Placemat Case Study: Forging a Bond with "DineWell Supplies" – A Commercial Kitchen Outfitter
Buyer Profile
“DineWell Supplies” is a robust commercial kitchen outfitter based in Houston, Texas, USA, serving restaurants, diners, and foodservice chains across the southern and western United States. Since its start in 2009, they’ve equipped over 500 establishments with practical, long-lasting dining solutions, targeting clients who need reliability without sacrificing a modern edge.
Product Purchased
Products Purchased: 6,000 units of rubber placemats (rectangular, 45 cm x 30 cm, textured black and dark teal) and 5,500 units of PVC placemats (sector, 47 cm x 33 cm, brown).
Collaboration Details
Our story with “DineWell Supplies” began in December 2024 when their sourcing manager, Carlos Rivera, reached out via a phone call after finding our rubber placemats on a supplier directory. Carlos was stocking up for a 2025 push to outfit mid-tier eateries—think burger joints and casual bistros—and needed placemats that could endure the grind of daily service: scorching plates, greasy spills, and constant cleaning. He’d heard we could deliver volume and durability, and wanted to see if our PVC and rubber options could meet his specs.
We hashed it out over a Zoom call on December 12, 2024. Carlos needed placemats that shrugged off heat (up to 100°C), resisted cuts from knives, and stacked easily for tight storage. Our rubber placemats, with their grippy heft, caught his eye for heavy-duty use, while the PVC mats offered a lighter, sleeker alternative. On December 14, we sent a hefty sample batch via FedEx—12 rubber placemats (six black, six teal) and 12 PVC placemats (six charcoal, six beige)—with a packet detailing rubber’s slip-resistant molding and PVC’s reinforced layering.
Carlos handed the samples to his field team, who tested them across three Houston diners over three weeks. They piled on sizzling fajita skillets, smeared ketchup and oil, and hosed them down with industrial sprayers. On January 5, 2025, he emailed us the rundown: the rubber mats were “built like tanks” and gripped tables like glue, but he asked for a deeper texture to trap crumbs. The PVC mats took heat and abuse without a scratch, though he wanted a thicker 3 mm profile for a sturdier feel. We carved a crosshatch texture into the rubber with a new die and bumped the PVC to 3 mm with an adjusted extruder, shipping revised samples on January 11. Carlos confirmed on January 17, impressed by the “workhorse upgrades.”
On January 20, “DineWell Supplies” placed their order: 6,000 rubber placemats (3,200 black, 2,800 teal) and 5,500 PVC placemats (3,000 charcoal, 2,500 beige), aiming for an April 2025 delivery to sync with their spring restocking. Production launched January 25. The rubber mats were molded from recycled tire granules, with the textured pattern pressed at 150°C; each batch of 1,500 took three days due to the cooling cycle. The PVC mats were extruded in a continuous line, thickened to 3 mm with a slower feed rate, and cut with a laser for clean edges—hitting 1,800 daily after fine-tuning the machine.
We finished by March 25, 2025, and sent Carlos a quick clip: rubber mats bouncing off the press, PVC mats sliced and stacked. The order shipped via sea freight to Houston on March 28, arriving April 10 after we cleared customs with a hazmat-free declaration and packing manifest. Carlos’s warehouse team sampled 500 units on April 12, flagging 10 rubber mats with shallow texture, which we replaced by April 18 via UPS.
“DineWell Supplies” rolled out the placemats to clients in May 2025. Carlos called to say the rubber mats were a lifeline for greasy spoon diners, with staff loving the no-slip grip, while the PVC mats landed in trendy cafes, praised for their heft and muted tones. Their spring newsletter featured the mats under steak platters, giving us a shoutout.
Outcome
The Road Forward: Carlos is mulling a fall 2025 order for rubber mats in red for BBQ joints. Their clients’ chatter has also drawn a query from an Austin catering outfit, curious about our PVC durability.
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