Transporting To-Go Orders

HOW TO: BEVWAREHOW TO

To-go changes the bevware and food packaging needs of bars.

BY MAURA KELLER

As the pandemic of 2020 continues into the New Year, bars and restaurants continue to grapple with their ability to meet the takeout and outdoor dining needs of their clientele, and this includes the relatively new concept of to-go alcoholic beverages.

Gina Buck, beverage director at Concord Hill, a popular Brooklynbased bar and eatery, says that once Concord Hill was allowed to sell alcohol to-go, they saw a massive uptick in delivery for Concord Hill’s signature cocktails.

“Initially, we used coffee cups, plus pitcher-sized batches of cocktails served in quart containers. People have loved our Build Your Own Cocktail Kits that offer everything needed to make our cocktails at home,” Buck says. “I have seen mason jars become more trendy during the pandemic. I think this is the case because the jars elevate the experience and they are also not just single use. They are very convenient and can be used for many things at home. You can also batch drinks ahead of time in mason jars and refrigerate them so they stay fresh. This was very helpful at the height of the cocktails to-go excitement when people were ordering a lot of them.”

Ashley Owen, director of end-user

Mason jars have become a popular to-go option because they can be reused by the customer at home.

marketing at Libbey, says they are seeing the highest demand in takeout beverage containers. “We have a number of beverage jars with lids as well as growlers that have sold quite well. We also had some interest in more sustainable options, like our recyclable flatware, which was a good alternative to plastic,” Owen says.

Although slightly more expensive, reusable containers for food and beverages give consumers the peace of mind that they are not damaging the environment and that they can reuse the vessel at home.

Owen agrees that the perfect example of that is the simple mason jar. As Owen explains, mason jars can be used for a wide variety of things at home; crafting, storage, canning, food prep, and even packing food and beverages.

“For the operator, a simple mason jar can be used for a wide variety of menu items that go beyond beverages,” Owen says. “Although perfect for craft cocktails, jars can be used for layered salads, soups, noodle dishes, desserts, and are perfect for meal kits to separate the ingredients. There is also something appealing about glass because visually you can see what is in the vessel versus some other plastic containers. Many consumers do not like the idea of plastics leaching into their foods. There is also research that shows that foods and beverages stay hotter in glass versus plastic.”

Other bars are turning to beverage cans that are sealed on the spot to ensure freshness of the to-go product. According to Dennis Grumm, founder, CEO, and lead engineer at Oktober Can Seamers, some of the benefits of using sealed-on-the-spot cans for to-go beverages are their 100% recyclability, customer familiarity, and low cost. They also work with carbonated as well as non-carbonated beverages.

“Oktober Seamers offer a low-cost barrier to entry, don’t take up much

space, and are plug-and-play while looking good behind the bar,” Grumm says. “They have also proven to be super reliable through years of service. The ability to offer to-go beverages during COVID[-19] has been a life saver for a lot of the businesses that we have talked to since March. It has been an opportunity for businesses to pivot from their dine-in only models and offer things like take-out, delivery, or local distribution of their products.”

While breweries have been using Oktober Seamers for years, the trend now is in the expansion of what types of beverages are being canned to-go.

“With the new rules around the country allowing take-out cocktails, there has been a big jump in demand for cans and can seamers,” Grumm says. “After the initial shock of the early lockdowns, businesses have made time to design creative labels for their cans and specific recipes that lend themselves well to cans. A four-pack of canned margaritas with take-out tacos is an easy sell, for instance. It makes a simple take-out menu item into something more like a signature product specially made for enjoying outside the brick-and-mortar establishment.”

Bevware to-go options aside, Jeff Bassett, senior vice president of marketing at Footprint, says that as more people are ordering takeout during the pandemic, they’re seeing food served in plastic. Pre-pandemic, 69% of consumers ordered delivery, but that number has jumped to 88% during the pandemic—with no signs of slowing down.

“Customers are then eating out of their plastic to-go containers, and the plastic waste piles up in their trash. That trash then winds up in the environment because only 7% of Americans have access to recycling plastic clamshells,” Bassett says.

In 2020, products like Footprint’s plant-based, compostable PFAS-free clamshells, plant-based cutlery, and quick-service bowls were in high demand.

“These products can stand up to hot and cold foods, the hand-off to the delivery driver, every U-turn along the way, and can even be reheated if needed later,” Bassett says. “Put the same kind of attention to detail into food packaging that you do into the food and drinks you serve. Quality ingredient sourcing and recipe crafting is now an expectation, and that carries through to how a dish or a cocktail is packaged. Customers will notice and appreciate the quality.”

As Hamid Charoosaie, vice president of marketing and partner at Drinique,

explains, his company is seeing an increased interest from bar customers who are now experiencing a spike in outdoor dining and take-out dining. These bar clients are looking for a quality plastic option that goes beyond single-use products.

“Many of these customers may have not looked at unbreakable plastic options before,” Charoosaie says. “Unfortunately, certain markets like California and New York are still not allowing many bars or nightclubs to even operate.”

While some bar owners and operators have switched their focus to unbreakable beverageware, they are still looking for innovative styles and also high-quality, unbreakable drinkware that will last—unlike other cheaper plastic options.

“We’ve recently seen much more interest in the different color options, especially in our Stemless Colors,” Charoosaie says. “During the pandemic, some customers may feel it’s easier to cut costs by going to disposable options. Although, as it may be a cheaper cost upfront, it will still cost them much more money in a short period of time over unbreakable plastic drinkware. Customers realize this very quickly once they add up the costs.”

And while the pandemic may not last forever, some of the changes in consumer behavior likely will.

Owen at Libbey sees that to-go cocktails and other alcohol is here to stay, so Libbey will continue to support and expand their product offerings in this area.

“This is a great way to allow offpremise to be a significant revenue stream during and beyond the pandemic,” Owen says.

Family-sized meals and meal kits have also gained in popularity, so vessels that hold larger amounts of food (or cocktails) have become important as well as specialized sizes for sauces, condiments, and other meal kit additions.

“This trend will absolutely continue after the pandemic,” Owens says. “Beyond the pandemic, I think we’ll see more ingenuity and leveraging items that work harder.

“For example, we see some of our stemless wine glasses that have a 17-ounce capacity as something that can be used for all beverages, simplifying what owners and operators need to purchase.”

Put the same kind of attention to detail into food packaging that you do into the food and drinks you serve.

Products like Footprint’s plant-based, compostable PFAS-free food packaging are in high demand.