40 Times People Would’ve Rather Got Plates And Glasses Instead Of These Disasters (New Pics)
Dear bars and restaurants, we do genuinely appreciate how hard you try to impress us. After the pandemic hit, it has been a continuous struggle to save your business and attract both workers and clients. So it's only normal to put that extra bit of effort into everything, from the thoughtful playlist to premium Marseille soap in the bathroom.
Some restaurant owners and chefs take the dining experience up to the next level and come up with very ingenious ways to serve their food. Think of starters served straight on the table, croquettes served in an iron mask and no, I am not kidding.
Thanks to the internet's beloved We Want Plates project founded by Ross McGinnes back in 2015, we now have a crazy collection of absurd food servings to scroll through. “It’s the global crusade against serving food on bits of wood and roof slates, chips in mugs and drinks in jam jars,” says its description and hey, thanks for the public service, you guys.
Psst! More hilarious food servings from We Want Plates can be found in our previous posts here, here and here.
More info: wewantplates.com | Reddit | Facebook | Instagram |Twitter
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Quality Postmodernism
The Juices Dripped Onto My Legs Through That Nice Crack In The Board
This Rose Flavored Chocolate Dessert That You Have To Lick Off Your Hands! (Miami)
Previously Bored Panda spoke with Ross McGinnes, the founder of the ‘We Want Plates’ community. Ross started the campaign in 2015 after a friend posted a picture of an average-sized steak on Facebook, which had been served to him on a large chopping board.
“It was captioned, unironically, 'That is a big meal!' It wasn't a big meal—he'd fallen for all this style-over-content hipster gastropub nonsense,” he recounted. Then, Ross searched Twitter for an account which would allow him to vent his spleen with like-minded people, but he found nothing. That’s how We Want Plates was created. Today, the project has 900,000 followers across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Reddit.
Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition
Multi-Flavor Pizza Served In A Tire
You Could Order Barbie Meat At A Chinese Hot Pot Restaurant My Sis-In-Law Went To Last Night
McGinnes also noted that some restaurants put food on strange things because they want to try to impress their customers. Sometimes, that turns against them. “My local pub used to do a great Sunday roast: twelve quid, piled high, tasted great and yes, it came on a plate. One weekend they added a quirky offering to the menu: little sandwiches, pies, dainty cakes and mini milkshakes served on a miniature picnic bench. The benches, painted bright pink and yellow, sat on top of tables seating actual grown adults. And what was the first thing these infantilized diners did? It wasn't to try the food—it was to whip out their phones and take a picture.”
So I Went To Alinea This Weekend
Pasta, Sauce, Bread. In A Wire Cone
Breakfast In A Egg Carton
“Over the following months the picnic benches became increasingly popular, coinciding with the specials board becoming progressively smaller, before it eventually disappeared altogether,” Ross told us. He remembered sitting there one Sunday, watching bench after garish bench emerge from the kitchen like a technicolor carnival of idiocy, before his usual roast arrived.
Dinner With A Side Of Tetanus Anyone?
A Friend Ordered Tiramisu In Scotland. Why Sugar The Lid?
Friend Of Mine Went To A Restaurant And Their Starter Came In A Book
“The meat was cold and the potatoes were burnt. It was once their main Sunday trade, but the traditional roast had died an unpalatable death. But that’s OK because they were doing a roaring trade with the benches, right? Sure, until the pub down the road started doing them too. Then the one around the corner.”
Ross recounted that before you know it, everyone’s doing the same ‘quirky’ thing. “Except it’s not ‘quirky’ anymore because you can’t move for mini picnic benches and now all their roast dinners are rubbish to boot,” he told us.
Plates Shouldn’t Fall Over When You Stab Them With A Fork
Uhm.. How Do I Drink It..?
Our Corn Chips Came In A Rusty Bucket
The Croquette In The Iron Mask
Lunch Served On A Heavy Stone? I Felt Bad For My Server Who Had To Carry It
Crepes Served As Babushka Barbe
My Meal Was Served In A Folded License Plate. I Mean I Guess It Is A Plate In A Way
Friend's Mother Went To A Restaurant And Got A Glass Of Pasta! Upside Down!
A Bottle Of Fish
On A Cleaver...
