Custom-Printed Takeout Food Boxes for Restaurants

The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns forced many businesses, especially restaurants and diners, to adjust their business models to adhere to new and evolving health and safety standards. That means closing down indoor dining areas and focusing solely on takeout and delivery options. As a result, restaurants are being inundated with takeout and delivery orders to make up for the lack of indoor diners. Many restaurants are having trouble keeping up with these orders, resulting in late food delivery. Sometimes the food arrives cold or the orders are wrong, leading to a dip in customer satisfaction.

The solution is to implement the use of custom-printed takeout boxes that are suitable for delivering specific types of food items. Packaging should be well insulated and sealed to keep the food hot and prevent cross-contamination during transportation.

Restaurant Takeout Packaging Trends Driven by the Pandemic

Certain restaurant takeout packaging trends have emerged due to the new health and safety standards made popular amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers want to continue to support local restaurants, bakeries, and diners. But the risk of contracting and spreading the virus has made more people cautious when it comes to ordering takeout from local establishments with numerous staff members coming into contact with their food.

Here are a few custom-printed packaging solutions that can help mitigate these understandable concerns.

Sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging. Over the years, people have become increasingly eco-conscious and want to support local businesses that share the same values. Local business owners are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints by replacing Styrofoam and plastic containers with more eco-friendly options like bamboo and plant-based materials.
Convenience. The convenience factor is a major reason people order takeout. Keeping this in mind, custom-printed food boxes should be lightweight, re-sealable for later use, and easy to handle.
Minimalist. Less is more when it comes to custom-printed takeout packaging. Adding on to the point about convenience, customers shouldn’t have to struggle to open the packaging and get to their food. Avoid using overly flashy designs that incorporate too many unnecessary materials as this can diminish the overall customer experience and take away focus from the main attraction: your food.
Personalized. In the wake of the pandemic, restaurants have limited to no direct contact with customers, making it next to impossible to forge personal relationships with regulars. That personalized touch has been greatly missed over the past year. Making an effort to make customers feel special by personalizing their order or leaving a personal note for them is an added nice touch that they’ll keep in mind the next time they’re looking to order takeout.

Benefits of Good Quality Custom Takeout Food Packaging

Good quality custom takeout food packaging is a culmination of two things: form and functionality. Ultimately, food packaging should serve the practical purpose of keeping food hot (or cold depending on what it is) and eliminating the risk of contamination. Whether we’re talking about fast food containers, bakery boxes, cake boxes, or donut boxes, the designs and brand logos may be different, but the benefits are essentially the same.

Keeps Food at the Right Temperature

Temperature, freshness, and quality of food are three of the main pillars of well-made custom-printed takeout boxes. There’s nothing worse than ordering some delicious comfort food like fried chicken, Chinese food, or soup and having it arrive ice cold.

Even though most third-party food delivery services typically have multiple deliveries on-the-go, there’s no excuse for diminished food quality during the transportation process. Straight from the restaurant to their dining room tables, customers expect the same quality of food every time. Hot food items should stay hot and cold food items such as salads should stay cold, crisp, and fresh.

Improves Food Appeal

Along with delicious food, you’re also delivering customer experiences. Meeting and exceeding your customers’ expectations of takeout orders improves the appeal of your food and establishes brand loyalty, not to mention excellent word-of-mouth marketing. Happy customers are more likely to recommend your restaurant and food delivery services to people they know. Plus, they’re also more likely to give positive ratings and write good reviews about your business on social media.

Helps Grow Sales

Consistently good food and service help you grow your business. Consider purchasing expertly designed and branded takeout containers and boxes a crucial investment in the future of your business. You’re not just building a brand; you’re establishing a reputation that will inevitably precede your business.

As your business and customer base continue to grow without compromising the quality of your service and product, you can start to add more premium items to your menu. Statistics show that customers are willing to pay a little more for high-quality products and services versus their low-quality counterparts that result in abject disappointment.

Boosts Brand Visibility

Lastly, a well-designed minimalist and personalized package is great for boosting brand visibility. Food packaging is an opportunity to get creative with your brand image without necessarily having to be too over the top. You can include a brief backstory about your business or even a photo of your management team and staff to put your brand identity center stage.

Achieve Your Marketing Goals with Custom-Printed Food Boxes

The food service industry is, has always been, and will continue to be one of the most competitive markets to work in. The pandemic has only heightened that level of competition as many small local businesses have struggled to survive. With that in mind, it’s important to do everything you can to stand out. The right packaging that marries both functionality and style equally can help you stay competitive and attract more customers.

At Magenta Depot, we specialize in a variety of food industry-related packaging such as cake boxes, bakery boxes, donut boxes, and different types of food containers. All of our products are custom-made to order and manufactured in Canada, so we can guarantee fast turnaround rates of just two weeks and with low minimums. Plus, you get 24/7 access to our convenient online ordering platform and we use a simplified design process that incorporates customized die lines to suit your design needs.