Crockery Hire for a UK Wedding: Compare Washing and Return Terms

Count separate crockery for each course, then compare Platehire & Clean’s compulsory charged washing with Event Hire UK’s clean-return or paid return-dirty options. [1][2][4] Platehire & Clean is a Scottish option: its brochure lists coverage of Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Central Belt of Scotland, so for venues elsewhere in the UK the nationwide comparison is Event Hire UK. [1][4] Round quantities to the supplier’s packs and get the full hire and return charges in writing before booking.

Compare coverage, crockery and washing

Platehire & Clean’s brochure cover dates its prices from 16 January 2024; its terms page gives 1 January 2024. [1] Treat its prices as a 2024 reference. [1]

Platehire & Clean

• Service area: Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and throughout Scotland’s Central Belt. [1]
• Crockery choice: Churchill Classic White, plus white-china options including square bowls, larger bowls, rectangular plates, ramekins and stacking mugs. [1]
• Washing responsibility: The brochure terms make washing chargeable on every order: staff wash returned items, while customers remove excess food and liquids and repack equipment in the supplied boxes. [1]

Event Hire UK

• Service area: Nationwide UK coverage through distribution centres around the country. [4]
• Crockery choice: Classic white crockery, patterned plates and coloured stoneware, including Lubiana and Royal Doulton ranges. [4]
• Washing responsibility: Normally, return tableware in the same clean condition in which it arrived. Alternatively, arrange return-dirty for an additional fee, scrape food, rinse as required and repack in the supplied crates. [4]

Shortlist Platehire & Clean where its Scottish coverage matches the venue and compulsory supplier washing suits the catering plan. [1] Consider Event Hire UK for nationwide coverage, its documented crockery selection or a choice of washing arrangements. [4] Ask for availability against the itemised order before committing; a listed range is not a reservation.

Count each course without relying on reuse

Expo Hire’s starting point is a starter plate or bowl, a main plate and a dessert plate or bowl for every guest, with additional plates for bread or cheese where served. It describes a 5–10% margin and recommends a cup and saucer per guest when everyone receives tea or coffee, plus handling and breakage spares. [2]

Build the order around the caterer’s service sequence. Neither Expo Hire’s guide nor Platehire & Clean’s brochure establishes a timed washing and staffing calculation for overlapping courses. Do not subtract stock on the assumption it can be washed and reused between services. [1][2]

Platehire & Clean lists eight-, eleven- and six-inch plates, dessert bowls, tea cups and saucers, with crockery supplied in sealed bags of 10. [1] The following illustrative menu uses those options; ask the caterer to approve the sizes.

Sample order: for 100 guests receiving a plated starter, main, dessert, bread, cake and seated coffee, applying the upper end of Expo Hire’s 5–10% allowance gives 100 × 1.10 = 110 of each item, already a multiple of Platehire & Clean’s ten-piece pack size. [1][2]

• 110 eight-inch starter plates.
• 110 eleven-inch main plates.
• 110 dessert bowls.
• 110 six-inch bread plates.
• 110 separate six-inch cake plates.
• 110 tea cups.
• 110 saucers.

Seven allocations of 110 pieces give 770 individual pieces: 330 for starter, main and dessert, 220 for bread and cake, and 220 cups and saucers. [1][2]

The identical bread and cake plates can become one 220-piece stock line, but retain both service allocations in the working notes. Round each distinct stock line to its pack size—not the order total. Keep transport packaging separate: Platehire & Clean describes sealed crockery bags and separate lidded moulded-plastic boxes. [1]

If fewer people receive cake or coffee, change the recipient count explicitly. Expo Hire says cake plates should cover expected recipients and the first service wave; lower coffee-station quantities depend on the caterer’s plan, rather than an automatic assumption of reuse. [2]

Compare the full quote, not the price per plate

2024 price example: Platehire & Clean’s 2024 brochure (prices effective from 16 January 2024) lists the sample order’s selected plates, dessert bowls, tea cups and saucers at 20p each excluding VAT. [1] The calculation is 770 × £0.20 = £154 excluding VAT. [1]

That item-hire subtotal excludes washing, delivery, collection, any agreed extended hire and contingent loss, damage or access charges. Under the brochure terms, returning everything clean would not remove the compulsory washing charge. [1]

Neither supplier’s cited material gives washing, delivery or return-dirty amounts, so a comparable total needs written quotes. [1][4]

Request a written, itemised quote separating:

• The order: item specifications, pack-rounded quantities, stock availability, delivery and collection dates, and the hire period.
• Confirmed charges: item hire, washing, delivery, collection, agreed access or extra labour, VAT treatment and the VAT-inclusive total.
• Security: any deposit, whether it is refundable and when it will be reconciled.
• Contingent charges: losses, chips, breakages, crate replacement, extended hire, late returns and access delays.