My Boyfriends Ice-Cream Came In A Little Metal Tub, But Mine Came In A Little Plastic Wheelbarrow
Twigs And Moss
I’d Send This Back. This Replaced An Amazing Restaurant In My Town That Was Killed By Covid
Spaghetti-No
Pasta Flight, Ended Up Everywhere
Ridiculously unnecessary, not practical for guests and too much idiotic work for the kitchen. The chef here is a jerk.
My “Flying“ Noodles. They Where Cold Within A Minute
There are a reasonable number of things I want from my food. Flying isn't one of them.
Steak Pie In A Jar…
Kids Food On Dvd-Case (Photo From Restaurants Own Page)
Soup In A Burnt Cabbage
Removing Splinters With Greasy Fingers
We Want Tables?
I actually was planning to do my garden table somewhat like this, with left over 'green roof' materials. I hate mowing and grass, so it would be Sedums; the problem it it's either boring or very uneven.
I Swear, It's A Chocolate Mousse And Pop-Corn On A Wooden Board....
Is there a conspiracy against chocolate mousse I haven't heard about?
Flattened Chips Due To The Weight
I Guess We Are Serving Fish On Fish Bones?!
Aah Yes, I Finally Experienced The Classic Shovel Plate
An Actual Non Stick Pan, Instead Of A Plate
Well, that's bowel cancer waiting to happen. Never use metal on non-stick cookware, kids.
This Would Be Embarrassing
So This Is Supposed To Be The Best Way To Eat Caviar...
"How Do You Want Your Chocolate Mousse? Clean Or Dirty?" Paris, France
I Guess The Chicken Wings Are… Flying?
So I Heard You Guys Like Seepage
Jelly And Cream In A Straw
In An Ad For A New Greek Place In Town. Yummy, I Love My Hand-Torn Bread Served To Me On A Round Stone Covered In Paste
$12 Gin & Tonic
You're gonna do a classic cocktail like this, really? Gin deserves better than this.
Not One, But Two Pans And A Cutting Board
2 Scallops On Seashells Placed On Top Of Fake Grass, Real Rocks And All On Top Of A Log
Scallops on shells are okay.... the other stuff is just there for you to pay 20% more, as normal.
We Want Cups. Mai Tai In A Spam Can. Sea-Tac Airport
I would call the health-inspectors on that place! No way, a can produced for containing meat-product can be sterilized enough -in a normal restaurant/bar's conditions- to be safe enough for anything else serving in it.
This Is Aggravating
Not Even The Same Size Of Skillet
Soup In A Laboratory Flask
Medusa Calamari?
Shoe Boba (Not Mine, Found It On Twitter)
I Was Reading A Review Of A Spanish Restaurant And This Come Up....
Not What I Meant When I Said 'A Pallet Of Food'
Pot Of Yoghurt And Some Bread In A Box Of Inedible Rocks
It would have been much better if they included edible rocks.
Tonka Truck Full Of Wings
Everyday We Stray Further From God’s Light
Just Put It On A Plate, This Presentation Adds Nothing
The Kid's Meal At The Big Texan Served In A Hat. The 7 Year Old Recipient States, "Yeah, This Is Kinda Weird, Dad...."
The Meat Juice Fell Off The Side And Stained My Jeans
It looks fabulous, but the chef didn't get the memo that food is meant to be eaten.
Hot Dogs In A Dog Bowl
Giving New Meaning To The "Onion Dip"
Fries Served In A Small Trash Bin
We Thought That They Allowed Dogs Here Until We Realized That The Bowls Are For Us!
Doesn't everyone serve up burger & fries - well maybe "hot dogs"! And a bowl of water of course!
This Isn’t What We Mea-
Two, Put Your Beef In That Box
Nearly Bought This Watering Can For My Daughters Mini Cacti Until I Read The Label
I would have bought it for your daughter's cacti anyway. Your idea for it's use is way better.
Chicharrones.. Served On Animal Skull They Even Have A Plate Right There..
It's Like They Heard People Like Ribs But Didn't Really Grasp It
It's Called El Ultimo Baño (The Last Bath). Roasted Whole Quail In Foamy Broth And A Piece Of Spongy Bread. It Was Pretty Meh-Tasting. Once Won The City's Weekly Tapas Award. (Bar Is Called Depikofino)
Why are restaurants trying too hard? The food should speak for itself.
