Food presentation methods

Abstract

Trays for food are disclosed. A tray includes a plurality of receptacles, or compartments, for different courses of a meal (e.g., the entrée, a vegetable, a fruit, a starch, a dessert, a drink, etc.). Compartments for relatively unhealthful items may be configured to make the portion sizes of those items appear to be larger than they are, while compartments for healthful items may be configured to make the portion sizes of those items appear to be smaller than they are. The tray may also be configured to ensure that healthful items are positioned closest to an individual who is eating from the tray. Methods for presenting food to an individual are also disclosed.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A food tray, comprising:
 at least one food receptacle; and   a beverage receptacle shaped to receive and support a beverage container having a rectangular bottom, the beverage receptacle having an opening therein to prevent placement of food into the beverage receptacle.   
     
     
         2 . The food tray of  claim 1 , wherein the opening in the beverage receptacle is shaped to prevent the beverage receptacle from supporting a cylindrical beverage in an upright orientation. 
     
     
         3 . The food tray of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one food receptacle is disposed near a front of the tray. 
     
     
         4 . The food tray of  claim 4 , wherein the beverage receptacle is located near a back of the tray. 
     
     
         5 . The food tray of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at least one side dish receptacle.   
     
     
         6 . The food tray of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one side dish receptacle is located adjacent to the entrée receptacle. 
     
     
         7 . The food tray of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a utensil receptacle disposed between the at least one food receptacle and a back of the tray.   
     
     
         8 . The food tray of  claim 7 , wherein the utensil receptacle is located between each food and/or dessert receptacle of the tray and the back of the tray. 
     
     
         9 . A food tray, comprising:
 a first receptacle capable of receiving a first serving of food, the first receptacle located near a front of the tray, the first receptacle having a first surface area, a first depth, and a first volume; and   a second receptacle capable of receiving a second serving of food, the second receptacle located near the front of the tray, the second receptacle having a second surface area, a second depth, and a second volume,   the second surface area being smaller than the first surface area to provide the first serving of food with an apparent volume that is larger than an apparent volume of the second serving of food,   the second depth being larger than the first depth.   
     
     
         10 . The food tray of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a utensil receptacle disposed near the back of the tray, the utensil receptacle configured to accommodate eating utensils rather than food.   
     
     
         11 . The food tray of  claim 9 , wherein the first receptacle has a rectangular shape and the second receptacle has a circular shape. 
     
     
         12 . The food tray of  claim 9 , wherein an edge of the first receptacle is beveled to minimize the first volume. 
     
     
         13 . The food tray of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a third receptacle located near the front of the tray, the third receptacle having a third surface area, a third depth, and a third volume, the third surface area being smaller than the first surface area of the first receptacle, the third depth being greater than the first depth of the first receptacle, the third volume being greater than the first volume of the first receptacle.   
     
     
         14 . The food tray of  claim 13 , wherein the third receptacle is located near the front of the tray. 
     
     
         15 . The food tray of  claim 13 , wherein the first receptacle is positioned between the second receptacle and the third receptacle. 
     
     
         16 . The food tray of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a dessert receptacle located at least partially behind at least one of the first receptacle, the second receptacle, and the third receptacle.   
     
     
         17 . The food tray of  claim 16 , wherein the dessert receptacle has a fourth depth, the fourth depth being less than the second depth and the third depth. 
     
     
         18 . The food tray of  claim 9 , wherein the tray is at least partially yellow, gold and/or red in color. 
     
     
         19 . The food tray of  claim 9 , wherein the tray is at least partially translucent. 
     
     
         20 . A food tray, comprising:
 a first receptacle capable of receiving a first serving of food, the first receptacle located near a front of the tray, the first receptacle having a first surface area, a first depth, and a first volume; and   a second receptacle capable of receiving a second serving of food, the second receptacle located near the front of the tray adjacent to the first receptacle, the second receptacle having a second surface area, a second depth, and a second volume,   a third receptacle capable of receiving a third serving of food, the third receptacle located near a front of the tray adjacent to the first receptacle, on an opposite side of the first receptacle from the second receptacle, the third receptacle having a third surface area, a third depth, and a third volume;   a dessert receptacle capable of receiving a serving of a dessert, the dessert receptacle located at least partially behind at least one of the second receptacle and the third receptacle, the dessert receptacle having a fourth surface area, a fourth depth, and a fourth volume;   a utensil receptacle disposed near the back of the tray, behind the dessert receptacle, the first receptacle, and at least one of the second receptacle and the third receptacle, the utensil receptacle configured to accommodate eating utensils rather than food,   the first surface area being greater than the second surface area and the third surface area,   the second depth and the third depth being greater than the first depth and the fourth depth.