It seems as though the market for one-handed eating has expanded to monstrous proportions as of late. A few years ago there were only a few products out there but it seems in just the past year we have reviewed and tried out a number of plates that hold your food and your drink all in one place allowing your free hand to eat, take a drink, shake a hand or give a high five all while standing up. The most recent one-handed plate we have discovered is called the Plate-A-Cup from Eco-Eats Partyware.
As you can see, the Plate-A-Cup is a square, paper plate with a large area to place food and a cut-out round surface to place your can, bottle wine glass or plastic party cup. The Plate-A-Cup comes in two sizes, seven inch and nine inch depending on the appetites of your tailgate party guests.
Because these plates are made by an environmentally friendly company, you would expect them to be eco-friendly as well. The Plate-A-Cup plates will biodegrade in 30 days or less in a commercial composting facility and approximately 90 days or less in a home composting system. Compare that kind of carbon footprint with those plastic plates that don’t even have the durability and strength to hold up to the rigors of tailgate partying.
We were sent a sampling of the Plate-A-Cup plates and put them to the test. We thought the best place to try them out would be a day at the beach.
We did previously mention that these are paper plates but by no means are they flimsy and weak. These plates are strong and thick and can handle quite a bit of food and weight. No need to skip the heavier foods like ribs, a turkey leg or even a double cheese burger with everything. We found that by placing the drink portion in the palm of our hand and placing our fingers in the grooves between the plate, the Plate-A-Cup is very sturdy with no fears of dropping even a single chicken wing.
Another cool idea you could implement when using the Plate-A-Cup is you can personalize these plates. Throwing a tailgate party before watching your favorite team? Just use some labels you can buy at your local office or stationary store and personalize the drink portion of the Plate-A-Cup with a logo, slogan, your business name, etc. It might be fun to play a fun prank on an old friend and print labels with their face on it and make them feel like they are the guest of honor. In order to customize Plate-A-Cup plates, buy labels that are compliant with Avery 2 1/2″ round labels (#22830) and follow the instructions on the design template.
After testing the Plate-A-Cup while at the beach, this product will definitely feel at home at a tailgate party. That is why we are going to declare the Plate-A-Cup “Tailgate Approved”.
The Plate-A-Cup is priced at $4.50 for a 12-pack of seven inch plates and $7.35 for a 12-pack of nine inch plates. Eco-Eats also offers these plates in a 50-pack or even a case of 200 plates. For more information or to buy some Plate-A-Cups for your next tailgate party, visit: ecoeatspartyware.com/plate-a-cup