Diners still want to eat off plates, not shoes or boards

22-Aug-2017 - Last updated on 30-May-2024 at 14:17 GMT

It’s a common sight in many restaurants and gastropubs, you order a meal only for it to arrive on a slate with a side order of chips in a tin can.

The Twitter account @WeWantPlates has gained over 136,000 followers in its ‘global crusade’ against the practice, sharing images of food served in frying pans, dog bowls and even hats.

Now a new study by YouGov Omnibus has revealed that British diners still overwhelmingly prefer to be served food off a simple plate.

YouGov showed 2,030 people a series of unusual serving methods from the We Want Plates archive and asked whether they would be happy to see them in a restaurant, cafe or pub.

The standard circular plate received a 99% approval rating, followed by the square plate with 96%.

Shopping trolley ✅
Chopping board ✅
Mess tin ✅

THE HOLY TRINITY.

(Pic: @SecEventsPen) pic.twitter.com/ckR5KWgpsT
— We Want Plates (@WeWantPlates) June 30, 2016

64% of diners were happy to be served food on a wooden board, while 52% were content to eat out of a plant pot.

The least popular food receptacle was a shoe, which just 9% of respondents approved of.

Footwear proved only slightly less popular than a dog bowl (10%), a shovel (17%) and a flooring panel (28%).

"Chef, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have arrived, they've ordered the tempura shoe to share."
(Pic: @eeketht) pic.twitter.com/8d0NCWhrSX
— We Want Plates (@WeWantPlates) March 28, 2016

Enough now pic.twitter.com/XbdbA5ku6y
— The MICHELIN Guide (@MichelinGuideUK) July 12, 2017

Those in the ABC1 social grades (middle class) are 12% more likely to consider slates acceptable than those in the C2DE grade (working class), and are 8% happier to eat off wooden boards.

But despite the enduring popularity of the classic plate, YouGov says the trend for bizarre food receptacles looks set to continue.

“While this selection of unusual culinary conveyances may cause some to raise their eyebrows and roll their eyeballs, we may see more of them in future,” says YouGov.

“The results show that younger Britons are generally more likely than their elder peers to consider it ok to serve food on or in unconventional items.”

Perhaps this is the future of dining after all.