They’ve been catering to the needs of hungry Comox Valley residents since April 2000.
Twelve years later, Plates Eatery & Catering Co. is making some big changes to keep up with their customers’ demands.
Starting Sept. 1, Plates is adjusting its hours to 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The change will allow the iconic casual restaurant to concentrate on breakfasts, lunches and, especially, its increasingly popular catering service.
“By cutting our dinner service we’ll be able to really focus on our catering, which has expanded continuously since we began,” says Steve Swing, Plates co-owner along with Bayne Mann. “Not only will this give us a venue for hosting larger group functions, but it will allow us to provide more options for smaller groups looking for worry-free service at their home or workplace.”
This “worry-free” service, explains Swing, includes a wide range of menu options – including vegetarian, gluten-free and other custom menus – and also delivery and pick-up, service staff, cutlery, dishware and even clean-up.
“Often when someone hosts a function they’re so stressed about organizing it that they can’t actually enjoy themselves,” says Swing. “We make it so that they don’t even have to think about the food; it’s all taken care of. With this change in focus, we’ll be more able to keep up with demand for catering and offer even better service.”
Growing and evolving are all well and good, of course, but faithful Plates customers will have one burning question: What will become of the restaurant’s Valley-renowned roast beef and Yorkshire pudding suppers? Not to worry, says Swing – Plates will offer a beef and Yorkshire buffet dinner every month so loyal fans won’t be deprived of the slow-roasted beef, Yorkshire pudding and homemade gravy they’ve grown to love.
“We have quite a few regulars who make it a point to come to the restaurant for our slow-roasted beef dinners,” says Swing. “We’ll be setting up a contact list so people can find out about and make reservations for our beef and Yorkshire buffets. We haven’t determined when the first one will be, but it will likely be a Thursday evening in the near future.”
Plates is located at 2601 Cliffe Ave. To add your name to the contact list and be notified about upcoming beef and Yorkshire buffets, call 250-334-8087 or send an email to platescatering@shaw.ca. For a full list of catering options, including private dinner functions at Plates, visit www.platescatering.com.
