Plastic Serving Bowls

Large Plastic Serving Bowls: What You Need to Know

Serving bowls usually end up as a table centerpiece within your guests' reach so they can take their share of the food. Everyone interacts with a serving bowl, so it's essential that the one you choose contributes to the aesthetic you hope to establish. Plastic serving bowls are the least expensive way to add these pieces to your table service, but they have other benefits besides cost.

Large plastic serving bowls are lighter than stoneware and melamine options, which can be very beneficial given that they can hold large quantities of food already. Less weight means fewer chances of a dropped bowl, which would waste food, irritate customers, and potentially present a danger to guests and servers. Not all plastics are the same, though, and each serving bowl has specific instructions on how best to maintain it. We'll go over common questions below to help you choose the best possible piece for your foodservice establishment.

Common Questions About Plastic Serving Bowls

What establishments need plastic serving dishes?

Plastic dishes aren't for every establishment. Upscale eateries and fine dining restaurants will want to consider other materials before browsing the plastic section, but for many other operators, plastic is the perfect choice. One easy way to determine this is to consider what material the rest of your table setting is made from. You don't want to surround plastic with porcelain, or vice versa, but if you're using melamine or plastic already, then these bowls will complement your dinnerware just fine.

Not all plastics can withstand the heat and chemicals of a commercial dishwasher, which might make them undesirable for operations that primarily use this equipment to sanitize their dishes. Consult the individual product specification pages before making a purchase to determine whether or not the piece will withstand commercial dishwashers.

What type of plastics are available?

Polycarbonate is one of the common types of plastic used in these serving dishes because it can be sanitized in a high-temperature commercial dishwasher. Polycarbonate also can be made transparent, which is useful when showcasing brightly colored foods, such as salads. If you'll be serving less colorful foods, the plastic serving bowls themselves can accentuate your décor, as we carry options in many different colors. Polycarbonate can withstand the heat of a commercial high-temperature dishwasher, but it doesn't perform as well in low-temperature commercial dishwashers. The chemicals used in low-temp units will discolor the plastic, shortening its usable lifespan.

Manufacturers use many different blends of plastic, so we can't go over every possible variation here, but the product specifications page for most of the options will have more information.