Handmade table knives for restaurants

I make handmade table knives for restaurants, in Courpière, in the Thiers basin. Small series, designed for use: an identifiable silhouette, a handle that can be picked up several times per meal, a cutting edge that is maintained and re-sharpened. The simplest starting point is my model Le Dimanche, adapted to your dining room. Other projects can be considered. You describe your table, your menu, your number of place settings and your deadlines; I respond to you directly. The workshop has no sales department, and everyone benefits from it.

Knives designed with the table in mind, not added at the end

On a restaurant table, the knife is the object that the diner holds the longest. The plate is passed, the glass is set down, the knife stays in hand: meat, vegetables, cheese, bread crust. Its handling, its weight, its position near the plate contribute to the meal as much as the tablecloth or the dishes.

Many establishments carefully choose their dinnerware, then complete the cutlery at the end of the budget. Result: a well-crafted table, and a knife that could come from anywhere. An artisan series corrects this gap. The knife becomes an element of the table's identity, just like the plate or the furniture — without any explanation. The diner notices it because they hold it, not because it is explained to them.

My job is to design and manufacture this series with you: adapted to your menu, your service pace, and your dining room, in quantities that truly match your covers.

Sunday as the basis of a restaurant series

Sunday is my table knife. A blade designed to cut on the plate, a handle made for the duration of a meal, a sober silhouette that is recognizable without taking up the entire table. You can see the model on Sunday for its detailed features.

For a restaurant, this model serves as the standard base. Its shape remains identical from one piece to another; the handles, finishes, and engraving are adapted to your establishment. This is what makes a small series possible at a controlled cost: the geometry is proven, and the adaptations concern what is seen and touched.

Dimanche is not the only option. If your project requires another shape, I can study it — with an honest reservation: a full creation represents a separate design work, priced as such, and I retain the final decision on feasibility, proportions, and construction.

A series consistent with your restaurant

A restaurant series is defined by a few concrete parameters: the quantity, calculated based on your tableware with a replacement margin; the handles, chosen from a selection of woods and materials that I offer and provide; the engraving of the name or the monogram of the establishment, sized to identify without turning the knife into an advertising medium; the finishes, selected based on the use and maintenance that your team can realistically manage.

These choices remain framed by the workshop. I do not work from materials brought by the client: the materials I use are selected for their performance in use and their traceability. Within this framework, the margin is wide — the customization and engraving of knives details the options offered.

Parameters of a table knife project for a restaurant
Element	Possibilities	Points to define
Model	The Sunday or studied project	Usage and technical consistency
Quantity	Small series on estimate	Number of place settings and replacement margin
Handles	Selection proposed by the workshop	Shade, feel, maintenance
Engraving	Name, monogram, or approved marking	Dimensions and placement
Finishing	Choice framed	Usage, maintenance, and budget
Restocking	Depending on model and availability	Conditions to be determined during the quote

How a project is built

First exchange. You describe your establishment, your menu, and your deadlines.
Understanding the table. Number of guests, service pace, dishes served, dishwasher and storage constraints.
Selection of the model and options. The Sunday or studied project, handles, finishes, engraving.
Technical study and quote. Quantity, restocking conditions, schedule. Pricing is done by quote.
Sample part. When the project justifies it, a sample part can be approved before the series. Its conditions are set in the quote.
Manufacturing, inspection, and delivery. Each knife is inspected and sharpened before shipment.

Manufacturing: what is done in the workshop

I design the knives, draw the cutting files, program and operate the laser cutting myself. The parts are then adjusted, assembled, finished, and inspected in the workshop, in Courpière.

For models designed in series, such as Le Dimanche, certain operations can be entrusted to professional partners: heat treatment and preliminary sharpening. This is what makes it possible to maintain an affordable price on a series while keeping control over assembly, finishing, and inspection. The other parts are entirely manufactured in the workshop.

Each knife passes through my hands before leaving: inspection, sharpening, packaging. I sign what I deliver.

A series must also live after the box is opened

A restaurant knife works every day. The question is not whether it will wear out, but how it will be maintained. The specific instructions depend on the materials chosen for your series: they are defined in the quote and provided at delivery. In all cases: washing followed by a quick drying, storage without blade-to-blade contact, and an edge that is sharpened in the workshop when routine maintenance is no longer sufficient.

