Trays are often overlooked, but they’re a functional dining room essential. Without them, you’d need an army of servers to bring food to tables – or a fitness-focused food runner who’s determined to get way more than 10,000 steps in a shift.
Struggling with multiple plates or taking an awkward number of trips to serve a table’s dinner looks unprofessional. By contrast, using serving trays to bring meals to the table looks polished and put-together.
Trays are a simple way to enhance your front-of-house style while giving diners the impression that you’re upscale and professional. But not every tray style denotes class, and not every stainless steel finish reflects quality. Learn more about stainless steel food serving trays so you can choose the style that will add a touch of refinement to your food service.
Stainless steel serving trays outclass other materials
Tools that remain back-of-house, like kitchen equipment, need to be extremely functional – and that’s it. No one expects your pots and pans to be fit for display in the dining room.
But your dinnerware, flatware, and serving pieces – including serving trays – need to look good and work hard. They need to pull double-duty as both functional tools and elegant design elements that support your dining room aesthetic.
Laminate and polypropylene serving trays only meet one of those requirements. They’re quite serviceable – but they’re also hopelessly ugly. Nothing says “cheap” like plastic serving trays, and nothing will ruin your dining room ambiance quicker than a $35 steak arriving on a plastic platter.
Stainless steel, on the other hand, is robust and beautiful – the perfect combination for your serving trays.
How stainless steel trays lift your dining room
We make our products from stainless steel because it’s a long-lasting material that looks brilliant alongside any tablescape. Here’s why we (and our chef clients) love it:
- Stainless steel is easy to care for. Stainless steel offers a 5-star look without the maintenance. Servers and food runners will love the wipe-clean easy care of stainless steel. Your dish washing staff will love that it’s dishwasher safe and durable.
- Stainless steel offers quality servers can trust. Laminate trays crack and break. Polypropylene trays can warp under heat lamps and their coating can start to flake off into food. But stainless steel serving trays are reliably attractive and strong, and your serving staff will never have to worry about embarrassing faux pas caused by inferior trays.
- Diners will be impressed by stainless steel, too. The glimmer of stainless steel is eye-catching, and it gives diners a subtle cue that your restaurant or club is a cut above the rest. Diners – especially those who’ve chosen a fine-dining establishment – know quality. When they see stainless steel serving trays, it’s another hint that your restaurant serves the best.
- Durability makes stainless steel a better investment. Plastic trays might be cheaper than stainless steel, but a lower current price ignores the future costs associated with low-quality materials. Those cheap trays won’t last, and you’ll be buying new ones sooner than if you’d invested in a top-class material from the beginning. When you buy stainless steel serving trays, you make a last investment rather than a short-sighted splurge.
The 3 things to look for in stainless steel serving trays
Stainless steel is a top-quality material, but not every stainless steel serving tray is made with the highest-caliber steel.
We work exclusively with 18/10 premium stainless steel. It’s an alloy developed specifically for strength and shine, featuring 18% chromium (added for rust resistance) and 10% nickel (added for shine and luster). If your serving trays aren’t made of 18/10 stainless steel, you won’t get:
1. Durable trays thanks to a tough steel composition
Stainless steel’s known for durability, but a higher percentage of chromium gives our 18/10 premium stainless steel better resistance against rust and corrosion. That means it’ll last longer than alloys with less steel, even under the pressures of a commercial kitchen.
2. A stunning finish
18/10 stainless steel was built to shine – literally! The high nickel count in our stainless steel makes it shinier than other finishes, adding a bit of sparkle to your drinks and food service that’s sure to dazzle your diners.
3. A variety of shapes and sizes
We start with high-quality steel, and we continue our commitment to superior trays with gorgeous tray design. Whether you need extra large trays for serving party platters or cocktail trays for drinks, we’ve designed one to fit your needs.
Look for these 3 elements – durability, finish, and versatility – in your restaurant’s serving trays. They’re the hallmarks of quality craftsmanship, and they indicate your tray investment will last for years.
Corby Hall’s tray collection checks the boxes
Our family of stainless steel serving trays meet the highest industry standards and pass muster with even the pickiest of chefs and servers. Classic shapes – oval, rectangular, and round – and a variety of sizes offer restaurants useful adaptability, and 18/10 premium stainless steel construction delivers strength and longevity.
But it’s our understated design and simple, clean lines that set Corby Hall serving trays apart from the pack. Take a look at our serving tray range and get in touch when you’re ready to lift your food service to the next level!