Have we found the lowest-priced menu covers on the continent?

Could these be the lowest-priced menu covers in North America?

Certainly you get what you pay for. And certainly in the restaurant and hospitality business you want to look the part, and showcase your offering in classic and classy fashion. And thus there exists a great body of superior designs, styles and materials from a host of menu cover manufacturers.

However, it is equally true that not everyone needs more than what is simple, clean and utilitarian. Compelled by preserving the bottom line, restauranteurs in both the United States and Canada have been holding on to their old menu covers a little longer, and when they do upgrade, they don't necessarily purchase the same quality or quantity that they might've back in the day. Though, this voice in the wilderness would like to proclaim that- all things being equal- the menu cover is a direct line to the soul of your patron, and if you can avoid dumbing the presentation down, don't.

Having said that, finances will often dictate an outcome where sensibility and good taste might've in a more flush season. So let's cut to the chase. Suppose you wanted to spend the least amount you possibly could, and still get a high-quality commercial menu cover. It's doable, and the costs are ridiculously low, even for recession times.

Most of the clear vinyl menu covers with leatherette edges are double-stitched for strength; some domestic manufacturers point to their single-stitched product, with very high tensile strength stitching, and say it's just as good. When it comes to lowest price, always shop around. However, you may wish to consider the Menucoverman's ultra-low-priced Cafe Menu Covers, which are without question among the lowest priced anywhere. And if it's a question of quick delivery, they keep them in stock and are able to ship anywhere in North America or to the Carribbean instantly.

Dad used to say: Don't say cheap menu covers. Say inexpensive menu covers. But, gosh, if they are really cheap menu covers, tell it like it is: cheap menu covers.

Clear menu covers span the spectrum.

Once upon a time, clear menu covers were simply the low-cost alternative for the short-order diners that dotted the American gastronomic universe. They were plain and they were clean. They were all-American too, in that they represented the American character: utilitarian yet transparent. They didn't call attention to themselves, but let the obvious goodness of what was on the menu shine through and speak for itself. 

Well, the diners of North America still employ these workhorses of the menu cover landscape.  The quality is better than it used to be, and the cost is hardly a consideration.

But now- we hear from the menu covers' suppliers themselves- that clear menu covers are all the rage in trendy bistros, high-brow burger and wine establishments, and 24-hour West Coast eateries.  How come, when there are just so many great menu covers' styles for all budgets and culinary modes out there?  The answer is "plain."  The same honest American features our working-class diners valued in decades past are those in high demand by the new breed of restauranteur.  

In addition to the all clear vinyl menu cover, deluxe sewn menu covers- which are clear except for their stitched-edge bindings, and the new clear menu covers on colorful spiral bound spindles are making their way into the rough red-brick walled and polished wood-plank floored restaurants in urban, exurban and tourist-town locales.

Take a page from the past, and upgrade to clarity with out pretension.  Plus, it's a real money-saver in these recessionary times.