The next generation of food-warming technology is here: the restaurant chafer dish. The term chauffeur, which comes from the French language and means "to heat," is where this restaurant equipment got its name, and it's simple to understand why. 


After spending all these years in the restaurant business, you may have encountered various chafers in terms of types and sizes. Below, we'll discuss each in detail. Before getting to the nitty gritty, let's learn about some benefits of chafers in restaurants.

● Chafers ensure that the food you serve to the customer stays warm.
● Chafers offer hygienic food presentation while keeping spills at bay. 
● Chafers are easier to maintain, and cleaning them is incredibly easy.

Chafer Shapes
● Rectangular Chafer: The most widely-used restaurant chafer in the industry.
● Oval Chafer: Similar to the above but more on the flair side of the spectrum.
● Round Chafer: Popular for serving desserts, side dishes, appetizers, and sauces.
● Square Chafer: Similar to rectangular, used to hold side dishes or appetizers.

Chafer Types
● Drop-In Chafer: Used to temptingly display dry cooked foods on the buffet line.
● Chafer Griddle: Used as permanent food stations (installed directly on counter tops).
● Soup Chafer or Marmite: Used to hold warm liquids (soups, hot cereals, and stews).
● Chafer Coffee Urn: Used to keep water or coffee on the line for easy access.

Chafer Sizes
● Half-Size Chafer: Used for appetizers, square or rectangular shaped (4 to 5 qt. capacity).
● Full-Size Chafer: Used to hold main dishes, rectangular shaped (8 to 9 qt. capacity).
● Round Chafer: Used to hold liquids like soup, oval-shaped (4 to 7 qt. capacity).

The Final Cut
To conclude, a chafing dish is nothing more than a serving plate that maintains the temperature of the food while keeping it as fresh as initially prepared. On top of that, chafers help present food in the most elegantly and enticingly possible way; however, in the end, it all comes down to the sizes and types. Now that you know them in detail, choose wisely to serve your customers better.