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Melamine vs porcelain: which suits your service?

6 min read · RIKAVI Journal

Grilled fish and vegetables on a stoneware plate

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

PorcelainMelamine
Best forFine dining, hotels, banquetsBuffets, outdoor, canteens, QSR
BreakageCan chip or break if droppedVery hard to break
WeightMediumLight
MicrowaveYes, without metallic rimsNo

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.

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