Cocktail In A Takeout Box. Only A Little Leaky
Saw This In An Ad On Facebook - Who Doesn't Like Their Sashimi In A Tipped Over Wine Glass
I Ordered A Cocktail, I Got A Salad
If it's not a cocktail which contains bell peppers, than it's a very poor choice, besides being ugly. The aromas disolving from pepper will screw up your cocktail.
Yeah I'll Have Some Brisket On The Rocks Please
Apple Pie And Whip Cream In Pots
We Got Appetizers Served On A Tray Full Of Stones
The Menu Specifically Called It A Charcuterie Plate
I Just Thought You Guys Were No Fun, But I Get It Now….
Went To A Fancy Cocktailbar Just To Get My Bloody Mary In An Old Tomato Can. Also Spotted Someone Getting A Whole Pineapple Instead Of A Glass
My Friend Sent Me This Picture
Fiancée Said "Do You Think I'm Allowed To Put Ketchup Directly On The Cutting Board?"
Anyone in my estimation who eats off a cutting board is risking their life!
Onion Rings And Gravy On A Stone Slab!
Fish Tacos For Two, On A Cutting Board…
Deep Fried Mushroom On A Ceramic Log
Berries Straight From The Tree
From An Instagram Ad. Just...wow
Emergency Room Margarita
My Breakfast Came On A Shovel... What’s Next?
Onion Rings Served On An Oil Funnel
A Pizza On A Board That's Too Small. Cutting It Was A Challenge
I'm A Cow Now
The astroturf or grass touches the food. How do they sterilize it for the next customer?
Some Cutlery Would Be Nice Aswell..
What The Hell Is This Crap?
Calamari In A Box, Pasta In A Pan. The North End In Boston
They Call This A “Sushi Cupcake Ferris Wheel”
I Was So Hungry For Cake That I Didn't Realize Until Mid-Way Through That I Got Served In A F*cking Tile
Decent In Comparison To Some Of The Sh*t I've Seen But Damn Just Give Me A Damn Plate!
Literally
I just feel like if you're going to serve me in a mini wheelbarrow, hat, trash bin, or throw a skeleton model on my food, that I should be able to keep it as a prize.
Like a souvenir ice cream baseball helmet at a stadium.
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I've almost never seen well-executed "quirky" serving ideas. If you want to stand out, let the quality of your cuisine speak for itself.
Exactly. The king of quirky cuisine is Heston Blumenthal - he does things like make apple purée in the shape of a pork chop and makes the pork chop look like potato wedges or whatever, and other random taste combinations and "feasts for the eyes", but from what I've seen on the internet, his restaurant serves quirky food on actual *plates*. There are some things served on breadboards, but they appear to have been specifically designed for this use and able to be properly cleaned after, and not some random driftwood. (He did do some weird serving stuff for his TV programs, but that was kinda the point - they were usually experiments and definitely one-offs as part of the wider experience)
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Half of this isn't even quirky or cute, it's just pretentious. AND unhygienic.
I didn't see even one that was quirky or cute, let alone half. The ice cream in the wheelbarrow was borderline cute. The rest were all terrible.
Load More Replies... I just feel like if you're going to serve me in a mini wheelbarrow, hat, trash bin, or throw a skeleton model on my food, that I should be able to keep it as a prize.
Like a souvenir ice cream baseball helmet at a stadium.
Load More Replies... I've almost never seen well-executed "quirky" serving ideas. If you want to stand out, let the quality of your cuisine speak for itself.
Exactly. The king of quirky cuisine is Heston Blumenthal - he does things like make apple purée in the shape of a pork chop and makes the pork chop look like potato wedges or whatever, and other random taste combinations and "feasts for the eyes", but from what I've seen on the internet, his restaurant serves quirky food on actual *plates*. There are some things served on breadboards, but they appear to have been specifically designed for this use and able to be properly cleaned after, and not some random driftwood. (He did do some weird serving stuff for his TV programs, but that was kinda the point - they were usually experiments and definitely one-offs as part of the wider experience)
Load More Replies... Half of this isn't even quirky or cute, it's just pretentious. AND unhygienic.
I didn't see even one that was quirky or cute, let alone half. The ice cream in the wheelbarrow was borderline cute. The rest were all terrible.
Load More Replies...