5 Ways to Save on Dinner Plate Wear and Tear
As caterers and hospitality professionals, we ask a lot out of our dinnerware. Between the constant traveling from venue to venue to the high-powered dishwashers and sanitizers, we’re sometimes amazed plates last as long as they do.
Because our dinnerware is front and center every night, acting as the serving platter for our incredible food creations, we can’t risk serving a plate with cracks, chips and scratches. We’re here to save you time, so check out these need-to-know tips:
1. Slippery Fingers Break Plates
As caterers, our fingers are always wet from serving beverages, running flatware in the dishwasher and everything else that goes on behind the scenes! Consider carrying a towel looped around the apron string along your back and use it like a quarterback to dry his hands before he hikes the ball. We can’t stress this enough -- be careful when you’re setting, serving or bussing your tables because one false slip could mean the difference between a successful event and a roasted duck in your bride’s lap!
2. Handle with Care
It always surprises us when we stack a set of plates, put them in our backseat and drive down the road to a local event, only to find the bottom 3 plates are cracked and worthless. No matter the distance you’ll be traveling, grab a newspaper on the way out to the car and put a page in between each plate. Voila! No more broken surprises.
3. Do the Dishes
Whether your event space has a kitchen to manually do dishes post-event (spray guns save time!) or you use your own dishwasher and sanitizer, it’s a shame to lose a plate to the cleaning process. If you’re doing them by hand, get yourself a good sponge or brush that won’t scratch the surface (be careful with brillo pads and steel wool sponges!). If you’re using an automatic dishwasher, cracking can occur if the water temperature is too high or if they come in contact with cold water immediately after they come out. Also, we can’t tell you how many times we’ve picked up a clean plate out of the dishwasher only to throw the darn thing across the room when it burned our fingers -- Give them time to cool off!
4. Cuttin’ the Steak
It seems silly to have to worry about a knife cutting a plate, but it certainly happens. Don’t blame your plates when you find them all scratched up after an event -- it’s your sharp knives’ fault! If it becomes a problem, it may be worth investing in a set of non-serrated steak knives that can handle cutting meat and won’t saw down into your plate.
5. Get Rugged
And last, but certainly not least, it’s important to invest in dinnerware that is going to last through dozens of events, dishwashers, slippery fingers and steak knives! Plates vary in quality and girth -- not every plate is created equal. Some are better than others for the hospitality industry. International Event Products carries many of these quality plates as well as some fine china. Check out these 12” Kingsley Cobalt Rounds for a sturdy plate that won’t fail after a little fumble. They’re selected for caterers by caterers because we know how much we demand of our plates.
If you do break a plate, don’t fret, IEP has your back! We sell affordable, high-quality dinnerware at wholesale prices. We also offer a convenient selection of once used china at even lower prices!
We hope this blog helped! If you have any more tips and tricks on how to save on dinnerware wear and tear, we’d love to hear about it. Contact one of our hospitality experts for more information on our product lines or to set up easy ordering.