Restaurant Hit with Huge Fine for Serving Food on Dirty Wooden Boards

There was a more simple time in history when wooden boards and butcher blocks were only used to cut meat. Then, somewhere along the way, they became the plating of choice at corny steakhouses and churrascarias the world over. Their prevalence grew to be so oppressive, in fact, that a “We Want Plates” movement emerged from the stacks of meat and wood, demanding that food return to being served on ceramic.

Now, the pro-plate movement has been bolstered by a recent decision by a British court to impose a £50,000 fine on a restaurant due to, among other things, food being served on dirty wooden boards, The Mirror reports.

Using Twitter to spread the word, Birmingham City Council singled out Ibrahim’s Grill and Steak House and their use of “wooden plates which were incapable of being cleaned were being used to serve the food.” They even posted pictures of the gnarly-looking cutting boards to social media, in an apparent effort to show just how unsanitary the practice can be.

“It is completely unacceptable for businesses to put the health of people eating at their restaurants at risk,” Mark Croxford, Head of Environmental Health for the Birmingham City Council said in a statement. “The owners were given sound advice which they chose to ignore. I am pleased magistrates supported our efforts with a large fine and hope advice we give on improving businesses to protect health will not be ignored in future.”

The Ibrahim’s Grill and Steak House saga reportedly began in October 2016 and escalated over the following year, resulting in the £50,000 fine and £670 in court costs and a £120 “victim surcharge.” Of course, Twitter being what it is, there was no lack of sass among users horrified by the dirty wood and the food in general.

So, while wooden boards may look good on Instagram, it's probably best to stick to good ol' fashioned ceramic the next time you're cutting up a steak at home.