Buy restaurant steel pitchers for diners and relaxed eateries

In diners and casual eateries, the restaurant pitchers are usually right on the counter or table for customers to use. That means you want stainless steel or aluminum pitchers with sturdy construction, but which are still attractive.

I recommend: Zesco Products carries an aluminum restaurant water pitcher and stainless steel pitchers for coffee, tea and cold drinks. It also supplies clear acrylic pitchers with lids and ice chambers for water and juice. Another major supplier of food service pitchers is Instawares Restaurant Supply Superstore, which sells stainless steel restaurant pitchers that have double walled insulation and spouts with ice guards.

Look for fine glass or pewter restaurant pitchers for a more refined atmosphere

With a more highly trained wait staff, you can invest in hand blown glass or fine Asian pewter restaurant pitchers.

I recommend: Mission Restaurant Supply provides top-brand glass carafes and pitchers in several different moderately priced styles. Choose from beer wagons, New Orleans style pitchers and hand blown, handmade pitchers perfect for sodas, iced teas and beers. For exquisitely designed, but much pricier, pitchers made from pewter, check out Thomas Dale Company, which operates out of Morton, Illinois.

Stick with safe and sturdy plastic restaurant serving pitchers for busy mobile vending carts

When you're serving customers outdoors in a fast-paced, hectic environment, your best bet is non-breakable, sturdy plastic.

I recommend: OnTimeSupplies and The WEBstaurant Store are both online sites for purchasing food service tools. Both sites carry rugged restaurant pitchers made of polyethylene plastic that are dishwasher safe. Choose from a two-liter clear pitcher with an ice core center, a plastic bouncer pitcher perfect for beer and sodas and a multi-purpose, easy to clean 1-gallon pitcher with lid available in blue and white.