What is the origin of those fast food baskets and why do you use them?

4 comments

1. There’s a sheet of wax paper in it. Easy to toss and clean the basket without wasting a whole plate

2. Food safety laws are different in every state, but in mine (California) and I assume in many others, the major benefit is cleaning time. Baskets do need to be washed/disinfected, but considering there’s rarely any actual food on them once the liner is thrown out, doing so is very fast and easy. They also stack easily, are less prone to breaking, and cheaply replaceable, theres also time saved on the serving end of things, if you have waiters who clean the tables, its much faster to dump a basket out than it is to scrape a plate off, or if you rely on customers to return their baskets on their own, you save time having front of house staff put away dishes, and they can focus on cleaning tables/seats instead.

   The restaurant I work at personally serves items like burgers, chicken strips, and fries in baskets, while most of the rest of the menu is served on plates and bowls. I also happen to be the dishwasher during closing shifts, we run a dish-pit with no machine, which means every item is hand rinsed, soaked, and sanitized by yours truly. the difference in time that it takes me to wash 50 baskets vs 50 plates is immense.

3. If you’re a server or a customer bringing food to a table, it’s easier to carry. It’s lighter, doesn’t break if dropped, and you don’t have to balance it because of the basket’s sides.

4. Fries can’t slide off a basket.