Restocking is prepared from the quote stage. A broken, lost, or pocketed piece by a distracted guest can be remade according to the model and material availability, under the conditions agreed upon together. Planning a replacement margin at the initial order remains the simplest solution: same materials, same manufacturing bath, same color.

Talk about your table

To start a project, write to me with the following information: type of establishment, number of place settings, intended quantity, desired date, ambiance or materials sought, potential need for engraving, and your contact details. An incomplete message also works — the first exchange is precisely to ask these questions.

You can present your restaurant project directly at the workshop, and see the workshop's creations to understand the work.

Frequently asked questions

How many knives should you order for a restaurant? Our Le Dimanche model, adapted to your room. Other projects can be studied. You describe to me your table, your cart

The quantity is calculated based on your number of place settings, your rotation rate in the room and a replacement margin for losses and diving accidents. A table of thirty seats and a room of eighty do not require the same series. I do not apply an automatic grid: the quantity, like the restocking conditions, is defined during the first exchange and appears in the quote. Allowing the margin from the initial order guarantees parts from the same batch, with the same materials.

Can we personalize the sleeves or have the name of the restaurant engraved?

Yes. Engraving the name or monogram of your house is one of the options offered, with a location and dimensions designed to identify the knife without transforming it into an advertising item. For the handles, you choose from a selection of woods and materials that I offer: color, design and feel can be discussed depending on your room and the maintenance that your team can provide. The combinations are validated before manufacturing, on a control piece when the project justifies it.

Is the Le Dimanche model suitable for all types of cuisine?

Sunday is designed for the table: slicing on the plate, accompanying a complete meal, remaining pleasant in the hand from the beginning to the end of the service. It suits most menus, from an inn to a gourmet table. Certain particular services – specific pieces of meat, unusual formats – deserve verification: this is exactly the purpose of the first exchange. If your card requires a different geometry, I will tell you, and we will study the adaptation or another avenue.

Can we create a completely exclusive form?

It's possible, but it's a different project than customizing an existing model. An exclusive form requires design, prototyping and development work, costed as such on a quote. I keep the final decision on feasibility, proportions, materials and construction: a table knife must first perform in service. For the majority of establishments, a series based on Le Dimanche, personalized by the handles, finishes and engraving, meets the need for a more measured budget.

How are restaurant knives made?

I design the models, draw the cutting files and carry out the laser cutting myself. For mass-produced artisan table knives for restaurants, the heat treatment and preparatory grinding can be entrusted to professional partners; adjustment, assembly, finishing, checking and sharpening are done in the workshop, at Courpière. Special parts are entirely manufactured in the workshop. Each knife is checked and sharpened before delivery.

What time should be expected for a small series?

The delivery time depends on the quantity, the materials chosen and the workshop load at the time of the order. It is announced in the quote and confirmed upon validation, with the targeted delivery date. If your project is linked to an opening, a room redesign or a specific date, indicate it from the first exchange: it is she who structures the manufacturing schedule, including a sample document if applicable.

How to maintain knives during service?

The exact instructions depend on the materials chosen for your series; they are defined in the quote and given with delivery. The principles apply to all artisanal cutlery: washing followed by a quick wipe, no prolonged soaking, storage without blade-to-blade contact, routine maintenance of the edge by your team. When daily sharpening is no longer enough, the knives return to the workshop for resharpening. This operation must be planned: a margin of parts allows them to rotate during the intervention.

Is it possible to recommend a part in the event of loss or breakage?

Yes, depending on the model and availability of materials. The restocking conditions – possible minimum quantity, possible color difference on wood, deadline – are set during the initial quote, so that the issue is resolved before it becomes urgent. A restocking cannot be guaranteed indefinitely: the materials evolve, as do the selections. This is why I recommend including a replacement margin in the initial order, from the same manufacturing batch.

Can the restaurant supply its own wood or other material?

No. The materials are selected and supplied by the workshop. A table knife handle undergoes repeated washing, shocks and variations in humidity: I only use materials whose behavior in use and their origin I know. This rule protects your series as much as it protects my work. The selection offered is wide enough to find a color and feel consistent with your room, including for specific requests.