Who Knew?!

Table silencers have been around forever.  That thin pad laid down between the table linen and the table itself to create a smoother surface and prevent knocking noises created from the guests placing their glasses down on a hard wood or plastic table.  So when we went to source plate silencers I thought it would be an easy phone call and another planning task checked off the list.  To my complete surprise that wasn’t exactly the case.

The need for a plate silencer was more than apparent during a menu tasting presentation with one of our clients.  The fantastic specialty china plate we selected was going to remain atop our gorgeous pearlized glass charger for the duration of dinner.  As we all started to eat the food, clanging noises began to fill the room.  “Well we love this table top design” says the client, “but that clanging noise won’t do.”  

Of course I said we would be getting plate silencers that would sit between the two elements eliminating the noise.  Great.  Problem solved.   Until we started making phone calls.  

No such item exists.  Calls to great partners and suppliers, one after the other, revealed that the item existed in the past, but doesn’t any longer.  So we decided to create our own.  After sourcing a myriad of different materials through craft, office supply and home goods stores as well as large manufacturing companies, we finally settled upon a perfect material.  Multiple rounds of tests of varying sizes and designs produced the perfect specimen.  Finding an engineering company that specializes in die cutting was the final piece of the puzzle.  Our creation worked perfectly.  Success.  Somebody call the patent office! 

- Michele, Account Executive