What is a top cloth and why use one?
In restaurant textiles, a top cloth is a cloth laid over the tablecloth that is smaller than the tablecloth itself. It adds a second layer to the table and has two main jobs:
- It protects the tablecloth. Food and drink spilled during service land on the top cloth first. The soiled top cloth is changed, and the tablecloth underneath stays clean for longer.
- It completes the look. The size and drop of the top cloth define how your table looks. With different top cloths, the same tablecloth becomes a different table layout.
In busy venues, top cloths speed up table changes: after guests leave, replacing just the top cloth is often enough.
Top cloth sizes for your table
The top cloth size is chosen according to your table size and how far you want the top cloth to drop. The top cloth drop is found by subtracting the table size from the top cloth size and dividing by two.
| Table | Top cloth | Drop |
|---|---|---|
| 80 × 80 cm | 100 × 100 cm | 10 cm |
| 80 × 80 cm | 110 × 110 cm | 15 cm |
| 80 × 80 cm | 120 × 120 cm | 20 cm |
| 140 × 80 cm | 100 × 160 cm | 10 cm |
| 140 × 80 cm | 120 × 180 cm | 20 cm |
You can see how the top cloth and tablecloth look together in photos of our 10 table layouts.
Always-ready top cloths with top cloth rental
Top cloths are among the most frequently changed textiles on the table. That is why shortages, stains or laundry delays directly affect your service. With our top cloth rental service, your top cloths come from our pool of thousands of spares.
- Burnt, worn or missing top cloths are replaced with new ones of the same quality.
- Stubborn stains become our problem, not yours.
- Product financing turns into a payment plan spread over years.
When you rent top cloths together with tablecloth rental, the shade and quality of the two layers stay consistent.
Top cloth washing
We wash top cloths in our own laundry, to the same standard as tablecloths. We use properly treated water and chemicals that care for human health and extend textile life.
Your products are sorted with optical readers in the soiled linen sorting unit and washed without being mixed with other businesses' products. Washed top cloths are folded in a hygienic area and go through quality control.
You can also use our top cloth washing service on its own for your own top cloths.
