We Want Plates founder: bad presentation in pubs is "epidemic"

McGinnes, who started the now notorious twitter account which crusades against eateries using presentation props such as miniature chip trolleys and wooden boards instead of plates, said 90% of submissions come from pubs.

He said: “[Pubs] have cottoned on to the fact that people are willing to pay £15 for a burger if you stick it on a chopping board with a bit of manky salad and, instead of just ‘chips’, serve them hand-cut, triple-cooked chips in a plant pot.

“The mini shopping trolleys give me chest pains – you can only fit about six chips in them"

McGinnes set up the account, which now has over 60,000 followers, after a friend posted a picture of an "average-sized" steak served on a large chopping board.

He said: "It was captioned, unironically 'that is a big meal!' - it wasn't a big meal, it was just a large plank of wood. He'd fallen for all this style-over-content gastropub nonsense.

"I searched Twitter for an account which would allow me to vent my spleen with like-minded people but found nothing, so We Want Plates was born."

McGinnes said student pubs were the worst offenders, pointing to examples including sausage and chips served in a dog bowl and pulled pork and mash served in a sundae glass, adding: “Some of this country’s brightest young brains, eating like animals.”

Serious issue​

The rise of wooden boards and similar implements being used to serve food has similarly been controversial due to concerns over hygiene.

McGinnes said: “It’s a serious issue - cocktails in rusty tin cans, huge cracks in wooden boards.

“Plenty of people tweet us to point out that wood is perfectly hygienic if it’s cleaned properly. That’s fine, but do you really think that these places serving burgers in large wooden crates are steam-cleaning them every night? No – a quick wipe down with a rag and it’s ready for the next unsuspecting punter.”

He added: “And remember chefs, your waiting staff hate you – have you ever tried picking up a flat slate from a table with cutlery and a mini frying basket on it”