The Decorative Charger Plate: An Overview of Charger Plates by Restaurant Supplies Pro

A decorative charger plate is an elegant and underused element of a place setting. Charger plates are also known as chop plates, service plates, or underplates. A charger plate gets its ‘decorative’ label because it never directly touches any food (unless your family eats as much as ours), instead it functions as an aesthetic resting place onto which food-bearing dishes and bowls are placed. A charger plate is usually larger than a dinner plate but smaller than a food-serving platter. Since it does not hold food it can be made out of a wider range of materials such as standard china, metal, wood, glass, and even leather.

Charger plate etiquette varies slightly depending on the preferences of the host or hostess, but there are some general rules that apply for your tabletop setting. 1) The charger plate should be set when guests arrive, placed one inch (2.54 cm) from the edge of the table and between the silverware settings. 2) Soup and first courses are placed on the charger plate. 3) Some hosts clear the charger plate before food is served and others leave it as an accent piece through out the courses of the meal. 4) The charger plate should be removed before the dessert course. Now that you understand the general rules, let’s discuss how the charger plate adds a level of sophistication to your dinner table.

A charger plate is a terrific way to add elegance to your dinner table. Many associate the charger plate with formal dinners, but charger plates can also be used for all occasions to upgrade your hosting repertoire with color, pattern or distinct shapes. Colorful charger plates can revitalize your day-to-day dinner plates or complement a festive look to a dinner party. Charger plates can complement the design of the other dinnerware and add a second visual rhythm to the table. A charger plate with a harmonizing hue or sparkling metallic material can add a modern touch of class to an informal gathering. 

RestaurantSuppliesPro.com offers charger plates by Ten Strawberry Street and Studio 10 sold by TAG Distributing. We offer charger plates of all sizes, colors, materials, and shapes. RestaurantSuppliesPro.com is pleased to offer a robust selection of charger plates to enhance your dinning experience.

For more information call us at 1-866-956-0170 or email us at customerservice@restaurantsuppliespro.com.