Carlisle Dinnerware: Melamine and Polycarbonate for Every Concept

Dinnerware is one of the most crucial components of a successful foodservice operation. In addition to complementing the rest of your tabletop, it helps set diners' expectations about the type of service, cuisine, and overall experience they might receive from your restaurant. Since old or damaged pieces need to be taken out of service and replaced, dinnerware can also be expensive to maintain. While serveware made of porcelain and fine china may not be able to stand up to the demands of a commercial foodservice operation, Carlisle dinnerware is made of melamine or polycarbonate, durable materials that often have significantly lower replacement rates. Learn more about these materials and the styles and patterns Carlisle offers below.

Choosing Carlisle Dinnerware for Your Operation

Plastic dinnerware has long been a go-to for cafeterias in healthcare facilities and universities, but Carlisle's selection of melamine dinnerware brings this durable option into the modern age with a variety of styles, shapes, and patterns for fast-casual and upscale concepts alike. Most of Carlisle's series includes plates, three-section plates that can be used to separate sides from entrees, bowls with stacking lugs to prevent them from sticking together, and platters, providing everything you need to build a tabletop from a single collection or mix and match to create a unique presentation.

Kingline™ Collection

A popular choice for high-volume institutions, cafes, and casual dining operations, this Carlisle dinnerware series is an economical, medium-weight option for businesses on a tight budget. Pieces in the Kingline collection are available in adobe, black, red, tan, white, and sandshade.

Dallas Ware® Collection

A staple collection for 50 years, this line of melamine serveware offers a more extensive color palette, with pieces available in black, bone, cafe blue, green, honey yellow, ocean blue, red, sunset orange, tan, and white. In addition to plates, three-section plates, and bowls, the Dallas Ware collection includes oval platters for serving appetizers and bread.

Sierrus™ Collection

Fast-casual restaurants, Mexican eateries, and other concepts can create a bright tabletop with plates and bowls in black, bone, honey yellow, meadow green, ocean blue, red, sunset orange, and white. To get the most out of your budget, Carlisle recommends pairing pieces from the Sierrus collection with items from the Durus collection.

Durus® Collection

Designed to imitate the look and feel of porcelain dinnerware, this Carlisle dinnerware series has a mirror glaze finish to help reduce scratching and staining. It is available in bone, green, honey yellow, ocean blue, sunset orange, and white, so operators can pair pieces from the Durus collection with auxiliary pieces from the Sierrus collection to create a durable and more affordable tabletop display.

Epicure® Collection

Available in a traditional white color, Carlisle dinnerware in the Epicure collection is designed with a sleek and modern coupe rim, making it a great choice for full-service restaurants and cafes. This collection also includes melamine pieces that are designed to resemble Acacia wood, offering farm-to-table concepts a more durable alternative to using real wood.

Grove Collection

Perfect for full-service restaurants and hotels, the heavy-weight melamine pieces in the Grove collection are designed to mimic the look and feel of ceramic, with a reinforced rim that makes them easy to stack. These textured plates and bowls are available in adobe, aqua, buff, jade, and smoke.

Mingle Collection

Like the Grove collection, melamine dinnerware in the Mingle collection was created to look and feel like ceramic dinnerware, giving full-service restaurants and cafes a durable service option that does not sacrifice style. The colorful pieces have an eye-catching swirl pattern and are available in amber, aqua, copper, fireball, jade, and smoke.

Polycarbonate Dinnerware

Carlisle also offers a line of polycarbonate dinnerware. Polycarbonate is also a durable material, but is set apart from melamine because it can be safely used in the microwave. These additional benefits make it an attractive option for cafeteria-style operations, but polycarbonate dinnerware is also popular in fast-casual eateries and family-style restaurants. This series includes plates, three-compartment plates, and bowls in black, dark blue, slate blue, tan, and white.