Durable dry heated food service assembly

A food service assembly comprising:

• a peripheral rim, said rim connected to an upwardly opening tray compartment therein for holding a food tray such that food can be served from said tray while said tray is in said tray compartment, said tray compartment including:
• a substantially horizontal base plate made of a first metal;
• and
• a plurality of substantially vertical internal walls connected to said base plate, said vertical walls being thinner than said base plate and made of a second metal different from said first metal.

A dry heating apparatus for keeping trays of food hot comprising:

• a generally vertically well comprising a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls connected thereto and rising upwardly therefrom, said well being configured to receive and hold at least one food tray above said bottom wall and spaced apart therefrom;
• said bottom wall having a top surface and an underside, and being made of a different material than said side walls;
• a resistive heating sheet in conductive contact with said bottom wall, said resistive heating sheet capable of being heated and held at at least 300 degrees F.;
• a horizontal edge connected to said vertical walls for resting a lip of said food tray thereon thereby suspending said food tray within said well, said horizontal edge being separated from said vertical walls by a layer of thermal insulation;
• and
• a controller for varying the amount of heat generated in said resistive heating element thereby controlling the temperature within said well;
• wherein said dry heating well transfers heat across an air gap between said bottom wall and said food tray without an intervening reservoir of liquid therebetween.