Outdated or not, I still do it with 3 dishes on our menu.
Our pasta dishes are a shallow bowl with huge white rims. There is always a small bit of splatter when I plate. And with our lighting in the dining room, it has to be meticuliously wiped or it will show streaks on the rim. Plus, I'm wiping the rim with a towel; does that make sense? A sprinkle of parsley, and it's out the door. The bonus is that the small dots of sauce that may have splashed grab the flakes, so they are camo'ed. I can keep pace and slamming plates out of the kitchen. Much more sanitary I think than wiping with a towel.