"Be careful, the plate is hot." But why?? And why SO hot??
 

I suspect there is some secret law that requires Mexican restaurants to have the server say when delivering your food something on the order of "Be careful, the plate is kind of hot."

Why are plates at Mexican restaurants (in my experience) almost always hot? I don't recall, say, ordering a chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes (or whatever) at non-Mexican restaurants and ever receiving this warning.

And why are so many plates TOO hot. I ate at a place in western Colorado last night where the plate was so hot that it could have given a very bad burn, and I couldn't pick up the food with my fingers until about 10 minutes after served. (Which meant the tacos al carbon's tortillas had continued cooking and were rubbery).

I pointed this out to the server and got simply a shrug.

Won't be going back there.

Likely because of this:

http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/...ers/c3530.aspx

Either:

1. Finishing the dish under the broiler while already plated (for example, to melt cheese); or

2. Keeping it warm while other components of your order are plated.

In a Mexican restaurant, this.
In a higher-end steakhouse, they will often heat the plates to keep the steak nice and warm.

Otherwise, your plate was sitting under a warmer for a good period of time.

I for one, like that aspect of Mexican restaurants very much. I wouldn't mind at all if other types of restaurants used it.

Agree. Wam to very warm is good. 2nd degree burn temperature not so good.

I've been told that in all kinds of restaurants. Not only mexican.

I think it is just a warning in case one burns themselves.

I used to take it as a challenge when I would hear "this plate is hot"@:-). At one point in my life, I had some pretty calloused hands from playing sports. With my glove-like skin, very few plates were ever hot. That said, my research concluded that more often than not, Mexican restaurants overwhelmingly have very very hot plates.

One of my pet hates is hot food on a cold plate, I am always happy with a hot plate.

Serving hot food on a cold plate means tip reduced and I'm unlikely to return to a restaurant. A hot plate will cool very quickly so it's not really a problem.

I think that's true outside of the Mexican restaurant category. Kind of like the generic warning printed on styrofoam coffee cups. The lawyers make them say that.

Eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant with my boss one time, he disregarded the warning and grabbed the plate. He had blisters on his fingers immediately after.

I think rjque had it right and they go under the broiler to melt the cheese.

I've touched a few "hot" plates in other restaurants and found them to be warm to hot-ish. The exception has been those metal plates used for sizzling fajitas in non-Mexican chains. Those are hot.

Most of the time you're right, but in the restaurant I am talking about the plate was a very nice and heavy stoneware and it held the inordinate heat for a very long time.

I like hot plates. They keep the food hot, or at least warm.

I don't think the waitstaff have anything to do with plating the food.

while this may sometimes be better than cold, i wish things were served when they were ready, rather than being obsessed with serving things together at same/certain time etc.

And the plates/skillets carrying sizzling boti kebab in Indian restaurants.

Great, now I'm hungry again.