Paper Napkins

Bulk Paper Napkins by Station: Bar, Table and Self-Serve Counter

Paper napkins turn up wherever a guest touches food: a beverage napkin under a drink at the bar, a luncheon napkin with a quick meal at a catered or outdoor event, a dinner napkin rolled around silverware, and a dispenser napkin pulled at a self-serve counter. Each type is cut and folded for its spot, so a case bought for one station rarely suits another.

The selection includes trusted names like Boardwalk, Dixie, Hoffmaster, Morcon, and Tork, offered at competitive prices.

How Fold and Dispenser Fit Shape Service

The dispenser decides the refill. Several dispenser napkin listings name the dispenser line or model they are made for, and interfold napkins are designed for interfold dispensers. Check both against the holder on your counter before ordering a case.

One napkin per pull. Interfold refills dispense one napkin at a time, and one refill listing puts the drop in napkin use at 30 percent against a standard full fold napkin. Some refills are cut smaller than the standard napkin for the same dispenser, lowering the cost of every pull without replacing the holder.

A fold made for rolling. Quarter fold is the format the listings recommend for rolled silverware, so servers wrap each set in one motion.

A linen look without the laundry. Linen-like dinner napkins made from soft airlaid paper add a premium touch to an event table, then go out with the trash instead of into a linen bag.

Type, Ply, Fold and Finish: Picking a Paper Napkin

• Unfolded size: listing titles mix folded and unfolded sizes, so compare the unfolded figure. A beverage napkin listed at 4-3/4 inches opens to 9-1/2, and a 1/8 fold dinner napkin listed near 8 by 4 inches opens to roughly 15 to 17 inches a side.
• Type: beverage napkins for drinks, luncheon napkins for quick meals, dinner napkins for a full place setting, and dispenser napkins sized to their holder.
• Ply: 1-ply is the low-cost choice for high-volume counters, 2-ply and 3-ply add thickness, and Ultra-Ply combines air and embossing for a soft, linen-like napkin.
• Fold: quarter fold for rolled silverware, 1/8 and 1/6 fold for a long, narrow napkin, flat pack for napkins that ship unfolded, and interfold, low fold, tailfold, masterfold or full fold for dispensers.
• Finish: embossed borders, soft embossed centers, or linen-like airlaid paper for the dining room.
• Recycled content: several napkins, white ones included, list 100% recycled or post-consumer recycled paper, while some dispenser refills list at least 50% post-consumer fiber.
• Composting: the BPI certified napkins are compostable only in commercial facilities, which may not exist in your area, so confirm your hauler takes them.
• Case and packs: cases run from 300 linen-like napkins to more than 7,000 dispenser napkins, and several arrive in poly inner packs that keep unused napkins clean in storage.

Dispensers, Bands and Flatware That Go with Paper Napkins

Buy refills and napkin dispensers together, matched to the fold the holder takes.

A quarter-fold dinner napkin rolled around a place setting stays closed with paper napkin bands, so the rolls can sit stacked in a bin until the doors open.

Takeout and catering orders that go out with napkins usually need disposable cutlery too, and a set rolls into the same dinner napkin.

When a dining room wants washable linen rather than a linen-like disposable, cloth dinner napkins are the step up.