ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- For decades, adventurous people from all over the world have ventured to Rochester for the messy, and delicious, garbage plate.
“It’s kind of insane that a hamburger plate, or a cheeseburger plate, or a hot dog plate could have such an impact on the city," said Alex Tahou, Nick Tahou's Hots owner.
The dish, a plate full of home fries, macaroni salad, meats hot off the griddle, and spicy meat sauce wasn’t always intended to be called what it is today. Originally called hots and potatoes, it was supposed to be a fast and easy food for the workers in a rush, but then Tahou says they begin seeing more college-type customers who would ask “can we have that plate with all the garbage on it?”
"We used to tell people don’t call it that, garbage doesn’t sound, this is food, you can’t call it that. After a while, as I said, if we don’t trademark it and actually accept what the people are calling it that we would lose that trademarkability and so it became the Garbage Plate.”
Nick Tahou's has been featured in a number of books and on several TV shows.
“Dining Around years ago, Chowdown Countdown, Best Thing I Ever Ate, Unwrapped, Man vs Food.”
“I heard about it from her," said A.J. Manna of Buffalo, "and actually, my manager at work had them at her wedding and she raves about them so she told me I had to come here and try them.”
“We had a guy that came from Maine last week for his birthday just to get a plate, 'cause he had heard about it and he was going to pass through the area," Tahou said.
“It’s like an ear-catching name, like I’ve always liked messy foods myself so when I heard the name I wanted to try it and it was great, I love it," said John Igleheart, Henrietta resident.
Despite the celebrity, Tahou says he believes it’s something else that has allowed his business to survive for nearly 100 years.
“All walks of life, from the poorest person to the richest person, from governors, governor’s wifes, no presidents or kings yet, but everybody is welcome here and that’s the way it’s always been and I think that’s what has made the place successful is that it doesn’t matter who you are, you are going to get treated the same.”