While I have long enjoyed poking around in dollar stores, and we have purchased little things like birthday candles for the mini cakes we give away to guests celebrating their birthday in our tea room, it wasn't until this last year that I actually went online to Dollartree.com to see what they might have for packaging.
We discovered some lovely silver platters that work perfectly to wrap up a tea for one. The trays are embossed metal and come in two shapes: rectangle and oval. If shopping in the store, you can purchase whichever shape you prefer, but when ordering online, you get a combination of both. The trays make a very nice presentation; we just cover each tray with plastic wrap after loading. We have also used the silver trays to send out presentation ready scones, muffins and other sweets.
We designed our front load box with a handle to fit these silver platters (the oval fits diagonally) along with a couple of other items, like a cup of soup, a side salad, or scone condiment cups. We also have doilies available, in both shapes.
Another item sold by Dollar Tree is this plastic "cut crystal tray". We use this for DoorDash delivery of our luncheon platter. It has higher sides, so protects our delicate foods a little better, since we don't know how careful the delivery driver will be. It is a nice tray, but we do prefer the perception of higher value that the silver tray offers.
Another Dollar Tree item we are using regularly is a little square silver bowl, that come in a pack of 4 for $1. It works perfectly for a scoop of salad, or larger portions of scone toppings. On our luncheon platter, we place this in the middle of the tray, which makes the trays stackable.
It can be difficult to find enough of any particular item in the store, so we recommend saving yourself a lot of time by ordering online. They will ship directly to you, or you can avoid shipping fees if you have the goods sent to your local store where you can pick them up.
To find these items on dollartree.com, just look under "Shop by Business", then "Weddings, Catering and Events", then "Catering Supplies and Serveware", but poke around a bit...you never know what other little thing you'll find to cleverly present your food.
What other sources have you used to find things for your business? Have you found other great little items in your local dollar store? Please share in the comments!