Key Takeaways
- Start from what you actually use: dining room linens, kitchen towels and aprons, and bar towels.
- Most restaurants keep about three sets of linens: one in use, one being washed and one clean on the shelf.
- Linen agreements with large national providers often run three to five years and renew automatically unless you cancel inside a notice window.
- Compare the full invoice, including service, fuel, environmental and minimum charges, not just the per-piece price.
What a Restaurant Usually Needs
Make a list before you talk to any linen company. Most restaurants use some of each group:
- Dining room: tablecloths in square, round or banquet sizes, dinner and cocktail napkins, table runners
- Kitchen: kitchen and side towels, chef coats, bib aprons
- Bar and front of house: bar towels and bar mops, server aprons, host and server uniforms
A fast-casual spot may need only towels and aprons. A full-service dining room with tablecloths needs all of it. Don't pay for items you don't use.
How Much Linen to Keep on Hand
A common rule is about three sets of each item: one in use, one being washed and one clean on the shelf. The right number comes from your covers per week and your table count, not from a standard package. It should go up before your busy season and back down after.
Holiday weekends, private parties and catering jobs need more than a normal week. Ask how extra stock is handled before you need it.
Six Things to Check in a Linen Agreement
Agreements with large national providers vary, but these terms come up often. Read our linen contract guide for more detail.
- Term length. Commonly three to five years.
- Automatic renewal. Many agreements renew unless you cancel in writing.
- The notice window. Often 90 to 180 days before the term ends. Miss it and the agreement may renew for another full term.
- Early termination. A buyout is often figured as about half your average weekly invoice times the weeks left.
- Yearly increases. Often a fixed percentage, around 5%, or tied to the Consumer Price Index.
- Minimum charges. A weekly minimum that doesn't shrink when business is slow.
Reading Your Current Invoice
The per-piece price is only part of the bill. Look for separate lines for service, delivery, fuel, energy or environmental charges, linen loss or replacement, and minimums. Add them up and divide by the pieces you actually received to see your real cost per piece.
Scheduling Around Service
Pickup should never land in the middle of lunch or dinner service. Most restaurants want soiled linens collected before lunch prep or after close, on the same day every week, so clean stock is on the shelf before the doors open.
Restaurant Linen Service in Chattanooga From Five Star Linens
Five Star Linens serves Chattanooga restaurants from our commercial laundry facility in Dalton, about 30 miles away.
- Pickup and delivery on the same day every week, timed around service
- Every bag counted at the facility, so your invoice matches what you sent
- By the piece from the same price list as Dalton, with no fuel or delivery fees
- No contract, and you can stop service whenever you want
We serve restaurants Downtown, on the Southside and North Shore, in St. Elmo, Red Bank, Hixson, East Ridge, East Brainerd, the Hamilton Place area, Ooltewah and Collegedale. See our Chattanooga linen service page for more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Chattanooga restaurant get linen service without a contract?
Yes. Five Star Linens serves Chattanooga restaurants with no contract. You order by the piece and can stop service whenever you want.
Is linen service priced differently in Chattanooga than in Dalton?
Not with us. Chattanooga accounts use the same per-piece price list as Dalton, with no fuel or delivery fees.
Which parts of Chattanooga do you serve?
Downtown, the Southside, North Shore, St. Elmo, Red Bank, Hixson, East Ridge, East Brainerd, the Hamilton Place area, Ooltewah and Collegedale.
Can I switch if I'm still under contract?
Usually at renewal. Find your renewal date and notice window first. Our free invoice review can help you find both and time your first delivery so there's no gap in clean linens.
How do I compare what I pay now?
Request a free invoice review. We'll talk through your restaurant first, then email you a direct address if you'd like to send your invoice for a line-by-line comparison.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Have an attorney review your agreement before you act on it.