Plato Catering Hire

Plato Catering Hire: event catering equipment hire from Warwickshire

Plato Catering Hire is a catering equipment hire company based near Ragley Hall in Alcester, Warwickshire. It supplies professional tableware, furniture and kitchen equipment for weddings, private parties, corporate functions and festivals, and delivers across Birmingham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds and the wider West Midlands. The company states that it has operated since 1999 and describes itself as multi-award winning and SafeHire© certified, with certification number 01142.

What the hire catalogue covers

The range is organised into several families of products, all available for hire rather than sale:

• Crockery: Villeroy & Boch Fine Bone China, Steelite Monaco, Churchill Classic White, plus squares, rectangles and canapé or bowl-food pieces.
• Glassware: Magnifico, Crystal Primeur and Savoie lines, champagne flutes and saucers, and bar and cocktail glasses.
• Cutlery: Sandstone by Robert Welch, Santol by Studio William, and Rattail, Bead and canapé/pastry/serving designs.
• Linen: table linen, service linen, disposable linen and chair sashes, with swatches available for tablecloths, runners, napkins and sashes.
• Furniture: tables, chairs, reception pieces and outdoor furniture.
• Kitchen equipment: ovens, hot cupboards, fridges, freezers, barbecues, preparation tables, food-serving equipment and beverage equipment.
• Buffetware and table accessories to complete a table or buffet setup.

Preparation, testing and delivery

According to the company, every item is cleaned, checked, prepared and PAT tested or gas tested before each hire. It describes a process-led system in which orders are picked, packed and double-checked, with the aim of delivering on time and exactly as ordered. Cutlery is hand-polished and ovens, fridges, prep tables and furniture are tested as part of that preparation. The company also offers tailored quotes that include delivery, collection and wash-up.

Order sizes and types of events

Plato presents its service as scalable, from a private dinner for ten to a wedding for 200 guests or corporate hospitality for more than 2,000 attendees. It states that it works with flexible quantities and no minimum order, and that equipment can be matched to the venue, the menu and the budget. The events it cites include weddings, funerals, birthdays, corporate galas, marquee dinners and festivals.

Delivery area

The company lists delivery and collection across Birmingham and the West Midlands; Warwickshire, including Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington Spa and Rugby; Worcestershire, including Worcester, Malvern and Kidderminster; Gloucestershire, including Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and Gloucester; and the Cotswolds, including Broadway, Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford.

Certification and recognition

Plato highlights its SafeHire© certification as a sign of adherence to industry standards and customer-service expectations, and gives its certification number as 01142. It also describes itself as multi-award winning, without detailing the individual awards in the material reviewed. The company attributes its longevity to consistent delivery and to a service model built on listening to each enquiry and translating it into a checked, prepared order.