Hasta La Ideas

At events where people are standing, mingling, drinking and eating, I admit it is a minor hassle to hold both a beverage and a plate of finger food. As it turns out, this “problem” has been addressed by a host of inventors, yielding a variety of form factors.

The GreatPlate comes in two versions, round or square. The round can hold cups or cans.

The square version can hold cups, cans or stemware.

Thankfully these aren’t disposable and are meant to be washed and re-used.

They can even be branded with images, for your Did-the-Moon-Landing-Really-Happen gatherings.

The GoPlate was another competitor. They made their design work with some kinds of stemware, but it wasn’t enough to keep them afloat; the company is out of business, hence no link.

Industrial designer Marco Guadarrama unsuccessfully tried to crowdfund his Closer Plate design nearly a decade ago. It features two cutouts, one for a drink and one for your thumb. (Don’t feel bad from Guadarrama’s swing-and-a-miss, he landed on his feet and is now a UX researcher for Ikea.)

Pioneer Plastics makes this Drink & Plate. There’s no usage photos, but the infomercial-style video shows how it’s held.

And for large-scale catering events where you’re willing to buy 400 units at once, food service suppliers sell compostable versions like this one.