The waiter is similar to, although smaller than, a salver, which is a particular type of flat, serving dish, with no handle. It was intended to be carried by a servant to present a glass, letter or visiting card. Often waiters were circular, like this one, but they could also be square or polygonal with rounded corners or lobed. Those made in Sheffield plate were covered in silver on both sides, the layer of silver on the upper surface being thicker to withstand wear and of sufficient depth for a coat of arms or decoration to be engraved on the surface without exposing the copper core beneath. This one is stamped in low relief with rococo scrollwork and flowers and engraved with a heraldic crest. To protect the table surface, this waiter was made with three ball and claw feet.

Sheffield plate originated, with the discovery in 1742, that bars of silver and copper, in unequal proportions, fused by heating under pressure, could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver. The industry this material created flourished for about 100 years until superseded by electroplating in the 1840s.