Ask ten restaurant owners which plates to buy and you will hear two answers more than any other: porcelain or melamine. Both are excellent at the right job. The mistake is choosing one for a job it was never designed to do.

Porcelain: the presentation choice

Porcelain is fired at very high temperatures into a dense, non-porous body. That gives it a bright, smooth glaze that makes food look its best, and a hardness that resists knife scratches. It is the default in fine dining, hotels and banquets. It is dishwasher safe and, without metallic rims, microwave safe. The trade-off is breakage, so budget for replacements.

Melamine: the durability choice

Melamine crockery is a hard resin moulded into shape. It is light, very hard to break and comes in almost any colour. That makes it ideal for buffets, poolside, canteens and QSRs. It is dishwasher safe but must never go in a microwave.

Porcelain where the plate sells the dish. Melamine where the plate has to survive the service.

Side by side

Many kitchens use both

A hotel might serve porcelain in its restaurant and melamine at the pool. Plan by area of service, not by one rule for the whole business. Bring your menu to RIKAVI and we will show you both side by side.

Book a preview

Sixty seats sounds like sixty plates. It isn't. On a busy night the same plate can be on a table, in the dish pit and back on the pass within the hour. Order sixty and you will run out before the first service ends.

Think in par levels

Kitchens plan tableware with a par level: the number of sets you hold for every seat. Casual dining usually runs on three sets per seat. One on the table, one in the wash, one on the shelf.

One on the table, one in the wash, one on the shelf.

A starting order for 60 covers

Plan for breakage

Keep spare stock aside from day one, and choose ranges you can top up later with matching pieces. Check your dishwasher racks and shelving before you order.

Try the opening planner

A new kitchen can overspend on gadgets and still run short of the basics on opening night. Start with the pots, pans and ladles your menu touches on every order.

The day-one list

Stock pots for bases and gravies, sauce pots and sauce pans for sauces and dals, fry pans for every station, and ladles in the sizes your portions need. Match ladle sizes to your portion control so every plate is consistent.

Write the menu first. The cookware list follows.

Why stainless steel

It is hygienic, easy to clean, hard to damage and lasts for years. Choose heavy bases for even heat on commercial ranges.

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