garbage plate

noun

A large serving of mixed fast foods, such as hamburger patties, fries, macaroni salad, etc.

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Meanings

noungarbage plate (plural garbage plates)

plural garbage plates

  1. New YorkslangA large serving of mixed fast foods, such as hamburger patties, fries, macaroni salad, etc.

    In Kevin's hometown of Rochester, New York, going out for garbage plates was a pastime for him and his buddies.

    2013, Liana Holmberg, Deborah Steinberg, Writing That Risks: New Work from Beyond the Mainstream
    1 more example

    Breakfast is wonderful, especially the “garbage plates” made up of five eggs, hash browns, green peppers, onions, […]

    2014, Martin Hintz, Pam Percy, Food Lovers' Guide to Wisconsin

Origin

Said to have originated at Nick Tahou Hots, a restaurant in Rochester, New York, with garbage presumably referring to the poor nutritional profile of fast foods.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

garbage plate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/garbage%20plate

MLA

“garbage plate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/garbage%20plate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “garbage plate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/garbage%20plate.

Source: garbage plate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.