DieSOFT, Detroit’s newest re-plating restaurant, will open next week on the third floor of the refurbished Milburg Slaughterhouse near Eastern Market. The popular concept began in San Francisco in 2016, then spread east, skipping Utah. It entails serving a meal that had previously been served to someone else, but left unfinished.
Owner/Chef Melanie Wheeler – who until recently was assistant master placemaker at 4(Molly)6 in Corktown – promises that DieSOFT will bring re-plating to its highest level yet. “No other used food in Detroit will compare,” she says.
Re-platers use not just the uneaten food, but also the same plates and utensils – marking up the meal two to three times to cover costs. Most serve the leftovers even if just a couple bites have been taken.
“What will make DieSOFT a cut above,” says Wheeler, “is that we’ll only serve meals that are more than half consumed.”
And unlike Midtown’s PunchMe – which was forced to close when it was caught serving new food messed up to look re-plated – DieSOFT provides proof: A photo of the meal in front of the person who originally ordered it.
“When people pay up to $800 for a re-plated meal,” says Wheeler, “they deserve to be sure that someone else had it first.”
