Rant: I blew off the 'warm your plates' advice for 12 years and a diner in Buffalo proved me wrong
Always thought hot plates were some old school flex that did nothing for the food. Then I staged a Saturday at a little 40 seat place in Buffalo and watched the owner run every plate through a 150 degree warmer before the food hit it, said cold ceramic sucks the heat right out of a sauce. Sent out the same short rib twice, once on a cold plate and once on a warm one, and the warm one held its temp a solid 4 minutes longer. Anybody else change their mind on something basic like this after years of thinking it was nonsense?