The Garbage Plate is an American dish consisting of hot dog or hamburger meat, hot meat sauce, and other condiments, piled atop a variety of side dishes, typically including macaroni salad and home fries.

[1][2][3] The Garbage Plate was originated by restaurateur Alexander Tahou, a Greek immigrant who founded the restaurant Nick Tahou Hots under the name West Main Texas Hots in Rochester, New York, in 1918.

[2][4] Over time, the restaurant began offering plates with hamburger meat instead of hots, added other topping options including macaroni salad, and introduced their signature chili-like hot meat sauce, which came from a family recipe of a Mexican friend of Alexander Tahou's and became an integral topping for the dish.

[9][10][11] With its iconic status, multiple news outlets have described the Garbage Plate as an essential symbol of Rochester.

[2] Meghan O'Dea of Eater wrote that "Rochester's plate is so essentially a part of this place that they almost can't be disconnected," adding that, "like Rochester itself, the Garbage Plate has a little bit of everything.