Rochester's famous Garbage plate

Rochester’s Famous Garbage Plate

By Amanda Dala

            Home fries, mayo/ macaroni (very slippery), a little celery and very small carrots, two medium fine burgers with cheese, mustard horseradish and hot chill sauce. These ingredients are Rochester’s very famous Garbage Plate. The Rochester’s Garbage Plate is truly America’s oddest dish. The history of this dish is odder than its ingredients. Depending where you go it’s sometimes called “Trash Plate” or a “Dumpster Plate.”

But what is the history behind the Garbage plate?

It begins with the City of Rochester, New York. 1918 was the time of the Influenza Epidemic.  In the restaurant of Nick Tahou Hot’s, the namesake, Nick Tahou, created the dish using unusual combinations.

According to legend, long ago college students asked Nick Tahou to make a dish that is “all garbage” on it. He conducted his original combo of two hamburgers and two choices of sides mostly some combinations of home fries, macaroni salad, and beans. The contents are tied heavily with ketchup and hot sauce, and mixed together before eating. Rolls or white bread are served on the side. In the 1980s, the place was a huge hit with the college students, and eventually the dish was named the Garbage Plate and in 1992, the dish was trademarked.

Restaurants all over Rochester have been imitating this great dish, but the original still belongs to Nick Tahou. Some restaurants do have this dish on the menu, but have to legally rename it to make it similar to the Garbage Plates with names such as sloppy plate, dumpster plate, etc.

Today, there are many different types of Garbage Plates served in Rochester. Some featuring cheeseburger, hot dog, hamburger, egg, sausage, and steak. No matter what they include, all have the same base (half the plate piled with home fries, and the other half with a pile of macaroni salad.)

A fraternity at the University of Rochester, holds an annual Nick Tahou's Run. The run will benefit the fraternity's national charity. Teams will run up to 2.2 miles from the campus to Nick Tahou's on West Main Street. Once they get to the restaurant, they hand off to another person who must eat a whole garbage plate. They must do that before the first person turns around and runs back to complete the run. Sometimes the participants would do it solo and this is sometimes called, "iron men.”

The Garbage Plate is considered one of America’s oddest dish is and a famous dish in Rochester. With its odd history combined with its ingredients, it has great taste.



This was the first project I did for the school year about the many interesting things in Rochester. I thought it was interesting researching and finding out new things on the Garbage Plate.