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WHAT’S TRAIN YOUR STAFF On the service side, there’s an opportunity to provide an excellent experience for the in-house diner who has leftovers to take home. Off-site dining, whether in the form of takeout, delivery, grab & go, or catering, is a major revenue category for restaurants, and according to trend watchers, it shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, a Restaurant Business survey found that, “by 2020, an estimated 40% of restaurants’ sales could come from delivery.” For this reason alone, it’s a category that restaurant owners can’t afford to ignore. And with the trend comes a new crop of challenges; training staff, coordinating with delivery services, streamlining ordering, and a big one: packaging. Understanding the role that packaging plays in customer satisfaction is an important step in offering a complete, thoughtful off-site dining program. According to Technomic 2017: » 57% of consumers agree that packaging makes a big difference in takeout food quality. » 47% of consumers will pay more for takeout if better quality packaging is provided. » 54% of consumers say the quality of disposable packaging reflects on a restaurant’s image.
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provisions January / February 2022
So, let’s dive into the materials and best practices that can make your off-site program a success.
LEAK-PROOF A few bumps in the road, and your delivery driver or guest will be dealing with a sloppy situation. A simple plastic foam clamshell isn’t going to cut it in this case, but there are options. You can wrap clamshells in plastic wrap, which may add an unnecessary step to your fulfillment process; or, you can invest in leak-proof packaging, which keeps spills at bay and inspires consumer confidence.
SAFETY SEAL With the rise of third-party meal delivery services, the concept of safety-seal packaging has grown in importance. Safety seals can be on the individual menu items or on the bag itself. When a customer sees this, it creates peace of mind that this food has not been tampered with and is, thus, safe to eat.
ECO-FRIENDLY With the proliferation of takeout and delivery has come a surge in singleuse packaging, and many would argue that this has a negative impact on the
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environment. Brands seeking to reduce their carbon footprint should invest in recyclable or biodegradable packaging, and there are more and better options in these categories than ever before. Molded fiber packaging, for example, is becoming increasingly popular as suppliers see eco-friendly design as integral to food packaging. Make sure to educate consumers about your packaging choices to let them know if you’ve made an investment in eco-friendly packaging, as this can set your business apart from the competition. KNOW YOUR MATERIALS. Before investing in food packaging options, familiarize yourself with common packaging materials and determine which represents the best fit for your business: PRE-CONSUMER RECYCLED: Preconsumer materials are generated by manufacturers and processors and may consist of scrap, trimmings, and other by-products that were never used in the consumer market. POST-CONSUMER RECYCLED: Post-consumer material is something that completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been disposed of as a solid waste if not recycled by consumers or businesses.
