Caterer's guide: covering tables off-site

Off-site catering is decided before the van leaves the kitchen. A stack of pre-cut covers gives you one size; two rolls of film give you every size.

Load film, not a stack of covers

The material is the same folded or rolled; the difference is optionality. A box of pre-cut 54 × 108 in covers is one size. A 54 in roll covers everything from a prep table to a 144 in banquet cut, decided on site.

Quote the job in linear feet, not pieces. One 54 × 108 in cover uses about 100 in (8.33 ft) of film. A 100 ft roll cuts about 12 covers, 200 ft about 24, 300 ft about 36 — that line is the whole model: table count to film feet, film feet to roll count.

Rolls are 54 in wide in 100, 200 and 300 ft lengths, each with a built-in cutter box, so the van carries one closed box instead of a stack of loose pieces.

The cutting station is in the box

No scissors on site is a rule you can hold because the box cuts for you; loose blades get lost, borrowed, and set down near food. Pull the film to length, close the lid, slide. Set the roll where you will serve, not in the van: a cover carried across a hall picks up floor grit.

Two numbers per table, before anything is cut

Width sets the side drop, length sets the end drop:

• End drop = (cover length − table length) ÷ 2. A 54 × 108 in cover on a 6 ft (72 in) table leaves 18 in per end; on an 8 ft (96 in) table, 6 in.
• Side drop = (54 − table width) ÷ 2: 12 in per side on a 30 in table, 7 in on a 40 in table.
• Hold the end drop at 8 in or more; below that the cover reads as a runner and comes off the end the first time someone sits down.

Round tables do not come off the roll: an 84 in round cover is cut for a round table, and 54 in film does not reach across one. Count rounds separately — 14 rectangular tables plus 4 rounds is about 140 ft of film and four round covers.

Cut lengths for the tables caterers actually use

Most catered jobs have more service tables than guest tables, and service tables are rarely a standard size. Cut to length: cut length = table length + (2 × the drop you want). A 100 ft roll is 1,200 in of film.

Table	Cut length	Drop at each end	Pieces from a 100 ft roll
6 ft folding (72 in)	96 in	12 in	12
8 ft folding (96 in)	120 in	12 in	10
6 ft banquet (72 in)	108 in	18 in	11
8 ft banquet (96 in)	108 in	6 in	11
30 × 72 in prep table	96 in	12 in	12

The same 100 ft roll gives 12 pieces at 96 in but only 10 at 120 in: extra drop is paid for in pieces. Twelve inches of drop on an 8 ft table is a 120 in cut, so you are buying film by the foot.

Order of work on site

1. Walk the room and count tables by size before opening a box; counts change between the site visit and the event day.
2. Set the cutting station on a stable surface, clear of the lane between kitchen and tables.
3. Cut guest-table covers first, one run per size — switching sizes wastes film on the first cut of every run.
4. Cover service and back-of-house tables last; if film runs short, those can live with a shorter drop.
5. Keep the offcuts: a 54 in wide offcut is a prep-table cover, a tray liner, or a cover for the late table.

Cleanup and disposal

Roll film is single-use on a catered job, and that is the point: nothing goes back to the commissary to be washed or counted. Fold used covers into themselves and bag them at the table, in their own bag so grease and sauce do not ride home with pans and utensils.

The rest goes home in the box: close the lid and stand the roll on end, because a roll left flat in a hot van does not feed straight next time. Write the remaining length on the box.

What stays on the van

• One 300 ft roll and one 100 ft roll in a solid colour, so the long roll is not cut for small tables.
• 84 in round covers, counted per round table and separate from the film.
• One spare 100 ft roll that never gets opened for the booked job.

Add two covers of film to any roll whose count lands within about 10 percent of its total; the margin covers the table added after the client walks the room.