A check presenter is bought on a photograph and judged by a floor team every service for six years. These four questions decide the six years.

Is there a stitched card slot?

This is the first question and it is astonishing how often the answer is no. Without a slot, the card sits loose on the receipt.

A loose card gets closed inside the folder when a server picks it up, slides out on the walk to the till, or simply stays on the table. A slot puts it in the same place every time and lets a server check it without opening the folder flat in front of a guest.

Is the finish sealed?

This object is handled with food on people’s hands and wiped several times a shift. An unsealed aniline finish absorbs, so a greasy thumbprint goes into the leather rather than sitting on it, and it does not come out.

A coated or pigmented finish keeps the oil on the surface where a cloth can take it away. It feels slightly firmer and it looks the same in year three. Full grain can be sealed too, and for hospitality it should be.

What receipt does your till print?

Presenter sizes are sold under names that cover a wide spread of actual dimensions, and receipt rolls are not standard either. The result is a receipt standing proud of the pocket, curling, and creasing every time the folder closes.

Send your supplier an actual receipt. It takes five seconds and it removes a small daily irritation for the entire life of the folder.

Where is the logo going?

Not dead centre on the front. That is precisely where a thumb sits when a folder is carried, which is why centred logos wear first.

Blind deboss lasts longest — nothing to come off. Foil looks superb on a dark finish and wears at the grip points. Choose knowingly.

The small things worth specifying

Corner pockets rather than an elastic band: elastic perishes and marks the material as it goes. Reinforced corners, because that is where old folders wear through. A pen loop, which is the reason the pen is still at the table at the end of service.

None of these adds much to the price and together they roughly double how long a folder looks presentable.