Keep refundable security separate from fees, and potential liabilities separate from confirmed charges. Use each supplier’s quoted washing amount rather than a generic percentage. Compare quotations for the same quantities, dates and return arrangement; otherwise, a lower item price may describe a different service.

Confirm sizes, packs and delivery access

Ask the caterer to approve the actual plate diameter or bowl capacity for each dish—not just “starter plate” or “dessert bowl”. Platehire & Clean lists several formats, including a 10oz consommé bowl and an 11.4oz wide-rimmed soup plate. [1] Add separate platters, serving bowls or sauce boats where the menu requires shared service. [3]

Agree these venue arrangements before the vehicle arrives:

• Access: identify the unloading point, distance from the vehicle, stairs or lifts, parking and required permissions.
• Handover: name the recipient, agree the delivery window and arrange unloading assistance.
• Storage and collection: reserve space for boxes and crates, keep the collection route clear and agree where packed equipment will wait.

Platehire & Clean: its brochure describes quoted, single-driver, door-to-door, ground-floor delivery and collection between 8am and 4pm, Monday–Friday. Customers supply receiving staff and sufficient manual assistance. Wasted journeys and unarranged extra labour or time are chargeable under those terms. [1]

Another supplier’s example: Expo Hire, which is not one of the suppliers compared here, requires prior approval for stairs and lifts, limits deliveries to within 50 metres of the vehicle and can charge £120 per hour or part thereof for delays beyond the standard delivery time caused by access issues or items not being ready. [2] Ask your chosen supplier whether it sets similar limits.

Discuss Expo Hire’s suggested day-before delivery with the venue: it allows time for counting, kitchen staging and table laying. [2] Agree storage and the quoted hire period rather than assuming an extra day is free.

Agree liability for chips, crates and late returns

Under Platehire & Clean’s brochure terms, the customer remains responsible throughout the hire period, including when equipment is left at another premises. The company strongly recommends suitable insurance. [1] Agree who handles the order at the venue, without assuming that arrangement changes the supplier contract.

Platehire & Clean charges losses and breakages per item, treats chipped crockery as broken and accepts no substitute items. Its brochure directs customers to request the applicable replacement charges. Lost or damaged cartons and crates are also chargeable, including damp or wet damage. [1]

Event Hire UK says luxury tableware must return in the same crates, with replacement fees for missing crates. [4] Obtain its own damage terms rather than assuming Platehire & Clean’s chipped-item rules apply.

For timing, Platehire & Clean states extra days attract extended-hire charges; this is separate from late invoice payment. [1] Put the collection deadline and meaning of “ready for collection” into the booking record, alongside who will scrape, pack and check the order.

Before booking, get each supplier’s return deadline, late-return and replacement charges, deposit and refund timetable, and cancellation conditions in writing. Platehire & Clean’s brochure requires cancellation by email or letter, not telephone message. [1]

Reconcile delivery, returns and the final bill

Keep one record from delivery to final invoice, with a named person responsible for discrepancy reports.

1. At delivery: check item specifications and counts against the order and delivery note, count boxes and crates separately, and photograph visible damage or shortages. Expo Hire recommends assigning a signatory for the count. [2] Platehire & Clean requires discrepancies to be reported within 12 hours. [1]
2. During service: log losses and breakages against the item description and keep chipped or broken pieces aside.
3. Before collection: prepare items as the booked washing arrangement requires, count by stock line and crate, and photograph the packed order. [1][4]
4. At handover and billing: get a dated record of what was collected, then check the supplier’s adjustments and any deposit deductions against your delivery, service and return records.

Approve the booking when the caterer accepts the quantities and sizes, the venue accepts the access and storage arrangements, and the supplier confirms the cost and return terms in writing.

References

1. Hire price list (platehireandclean.co.uk)
2. Crockery Hire Guide: How Many Pieces Per Guest | Expo Hire (expohire.com)
3. Crockery Hire 101: How to Choose the Right Plates, Bowls & Serveware – Top Table Catering Hire (toptablecateringhire.com)
4. Hire Tableware | Wedding Tableware Hire | Event Hire (eventhireuk.com)