Just as cooking is considered a form of art, so too is the presentation of food an artistic representation from which any restaurateur seeking success cannot disregard. It is only when first-rate ingredients meet the finest tableware, such as porcelain items, that a work of art is born, created by the skillful combinations and matches of the most visionary chefs. The first impression is the one that leaves its mark and can make your restaurant customers fall in love at first sight.
Stoneware line completes natural combinations
What is food presentation and why is it important
Food presentation is the arrangement of the various dishes on a container so that they can arouse the diner’s interest, enticing them to taste and eat the food.
There are many advantages to bringing attractive food to the table. First, since cooking is an art form, the final presentation of food allows the chef to be creative and convey his or her personality to the menu. What is presented should engage the customer’s senses and draw him or her into the dining experience in the same way that a painting in a gallery attracts the viewer’s attention. A good presentation will not only add value to the customer’s experience, but will be more likely to trigger more traditional word-of-mouth, referring friends and family, or “social,” posting photos and reviews online.
The presentation of the dishes on the menu should carefully balance tastes, textures and colors to give a sense of satisfaction to the customer that starts with the eyes and continues with the palate. In fact, what you present is not just food, but a story that is read first by sight and then by taste buds. A thoughtful presentation is not only useful to the diners who receive the menu on the table, but can also tempt other customers, who see the dish being presented and may decide to order it.
Aesthetics of presentation that enhances the quality of the restaurant
The way food is presented has a big impact on how your customers perceive it. People judge food even before they take a bite, and this judgment is based mostly on how it looks aesthetically. Various research and actual feedback has also shown how people are willing to pay more for something that is presented in a more curated way, increasing its perceived value.
The way food is arranged on the tableware communicates the quality and standards of your restaurant’s overall experience. When food is poorly presented, it will give the impression that the staff in the kitchen is not attentive to the needs of customers and, even worse, poor quality ingredients are used. On the contrary, a high standard of presentation contributes to the idea of a high-quality establishment, even before the food is tasted and enjoyed. This is why details make all the difference.
5 tips for presenting dishes on your menu
There are many ways a meal can be served and presented. Something that may be taken for granted can instead make a big difference, and continuing to experiment is key to meeting customers’ taste and giving them amazement every time food is brought to the table.
Play with portions and colors, Finger line
1. Match the theme of your restaurant
The way you present your food should reflect the type of restaurant you are running. So first, consider the style of your restaurant and menu.
If your restaurant features vegetarian food and you’ve made sustainability your philosophy, surprise your customers with natural-colored tableware that accompanies nature-inspired foods. MPS Porcellane’s Stoneware line is perfect for this purpose: materials derived from the earth, with colors that evoke it in shades of brown and black, for warm tones with a touch of rusticity that still lets the majesty of nature shine through in the expression of the most durable stoneware. With a 5-compartment plate you can serve ethnic dishes accompanied by a pot with lid, a treasure chest for sauces and broths with unique flavors. Bring oval, rectangular or round pan directly to the table, with the convenience of handles and the beauty of a semi-matte surface.
2. Create layers and height
Build layers up by stacking the food neatly: this adds volume to the presentation. Three different heights help fill the space and make the food look bigger.
Start with the most solid foundation: porcelain dinnerware from the Hotel line. On the fish plate you can arrange fish, vegetables and decorate with a touch of class, while on the steak plate you have plenty of space to compose a star-studded presentation, with splashes of sauce for an artistic effect and make a composition that gives dimension and texture.
3. Serve smaller portions
It is important to strike a balance, but it is advisable to keep the proportions equal for each course. In general smaller portions are easier to match, while if the container is full of food, there will be less space for creativity. This decision also depends on the type of restaurant and your customers.
Then if the style of your venue is modern and classy then the choice is easy: the Finger line, for exceptionally stunning buffets and finger food presentations. Elegance and practicality come together in stylish porcelain items with designs that give inspiration for unique introductions. Combine smooth shapes and sculpted lines with spoon or hexagon, create contrasts with the two colors available, with classic white or the sophistication of black. Spring is served with flower, and small bites of food lie ready to taste on armchair and small cup. Also discover Ghisa finger, with the matte finish of an original surface for a presentation that breaks the monotony.
4. Harmonize decorations and contours
Side dishes should not be thought of as an “addition,” but elaborated with the idea of menu presentation from the beginning since they contribute to the flavor and texture of the dish. Equally, decorations should be balanced and never exaggerated. Precision and inventiveness are needed, but it is totally inappropriate to bring inedible garnishes to the table.
The basics to start with are porcelain: MPS Porcellane’s Buffet line suggests items with complementary designs, created to match each other and with any kind of presentation, as long as it is ingenious and never ordinary. Ying and Yang are the essence of opposites that together sparkle; the various inserts, including trio and trapezoid infuse the most expressive flair for authentic and, why not, extravagant combinations. Black or white, alternating or not, MPS porcelain items are perfect for serving harmony.
5. Simplicity always wins out
The most popular advice is “less is more,” meaning, to avoid literal translations, simplicity wins over abundance. Using balance and not overdoing portions and decorations is always classy, as is choosing white items, an evergreen in the kitchen and at the table for one simple reason: the container becomes the frame, indispensable, of the food served and enhances it. With Simple line, it is easy to express yourself and unleash the artistic vein in a triumph of simple elegance. Your canvas is the oval plate, oval basket and oval salad bowl, with unexaggerated lines to emphasize the skill of the chef and the beauty of a presentation of style and value.
Simplicity wins in sophistication, Simple line
Porcelain tableware for presentations with enviable aesthetics
Whether you prefer to serve your dishes in a striking manner or in the more traditional way, the items on which you bring the result of your preparation to the table are as crucial as the choice of ingredients. That’s why you can count on the refined durability of MPS porcelain tableware, a complete range of more than 30 lines and over 1,000 shapes for your every need. Our products are also oven and microwave-safe, as well as dishwasher-safe, making them the perfect allies in your restaurant for all occasions. In addition to more classic items for serving your menus, you can choose elegantly designed baking dishes and casseroles that will be a shame not to bring to the table. You are spoiled for choice: your creativity with ours is the winning card of your business.
