Why Food Presentation Matters

First impressions matter.

Food presentation involves arranging, decorating, and plating food on typically white plates, to enhance the overall presentation for your customer. Improving the look of the food adds value to the dining experience, provides an opportunity for a higher mark-up on your menu, and allows your chef to inject their personality into the dishes they created.

Arguably the visual presentation of food is just as important as the flavour in terms of customer satisfaction. As humans, we tend to ‘taste’ with our eyes as well as our mouths so, it’s important that time is spent ensuring the overlook of the plated food is appealing. A well thought out plate naturally encourages us to think more positively of the food, and in doing so, increases the chances of enjoyment. It also shows pride in your product, this is ultimately what your customers have come to experience and therefore this is where most of your effort should be invested.

Add into the equation, the ever-increasing popularity of #foodporn across social media channels, with what can only be described as a food photo frenzy taking over our feeds. Channels such as Instagram focus predominantly on aesthetics, ensuring your food is well presented enables you to take advantage of free user-generated content from your own customers, who will happily share pictures of their food and tag your restaurant.

Top Tips

• Use odd numbers when you plate up dishes. This tends to work best visually as it creates a lack of balance which makes your plate look more interesting.
• Play with textures and colours. Avoid dull colours such as brown and green which tend not to photograph well, instead employ a subtle mix of bright accents and neutral tones. There’s a reason rainbow food continuously proves popular, and is one of the most shared food types on social media.
• Use complementing tableware to enhance the appearance of your food. Napkins, table covers and placemats are functional from a convenience and hygiene perspective but, they also act as a backdrop to your food presentation.