes.

Plan for breakage

Every operation loses tableware. Glasses break most, then cups and small plates. Many buyers keep a reserve of about 10–20% in storage on top of their par level and track breakage monthly. If one item breaks much faster than the rest, look at handling, racks and dishwasher loading before changing the product.

Choose lines you can reorder

The cheapest plate is the one you can still buy in two years. Before you order, check:

• The line is a stock collection, not a one-off decoration.
• The same item exists in the sizes you need (main, starter, bread, bowl).
• Glassware and cutlery come from the same family, so the table looks consistent when you top up.

Browse full collections by brand on the collections page.

Checklist before you send the order

1. Covers at peak and number of turns.
2. Menu items and the plate, bowl or glass each one uses.
3. Par level per item (start with 3 per seat).
4. Quantities rounded up to full boxes.
5. 10–20% reserve for breakage.

Get a quote for your opening list

Send us your seat count and menu, or a full item list, through Request a Quote. We will return prices and box quantities for crockery, glassware and cutlery in one offer.