If you think plastic food is just for children then think again. Realistic plastic food has long been used in places like Tokyo to tempt customers into restaurants and can be extremely similar to the actual dishes on the menu. This idea has spread and plastic food is available to resemble everything from a full English breakfast to a dessert of cake or donuts.
Plastic food representing fruit and vegetables was quick to take on in Europe. Just as artificial plants have become more realistic, so plastic food is now harder to distinguish from the real thing. In countries like Italy housewives like to put a bowl of perfect plastic food fruit on the table and hide their more blemished real fruit bowl away. At mealtimes the plastic food is removed and the edible fruit comes out!
Take a look at plastic food replacements for red apples, grapes, sliced oranges, lemons and limes and red, green and yellow peppers to see if you can spot the difference from the real thing. You can even find plastic food mixed salads. Instead of fake flowers and plants, why not add plastic food in the form of growing herbs in pots? It makes sense to use this type of plastic food in restaurants, bars, venues and shops to create a mouthwatering display that doesn’t need to be replaced as the food deteriorates.
In a restaurant or café plastic food is especially useful. You couldn’t put real food in the window, but a display using plastic food stops the passers-by and can give a good idea of what’s on offer. These days you can find plastic food to show whole meals on plates, and although we’re mostly used to seeing this done in Chinese and Japanese restaurants it can also be done elsewhere.
Sushi is certainly one of the most realistic types of plastic food available, but you can also find a plate of chips and even condiments like mustard and ketchup dripping from the containers! Suppliers offer tasty-looking hot dogs or burgers with a squeeze of condiment, so plastic food is also available for any size or type of café.
You can tempt customers with a sweet tooth by using a wide range of plastic food. A knickerbocker glory or sundae with layers of ice-cream, fruit sauce, whipped cream and a cherry on top could be real or plastic food in a display – who could tell? Chocolate, fruit or cheesecakes all look delicious as the designers of plastic food make the textures drip and tempt us. Muffins, bread, donuts, and chocolate-covered fruit are all there if you look for a good supplier of plastic food.
Once you have chosen the plastic food you need, why not add a bit of fun? Along with the plastic food glasses of wine, which look incredibly like the real thing, you could add one that has toppled over with the red wine spilling. Add a pile of plastic food ice to your glasses of champagne. Plastic food can be used to create a display at a special event as well as serving a practical purpose in shops and restaurants or cafes.
