Corrugated Sandwich Platter
The corporate sandwich platter is one of the highest-volume formats in catering, and the specification is almost entirely determined by how you cut your…
View tray & get pricing →Food tray category — 6 trays
Serving Trays and Disposable Platters
A serving platter is a display surface first and a container second. It is usually shallow, usually wider than it is deep, and its whole job is to make food look arranged rather than piled. That changes what matters in the specification: flatness, edge finish and surface appearance count for more than wall strength.
This range covers sandwich platters, vegetable and crudité trays, dessert platters, tea sandwich trays and the small dip-and-chip formats that sit alongside them on a buffet.
Get pricing for this range
Tell us which of the serving trays & platters you need, the size and roughly how many. We reply with a full quote, usually within one working day.
01 — The range
6 trays in this range
Flat presentation platters for buffets, retail chillers and front-of-house display. Every one is made to order, so treat the descriptions as starting points rather than fixed specifications.
Corrugated Dessert Platter
Dessert is the one course where the packaging is photographed.
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Tea Sandwich Tray
Finger sandwiches are packed in rows, standing on their cut edge, and the whole point is that a customer can see the row through a window before they buy.
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Cheese and Cracker Tray
The cheese and cracker tray has one specific enemy: moisture.
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Chip and Dip Tray
The chip and dip tray is the simplest divided format there is: a main bay and one or two smaller wells.
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Related trays elsewhere on the site
02 — In detail
Three things that make a platter look expensive
A flat, unwarped base
Nothing undermines a buffet faster than a platter with a bow in it. Flatness comes from board grade and from how the platter is stored before use. We specify the caliper against the loaded weight, and we will tell you if the footprint you want needs a heavier board to stay flat.
A clean edge
The cut edge of a board platter is the detail people notice at close range. A rolled or folded edge reads as finished; a raw die-cut edge reads as disposable. Which you want depends on the setting — a corporate boardroom and a stadium concourse have different thresholds.
Surface that does not fight the food
Dark boards make pale food look flat; glossy white can bounce light into a photograph. Matt white and matt black are the two most reliable backgrounds for food, which is why so many retail platters use them. A dessert platter almost always benefits from a matt finish.
Sizing a platter to your menu
Platter sizing is driven by how the food is laid out, not by a nominal serving count. Some practical starting points:
- Sandwich halves laid in overlapping rows want roughly 1.5 inches of length each, plus a margin at both ends.
- Canapés and tea sandwiches sit in a grid, so square footprints waste less space than long rectangles.
- Crudités need depth as well as area, because sticks stand rather than lie flat.
- Dessert platters need clearance for height — a domed lid over a mousse is a different specification from a flat lid over biscuits.
- Leave at least a finger width of clear border so staff can lift the platter without touching food.
Buying for a chiller? A platter destined for a retail chilled cabinet has to work with your film sealing or lidding equipment. Send us the sealing machine and rim profile you use, and we will build the platter to match rather than making you adapt to ours.
Choosing a platter for your service
Platters are display surfaces first, so the decisions are about flatness, finish and how the food is laid out.
- Choose a sandwich platter sized from your cut style, which changes the area needed by a third.
- Choose a matt dessert platter because gloss reflects the light source straight back at a camera.
- Choose a long window box for finger sandwiches where the internal width has to match the assembled row almost exactly.
- Choose a divided cheese and cracker tray built around keeping humidity away from anything crisp.
- Choose a two-section chip and dip tray the simplest divided format there is.
- Choose a moulded deviled egg tray with formed wells, because egg halves slide on anything flat.
03 — Questions
Serving Trays & Platters: common questions
What is the difference between a serving platter and a catering tray?
A platter is shallow and made to be looked at; a catering tray is deeper and made to be transported closed. If your food goes straight onto a buffet table, a platter is the right format. If it travels in a van first, look at the catering tray range instead.
Can platters be supplied with clear lids?
Several styles take a clear dome or a film seal. Domes suit self-service display where customers need to see the food. Film suits retail chillers where the platter is scanned and carried home. Tell us the setting and we will match the closure to it.
Are these platters rigid enough to carry with one hand?
A correctly specified platter is, up to a point. Beyond roughly 18 inches on the long side, a loaded platter needs two hands or a rigid base regardless of board grade. If single-handed carrying matters, tell us the maximum loaded weight and we will build to it.
Can I have a black platter?
Yes. Black is achieved either with a black-lined board or with a printed flood. A flood-printed black on white board gives a more even, deeper result but adds ink cost; a black liner is cheaper at volume. Both are matt-finished by preference because gloss black shows every fingerprint.
How do platters ship without warping?
Flat, banded and boxed, with enough units per carton that the stack keeps itself flat. Once they arrive, store them flat and away from radiators and direct sun. Board takes on moisture from the air, and a platter stored on its edge in a damp store room will curl.
Can you print edge to edge on a platter?
We can print full bleed, and on a display platter it is usually worth it — a printed border frames the food. The one caution is that heavy ink coverage on a thin board can encourage curl, so we may recommend a slightly heavier caliper for a full-bleed design.
Do you offer round platters as well as rectangular?
Round, oval, square and rectangular are all achievable — it is a question of cutting die, not machinery. Round platters waste more board per sheet, so they carry a small cost premium over a rectangle of the same area.
Are disposable platters strong enough for hot food?
Board platters are intended for ambient and chilled service. Hot, steaming food will soften an untreated board within minutes. If you need to present hot food, ask about moisture-resistant constructions or a rigid format when you request your quote.
Need help choosing from the serving trays & platters?
Describe the food, the portion and the setting. We will tell you which tray in this range fits, and say so plainly if the answer is a format from somewhere else on the site.