<P> The origin and explanation of the phrase are unclear . Kevin Reed says that `` during the Depression , a manufacturer started making plates with separate sections for each part of a meal -- like a frozen dinner tray -- it seems that for whatever reason they were only available in the color blue . '' Michael Quinion cites a dictionary entry indicating that the blue plates were , more specifically , inexpensive divided plates that were decorated with a `` blue willow '' or similar blue pattern , such as those popularized by Spode and Wedgwood . One of his correspondents says that the first known use of the term is on an October 22 , 1892 Fred Harvey Company restaurant menu and implies that blue - plate specials were regular features at Harvey Houses . </P>
where did the term blue plate special come from
origin and explanation of the phrase are unclear