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Have you ever heard the saying, “we eat with our eyes?” An article in The Guardian talks about just that. Our eyes are usually the first sense that influences our experience with food. With the restaurant industry continuing to evolve, now, more than ever, restaurants need to pay extra attention to the details of the presentation of their food. With social media on the continuous rise, diners are constantly snapping photos to post – ultimately giving restaurants free word of mouth marketing so you will want to make sure that your dishes look good. According to Today, there are various ways to create amazing presentations, starting with the material and design of the plates you use.
When it comes to dinnerware, there are two popular choices that you should consider – Melamine and China.
Melamine
Melamine is an organic-based, nitrogen-rich compound used to manufacture cooking utensils, plates, plastic products, and more. It is nearly impossible to break, but has low resistance to high temperature cooking.
Melamine is the best quality food-safe plastic on the market. It’s durable, easy to clean and has anti-bacterial properties. There are different levels of quality when it comes to melamine dinnerware. Although there is no government mandate that would regulate all products touching consumers’ food for safety, one way to ensure you’re purchasing quality melamine dinnerware is to purchase NSF certified products.
China
China is made from a combination of clay, kaolin, feldspar, and quartz. It’s fired up in a kiln and it almost always needs to be hand-washed due to some of its more delicate accents, like gold rimming or hand-painted patterns. Unlike Melamine, China is very easy to break, but it has high resistance to chipping or cracking and will not leak chemicals when exposed to high heat in microwaves and ovens. Both have beautiful patterns that attractively decorate your table.
When it comes to china, there are three types dinnerware that are the most popular for use in a foodservice operation that ranges from good, better, and best.
Dolomite China is the most economical of all china dinnerware. You’ll often see dolomite plates used in foodservice to serve appetizers, in catering for displayware and self-serve stations.
Vitrified China is is more durable than dolomite. Since it is vitrified during the single firing process at about 1200 °C in the kiln, this firing temperature finish makes china slightly easier to decorate than porcelain. Vitrified china is used in numerous operations from casual dining to hotels and country clubs.
Porcelain is fired at 1300 °C in the kiln and is more durable, thinner and lighter than vitrified china. The plate is usually covered with a clear glaze, and is the best traditional quality used in foodservice today. It is mostly used in fine dining operations.
Which one is better?
With all the advancement in dinnerware, only the most sophisticated diners would be able to tell the difference between the two. The price difference between the two, however, is significant, with China costing around 2x more than Melamine.
There is a continuous debate on whether melamine or china is the better choice. When deciding between the two, think about your restaurant environment and the type of food you serve. When going to a fine dining restaurant, customers tend to focus on every little detail (ie. its material, brightness, cleanliness and every crack and chip), more so than a casual one. With price points typically being higher, there is a level of elegance expected. In this environment, serving your food on China might be the better option. On the flip side, customers dining at a more casual place, won’t be as concerned with the material their dishes are made of, as long as the dish is presented well, so Melamine might be the better choice here.
Choosing a design
The look and design of dinnerware plays an important role in the overall presentation of the dish/food. Chefs are able to get very creative with their plating with the help of the various colors, shapes, designs and sizes of plates available.
Depending on the menu, there are many melamine products suited for various cuisines. For example, if you are a restaurant serving Asian cuisine – for a modern look, check out some of the beautiful orchid designs (Figure A), or If you are wanting a more traditional Asian look, click here(Figure B).
Fig. A Fig. B
As the production of Melamine continues to grow, there’s a wide range of quality designs available that hold the same aesthetics as China. If your restaurant prefers not to use the typical white plates and bowls, there are some other options. For example using black dinnerware (Fig. C) allows for the colors of the food to really present themselves, keeping the focus on the food.
With a variety of sizes, colors and unique dishes, such as triangular plates and/or sauce dishes, restaurants can be creative with their presentations. Take triangle plates; they are the least common, yet offer a fun, playful, modern look. Whereas square plates traditionally lend well to Asian cuisine, but due to the clean lines, creates a contemporary look. A possible downfall of square plates, is the corners can often lead to a higher chip rate due to the natural shape.
Fig. C
Melamine can be a great option as it has the ability to imitate porcelain, ceramic, slate, wood etc. However, there are a few things to be mindful of before fully committing to stocking your kitchen with only melamine products. Because of its chemical composition, it’s best to avoid the use of serrated knives as they tend to scratch easily. High temperatures such as ovens and microwaves, along with heavy use of bleach will break the material down over time, so it’s best to avoid melamine dishes if you are part of a restaurant that frequently reheats or finishes dishes in an oven, ie: Mexican dishes are often put in over to melt cheese. If this is the case with your establishment, you might want to look at the various options for chinaware.
It’s no secret that running a restaurant is costly – therefore every expense should be accounted for, as long as it does not compromise the overall experience for guests. According to GET, the annual replacement rate of Melamine is approximately 10%-20%, while China is about 50%-150% annually.
When deciding on best options for dinerware, remember to consider your restaurant type, cuisine and budget. For examples of the different varieties of Melamine and China available, please check out our dinnerware section on Action Sales.
