Qualities of a good terry towel

There are several things that make a good terry towel.    First of all the towel needs to absorb.  As long as the Terry loops are 100% cotton there is not a tremendous difference in the performance of higher end yarns and lower end yarns.  While a towel with a very low pile may not absorb as well as a thicker pile towel the trade off is that the lower pile towel will last longer.  A quality terry towel is also sewn well. Either the towel has a nice thick fast selvage along the sides or good folded hem with lock stitched sewing.  The other day a customer called to say they were only getting about a year and a half out of their cotton towels.  Don't we wish we were all that lucky.  

Microfiber Towels - Points To Consider

The last several years has seen a surge in the popularity of microfiber towels.  I would never of believed that so many different styles, colors, sizes, and weights would have been introduced to the market the last 10 years.  The selection is enormous.

There are microfiber towels designed for wiping, dusting, and low lint applications.  Microfiber towels, often called the "magic towel", have a much better chance of living up to their claims when used correctly.

Keep these points in mind when considering your purchase of microfiber towels:

• Heat will melt microfiber, and the person's hand holding the towel.  It is not a towel to be used in hot areas of a kitchen.
• Microfiber towels will last considerably longer than a cotton towel but at some point they do wear out. Using the towel past their effective life will reduce performance.
• Various sizes are available.  If the towel is needed primarily as an absorbing and wiping towel consider using a larger size.  Microfiber is very absorbent and if using a towel that is too small more towels can be used than anticipated.  
• If loss and abuse of towels are considerable, a cotton towel makes more sense as it costs less to replace.

Which Restaurant Towel Should I Buy?

When looking for a good quality wholesale kitchen towel there are a few points to consider.  Let's take a brief look.

Most kitchen towel needs are separated by location the towel is being used.  For the front of the house a good absorbing low-lint towel is generally required such as a herringbone towel or microfiber towel.  In the back of the house where heat and grease are more of a challenge a bar mop in either ribbed or terry style is needed.  This is an important distinction to make and insures maximum life and performance of your towel.

Obviously a towel is used for absorbing purposes. 100% cotton towels will absorb better than towels made of a cotton/blend.  Generally a towel that is heavier will absorb better as well.  Notice, I didn't say thicker, but heavier.  Thicker terry bar mops may appear higher quality out of the package, but with their looser weave comes more chances to leave lint behind as well as a shorter life span.

One final note, with wine servings being very popular in most restaurants today there are even towels made specifically for drying glassware that are made of 100% microfiber and are lint free.

Whatever towel you choose to buy make sure you consider the application and area of the restaurant that the towel is being used in first.