How Does the Cost Economics of Fancy Food Plating Looks in Restaurants?

How does the Cost Economics of Fancy Food Plating Looks in Restaurants?
The design of crockeries has seen a major uplift in the last few years. It is interesting to see how the hoteliers go about choosing any crockery at their restaurant.

By Sakshi singh , Contributory Author

26 Aug 2022 | 10 min read

Lights, Camera, Action! This is not just restricted to the world of entertainment but also to the world of food. The beautiful plates and the artistic plating that can be seen in many restaurants are worth the click which has also flooded its presence on social media. Food plating has been taken seriously like never before. Appearance does matter. Plate presentation is more important than ever, and chefs and operators are arranging the components of the plate in a way that both looks appealing and helps boost profitability. They know that a dish's appearance is key to how satisfied the customer is with the dining experience.

But amid all this glamour, we all know that the industry has struggled hard to get its lost revenue back and cost-cutting is now a necessity not a choice. So in this tight costing era, how does the cost economics of food plating sets in? We explore. The importance of being tagged as “Instagrammable” has given a rise to the popularity of food stylists across the country.

Today, chefs are also seen as artists so the creativity of the presentation is key. As for the profitability, the way the food is presented will ultimately impact food cost and the pricing of the dish, so portions should be measured carefully to ensure the guest sees value, but the dish also should make sense financially for the restaurant based on the pricing. 

The creativity of the presentation plays into the value proposition, no matter what the restaurant's concept is. If the operation is known for large portions, the consumer expects a value, so the lower-cost food items may have more real estate on the plate, such as mashed potatoes arranged under the protein. The idea of showcasing the most expensive item with a gorgeous plate and less expensive side dishes certainly adds appeal and creates that feeling of value.

Cost Economics of Food Plating

Chef Gauri Varma, founder of Confect says, “You eat with your eyes first. In the age of click first post, tag, eat later presentation has become key to success. Food that does not look good no longer feels right, and while comfort food is still the intent, the food now must be tasty to the eyes as well. Having said that, taste is a factor that is the ultimate determinant of the success of any eatery. The economics of plating will work provided the food works. At Confect, we believe in providing the tools that would help one create stunning creations effortlessly without pinching your pocket."

Sandeep Kumar, Executive Chef at Renaissance Bengaluru rightly points out, “Cooking is a craft and there is no substitute for spending time on your craft.” He puts down the appearance mechanisms he follows in his kitchen. Choosing the perfect plate or glassware, including the size and color, followed by the placement of ingredients on the plate is right on top of his priority. 

Further according to Chef Rahul Khare, executive chef at The Finch says, “In today’s world, diners are now world travelers and are well aware of the quintessential trends from around the globe. Additionally, with nearly everyone sharing their experiences on various social media platforms, it becomes all the more important that the essence of our dish and the plating techniques must translate through a photo. And hence, as a global cuisine server, plating our dish well at par with global standards holds very high importance.”

How Important It Is?

Food veterans believe that plate presentation does help keep costs in line. While plating food is imperative to ensure its Insta savvy, the cost is the elephant in the room that can reduce profitability if not balanced well. “We eat with our eyes,” says Chef Jerson Fernandes, executive chef at Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach further adding that first impressions do matter in today's world, if not before, and plate presentation is more crucial than ever. 

Both chefs and entrepreneurs are smartly planning components on a plate in such a way that they look both enticing and appealing and also help boost profitability. Every dish has a story to tell, there are a lot of factors that contribute to a perfect presentation, viz., components such as type of protein, weight, sauces, color, freshness, garnishes, type of plate, size of the plate, and portion size of the entire dish as a whole. Appearance certainly contributes to profitability. 

How can Restaurants be Cost-Effective While Going Lavish on Plating Factors?

Chef Sarfaraz Ahmed, head chef of Trèsind Mumbai opines that most of the time it is not an additional cost or there is a very minimal cost involved to present your dishes. It depends more on the creativity of the chef and team and how they put things together on the plate. 

“Certain dishes required additional setups like fresh flowers, leaves, and a bunch of herbs to elevate the experience but as a chef, we can always include that cost in our food cost and put the selling price of the dish accordingly. Another factor is luxury crockery involved in the fine dining restaurant scene but we see this as a long-term investment and a key factor to enhance the dining experience,” Ahmed added.

However, R Sethi, founder of Seclude strongly opines that beautiful plates do not always have to be associated with decadence and luxury. “We believe that a meal should entice all your senses: taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound. Creating the right ambiance need not be a costly affair and a good eye for aesthetics is all that is really required. Most of our properties have organic vegetable gardens and the use of fresh seasonal produce allows us to remain cost-efficient, while also creating an authentic Farm to Table experience for our guests,” Sethi stated.

Conversations Around Crockeries

Guests have become much more discerning and environmentally conscious which allows for a lot of room to experiment in creative ways. Beautiful plates also don’t mean expensive bone china and silver cutlery. “We look to local artisans for terracotta, ceramic, wooden plates, and other unusual yet elegant tableware that fits within our budget but creates a lasting impact on the diner,” Sethi further informed.

The design of crockeries has seen a major uplift in the last few years. It is interesting to see how the hoteliers go about choosing any crockery at their restaurant. Prathik Shetty from The Reservoire says, “Just as the chefs, even the crockery industry is extremely motivated to add the latest designs to their portfolios. We as restaurant owners, choose our crockery based on the innovation, usability, practicality, and portability of the design.”

The food scene in India has evolved over the last five years in terms of plating and presentation. There has always been a debate about the positive and negative aspects of social networking platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. However, in the case of the F&B industry, it has pushed the chefs to step up and think like an artist. Lastly, It is impossible to not talk about the influence of global cooking reality shows when the topic is food plating and presentation.


Lights, Camera, Action! This is not just restricted to the world of entertainment but also to the world of food. The beautiful plates and the artistic plating that can be seen in many restaurants are worth the click which has also flooded its presence on social media. Food plating has been taken seriously like never before. Appearance does matter. Plate presentation is more important than ever, and chefs and operators are arranging the components of the plate in a way that both looks appealing and helps boost profitability. They know that a dish's appearance is key to how satisfied the customer is with the dining experience.

But amid all this glamour, we all know that the industry has struggled hard to get its lost revenue back and cost-cutting is now a necessity not a choice. So in this tight costing era, how does the cost economics of food plating sets in? We explore. The importance of being tagged as “Instagrammable” has given a rise to the popularity of food stylists across the country.

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