Wooden Serving Boards for Cafés and Restaurants: Acacia, Oak, Teak or Olivewood?
by CWDH, 2 min reading time
Wood turns a plate of food into a presentation — but acacia, oak, teak, bamboo and olivewood all behave differently in service. Here's how to choose, and why FSC matters.
A wooden board does something porcelain can't: it makes food feel generous. Charcuterie, cheese, burgers, breakfast spreads and sharing starters all sell better on wood — it's warm, it photographs beautifully, and it signals craft. But different woods do different jobs in a commercial setting. Here's the field guide.
Acacia — the charcuterie classic
Acacia's rich, varied grain makes every board look one-of-a-kind, and its natural density stands up to knives and daily washing. It's the go-to for cheese and charcuterie service, and our FSC-certified acacia boards come in three sizes — small for cheese and crackers, medium for charcuterie, large with angled edges for sharing platters — each in packs of 25 so the whole floor matches.
Oak — quietly premium
Oak is tight-grained, hard-wearing and reads as understated quality — the wood equivalent of a good white plate. Our FSC-certified oak round tray with a faux leather detail works for café counter service, hotel room trays and dessert presentation alike.
Teak — built for the long board
Teak's natural oils make it exceptionally resistant to moisture, which is why it's the right wood for long-format boards that spend service loaded with tapas, antipasti or a metre of sharing food. Our 75 cm FSC-certified teak board is the theatre piece of the range — one board, one table, one wow.
Olivewood — the showpiece grain
Nothing matches olivewood's swirling figure. Boards with a handle double as serve-and-carry pieces for antipasti and cheese courses — each one genuinely unique in grain.
Why FSC certification matters
FSC certification means the timber comes from responsibly managed forests — increasingly something corporate clients and green-certified hotels ask their suppliers to prove. Most of our board range is FSC-certified, so your presentation story and your sustainability story line up.
Care in a commercial kitchen
Wood asks a little more than porcelain: hand wash rather than dishwasher, dry upright, and oil occasionally with food-safe mineral oil to keep the grain rich. In exchange, boards age into character rather than wearing out. Browse the full serving board collection on cwdh.ie — all in packs of 25, and all brandable with your venue's logo.
Shop the range
- All serving boards and serving trays
- Acacia small, medium and large boards ×25 (FSC)
- Oak round tray 30 cm ×25 (FSC)
- Teak long board 75 cm ×25 (FSC)
- Olivewood board with handle ×25
- Bamboo pizza board set ×25
