As a social media platform, Instagram is the biggest collection of meals and table settings on the internet. Every day, millions of users snap and share the creativity that stems from your new and innovative dining presentations. With the aim ultimately being free promotion, the goal of getting Instagrammers to instantly notice and be stimulated by the look of your tableware is what dictates the current trends in today’s market. To do this, the top tableware collections this year have been ranging from the strikingly stylish to the earthy and rustic.

Black and white have been two key colours of crockery sought by operators. Not because diners aren’t interested in the brighter variations, but because these classic monochromatic tones serve as an effective backdrop to contrast the resplendent colours of the meals served on them. Rather than be overwhelmed with a plethora of brighter tones, the stimulus popular with today’s consumers is often those that concentrate colour within the centre of the plate. Bright, richly coloured food represents freshness and nutritional value. The result of this contrast is a focused yet controlled explosion of colour in the middle of your presentation, evoking joy and excitement in the consumer, instead of being overpowered with dazzling colours throughout the display.

To set themselves apart from competitors that can easily replicate these presentations, operators have been seeking black and white crockery designed with contemporary aesthetics. Amongst Greenway Catering Supplies’ selection of crockery, for example, there’s Rock designed by Villeroy & Boch. This premium porcelain range is designed into the artisanal style of matte slate, giving diners not just a sensation for the eyes but even making the act of eating from this tableware an exceptional experience.

Social trends have been spreading awareness of climate change and environmental degradation, increasingly affecting purchase decisions. In this new age of constant interconnectivity, more consumers have been moving towards venues whose presentations resonate with current events. As a reflection on the dining sectors, consumers have become less favourable to products that are mass-produced, turning more to alternatives with an individualistic and handcrafted feel. With what appeals as a personalised design, you’ll see more tableware abundant in humble, dual colours and earthy tones. Amongst Alliance’s selection, Stonecast Aqueous, supplied by Churchill, is a take on such designs. Utilising colours that resemble dark sands and deep blue waters, Stonecast Aqueous illustrates a pooling effect of liquid, as if the diner is eating out of the ocean itself.

Visual impact is the most fitting way to describe what current tableware trends are going for. Compared to 20 years ago, when operators were concerned about providing a great dining experience to one consumer at a time, they’re now concerned with the potential of grabbing the thousands their Instagram account might be connected with. It’s like each table is a canvas of art carefully prepared by a discerning restaurateur, hoping their diners will be wowed enough to take a photo of what’s in front of them as soon as they sit down and when their food is served. A difference between venues is that some will make the most of the contrast given by premium black and white tableware to make their food shine, or they will coordinate their dishes with rustic tableware in order to embody a specially made, handcrafted experience.