When ordering food online, we often neglect the way food is packed and throw the containers in the bin after use. However, the delivery system of the restaurant chains saw exponential growth because of the revolutionary changes in packaging.
In a recent survey, it was found that 55% of counter-service restaurants’ delivery sales represent a larger proportion of profit than 3 years ago. Keeping this in mind, cafés nowadays compete to offer faster and better services.
After all, every customer deserves to enjoy a delicious, hot meal, served properly! The focus is also on protection from external damage like spilling food when transporting. This can be avoided by using to-go food containers that are available in the correct size and packing material.
Therefore, in this article, we will explore how restaurants can optimize their packaging strategy to retain the correct temperature and quality of food for a profitable business.
The Importance of Good Food Packaging
According to a report by Statista, the global food packaging market is expected to reach a 512 billion US dollar valuation by 2028.This shows how the food and beverage industry investment strategy on packaging for consistent profits.
The three things that help establish a brand in a food delivery system are:
Retaining food quality
Ease of handling
Unique brand packaging
Keeping these points in mind, any restaurant can improve its sales with a robust and creative marketing strategy. Let’s look at the varied methods cafes are using to build a strong presence by choosing top-quality food delivery containers.
How to Optimize Food Packaging for Delivery?
Your restaurant needs to stand out, and attractive food packaging with good service will always be helpful. But every food item should be delivered hot and in hygienic condition, without any delay.
Nowadays, different packaging materials are available in the market, from plastic, aluminum, paperboard, etc. For example, a popular method of packing Chinese food has a different shape than a pizza box.
Therefore, the type of packing represents not just your restaurant’s food items but also your brand, and culture.
Here are the effective strategies to consider for optimizing food packing for delivery.
Using The Right Container
The type of container you are using for food delivery makes a huge difference to the way food will taste when delivered.
Here are some ways to preserve delivery meals:
Use different types of boxes according to the temperature and portion of the food.
Modifying the shape of the box helps identify the brand and also helps in marketing presentation.
Hot food items need to be packed in insulated containers to maintain the temperature.
Frozen substances like ice cream can be delivered in a corrugated cardboard box with dry ice.
Take special care to create separate compartments for hot and cold food and drinks.
FUN FACT The first food delivery service is traced back to 1768 in Korea when the delivery of naengmyeon (cold noodles) was attempted.
Correct Food Labeling
Your orders should be kept safe as well as labeled to avoid any confusion about the type of food item to be consumed. Label the items if they are hot or cold, vegetarian, vegan, non-vegetarian, keto, lactose-free, etc.
Mentioning these small details helps consumers identify among different boxes and builds trust in a brand.
Secure Packaging
The most important thing in a food delivery system is that the packing is secure. While transferring the meal into the container, the lid should be properly sealed to avoid any spills when delivering it.
Some to-go containers are also microwave-safe, removing the hassle of transferring meals from one container to another. This may disturb the temperature and also the taste of the food. Most of the food delivery boys use a waterproof carry bag to keep bulk orders safe.
STATISTICS The graph shows the food service packaging market size growth and forecast from 2021 to 2032.
Maintaining Hygiene
Though in an online delivery, the consumers are physically present in a restaurant, however, maintaining hygiene is still important. Investing in packaging with multiple compartments is the new trend to offer a variety to consumers and keep meals organized.
Even in a take-out, separate mini containers are used for sauces and chutneys. If your restaurant is also sending plates and spoons, wrapping them separately in paper packaging with a brand label printer on top, creates a great impression.
Some cafes also offer customized cutlery and add their promotional discount along with the packaging.
Conclusion
Every restaurant owner knows that providing the best services is the key to customer satisfaction. In this regard, food delivery packaging plays a significant role by offering top-quality materials, different shapes of boxes, and leak-proof lids for containers.
Whatever type of food or drinks a restaurant serves, it should maintain the right temperature and quality so that when it reaches the customer it tastes good.
This is a strategic marketing method to optimize packing presentations to deliver quality products and win the trust of consumers. Therefore, choosing a food delivery packaging service provider that offers top-quality containers is a must.
