Who’s looking at this title and thinking to themselves ‘aren’t compartment trays and cafeteria trays the same thing’? It’s not uncommon to see a compartment tray in a cafeteria tray, but the term cafeteria tray usually refers to a flat tray with a rim around the edge. A compartment tray is a tray that has different compartments for your entrée, sides and even flatware. While that doesn’t seem like a significant variance, it really is because the trays are really designed for very different applications.
A cafeteria tray is flat with a lip around the edge. These are also referred to as fast food trays. You would use a cafeteria tray in an application where you are selecting foods that are plated or packaged. Your entrée and sides may be on a plate, a food basket or wrapped in paper or foil. You have the freedom to add as many items onto the tray as you want or as it will carry and the lip around the edge keeps items from sliding off the tray. Cafeteria trays are often utilized in buffet or serving line settings and popular at schools, hospitals, corporate cafeterias, colleges and universities.
A compartment tray is a meal tray that has compartment for the different menu items. These include a large compartment for an entrée portion and smaller compartments for sides. While these come in a variety of configurations, typically a five compartment meal tray has four smaller compartments for sides and a larger compartment for an entrée. A six compartment meal tray will have a similar layout but also include a flatware compartment. We even carry an eight compartment meal tray that includes a bowl shaped compartment for soup.
The main difference between compartment trays and cafeteria trays is that a compartment tray is designed for applications where food is directly placed onto the tray. This would be appropriate for a serving line where menu items are dished out from hotel pans and placed in the compartments. Some schools serve meals this way, camps or military cafeterias may also serve in this manner.
At Cook’s, we have a variety of meal serving trays that include cafeteria trays or fast food trays, compartment trays as well as insulated meal serving trays, trays with lids and more.
