Tableware, Dinnerware and Glassware Supplier for UAE Hotels and Restaurants

Tableware is one of the first things a venue buys and one of the last things it replaces, so getting the material and the quantities right at the start saves a kitchen a lot of chipped plates later. Bait Al Diafa supplies plates, bowls, cups, glassware, cutlery and serving pieces to restaurants, hotels, cafés, caterers and event operators across Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE, from our warehouse in Al Sharq, Sharjah.

Send us your current tableware list — or the pieces left over from a previous fit-out — and we will tell you what is missing and what is worth keeping. Send us your tableware list.

What we supply

• Plates in porcelain and china, including dinner, side and dessert sizes. See plates.
• Bowls in a range of sizes and profiles, from soup to pasta to serving bowls. See bowls.
• Cups, mugs and saucers in porcelain and opal glass, including the espresso, cappuccino and latte sizes a café menu needs. See cups, mugs and saucers.
• Glassware for water, juice, wine, beer and spirits, including tumblers and stemware. See glassware.
• Flatware and cutlery — knives, forks and spoons in stainless steel, plus dessert and service pieces. See flatware and cutlery.
• Melamine dinnerware for outdoor service, buffets, events and any venue that needs tableware that survives being dropped. See melamine dinnerware.
• Serveware and platters for presenting food and for buffet lines. See serveware and platters.
• Service trays, including non-skid trays that stay stable on a polished floor or a service trolley. See service trays.
• Menu holders and covers, salt and pepper and condiment holders for the table. See menu holders and covers and condiment holders.
• Bar and coffee service alongside the table line. See bar and coffee supplies.

How much tableware a venue needs

The number that trips people up is that tableware is not one number per cover. It is one number per table, because a laid table takes a plate, a side plate, a bowl, a dessert item, a cup, glassware and a full set of cutlery per cover — and the service team moves the whole set at once. A useful way to work it out:

• Start from covers at peak, not average. A Friday dinner service in a hotel restaurant is not the same as Tuesday lunch. Design for the busiest hour you will actually serve.
• Then add your in-use float. Anything on a table or in a baine-marie at any moment is not available, so stock has to exceed peak covers by the amount in circulation plus what is being washed.
• Then add breakage. Plate and glass breakage is normal in a busy kitchen. A restaurant that runs at full service every night replaces a steady trickle, and a hotel that runs buffets breaks more than one that does not.
• Add a par level on the shelf so a broken set can be replaced the same day instead of at the next big order.
• Match the warewasher. A dishwasher's basket size and cycle time decide how much tableware can be turned round inside a service. Buying more tableware than the kitchen can wash through during a shift just moves the shortfall.

Tell us your covers, your seating, how many services you run a day, and we will help you build a list that fits the operation rather than a round number.

Porcelain, glassware or melamine

• Porcelain and china are the default for table service: they stack well, take heat, and present food properly. They chip if dropped and are the wrong choice for a beach, a pool deck or a very high-volume buffet.
• Glassware for water, juice and drinks. Tumblers survive service better than stemmed glass in a busy bar; stemware belongs at table service where it is handled once.
• Melamine for outdoor areas, buffets, functions, staff canteens and anywhere tableware gets carried and dropped. It is lighter and far more forgiving than porcelain.
• The mix most venues end up with: porcelain in the dining room, glassware behind the bar, melamine for outdoor and event service, and stainless flatware throughout.

Hotel food and beverage, and catering

Hotels tend to need three different lines that never meet: in-room dining tableware that has to stack inside a trolley, restaurant tableware that has to present food, and banquet or poolside service that has to survive a room full of guests. Caterers need tableware that travels, packs and washes quickly between events. We supply all three lines, and the disposable service items that sit alongside them — napkins, foodservice tissue, covers and gloves. See napkins and our wholesale and trade supply service for volume orders.

Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi

Our warehouse and showroom are at 23, 53 Street, Al Naba'a, Al Sharq, Sharjah, open Monday to Saturday, 8:00–13:00 and 15:00–20:00. Trade buyers are welcome to handle tableware in person before committing to quantities, and we deliver into Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE. Browse the full tabletop and tableware range.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I buy restaurant tableware and glassware in the UAE?

Bait Al Diafa supplies plates, bowls, cups and saucers, glassware, cutlery, melamine, serveware, service trays and table accessories from its warehouse in Al Sharq, Sharjah, delivering to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and all seven emirates.

Who supplies hotel dinnerware in Abu Dhabi?

We supply hotel food and beverage teams across the UAE from Sharjah: restaurant tableware, in-room dining lines, banquet and poolside service, bar and coffee glassware, and the napkins and covers that go with them. Send us your list and we will match it.

How many plates and glasses should I buy for a restaurant?

Work from covers at your busiest service, add what is out on tables and in the dishwasher during a service, then add a breakage allowance and a shelf par. Tell us your covers and how many services you run and we will help you build the list.

Is melamine tableware suitable for restaurant use?

Yes, and it is the usual choice for outdoor service, buffets, events and staff areas because it is lighter and far less prone to chipping than porcelain. Many venues run porcelain in the dining room and melamine everywhere else.

Do you supply non-slip service trays?

Yes. Non-skid trays stay stable on polished floors, in lifts and on trolleys, which is why they are standard in hotels and event service. See service trays.

Do you deliver tableware outside Sharjah?

Yes, to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, as well as throughout Sharjah. Trade buyers can also collect from our warehouse in Al Sharq, Sharjah.

Send us your tableware list

Whether it is a full fit-out list, a top-up for a hotel's in-room dining department, or a replacement order after a busy season, the same process applies: send it through the enquiry window as a PDF, Excel file, Word document or photo, and our team will come back on WhatsApp with each line checked against stock in Sharjah, plus anything where the closest match differs in size, material or finish. You can also call +971 6 526 6504, email [email protected], or use the WhatsApp inquiry button on this site. For a venue being fitted out from scratch, see our café setup and restaurant setup services.