Types of food delivery packaging

If you have a restaurant that delivers, choosing the right food delivery packaging is vital to keep your customers happy with your product.

Good food delivery packaging improves customer service and generates positive reviews for your business. Here are some tips for making the right choice.

6 Types of food delivery packaging 

The use of delivery services is more popular than ever, as we can see from the large number of motoboys that pass by daily carrying backpacks with food apps names.

If these apps were already gaining popularity before the coronavirus pandemic began, the outbreak has accelerated the adoption of this convenience and true lifesaver in times of quarantine.

Even now, when life is largely back to normal, the habit of ordering food at home remains, and restaurants in the most diverse niches have had to implement the delivery option in order to remain competitive.

However, when offering delivery, the proper packaging of meals is vital to customer satisfaction and safety, especially when using third-party delivery services.

After all, it’s great to have your favorite meal delivered to your doorstep, but if it arrives messy, cold or spilling sauce all over you – the whole experience is unfavorable, leading to lost future sales.

If you want to work with food delivery, it is important to know more about packaging, to know some options that exist on the market and to understand their characteristics to see which best suits your needs.

1. Customizable Box/Bag

The box or bag made of cardboard or paper card are still among the most used food delivery packages by restaurants.

One of its great advantages is the possibility of customization, which allows the company to differentiate itself from the rest and deliver a more interesting shopping experience for its customers.

There are many benefits to using custom packaging at your restaurant. Pizza Hut, for example, invested in a triple box for delivery combos for the family, offering not only an efficient solution for transporting and packaging food, but also an exclusive experience for the customer.

Another idea is customize your delivery package turning it into a collectible item, with different designs.

Put a green stamp and encourage people to recycle. Show that your brand cares about the environment.

You can also write your customers’ names on the packaging for a personal touch like we all know, Starbucks.

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2. Packaging that retains temperature well

Food delivery packaging made of styrofoam and aluminum are also widely used.

This is due to two main reasons: low cost and temperature retention.

Economical and easy to find, they are widely used by establishments that deliver foods sensitive to temperature fluctuations, which should be consumed hot or cold.

It is important to remember, however, that Styrofoam cannot be heated, so it is intended for ready-to-eat foods. The advantage of this material is that it manages to keep food warm for longer, making it ideal for deliveries that need to travel longer distances.

The same occurs with aluminum, however, it has the positive differential of being a recyclable material and being able to go into the oven.

3. Vented containers

As well as ensuring your food is kept intact, quality should be your top priority.

Your customers expect their meals to be delivered at the right temperature and the right consistency.

For hot foods that tend to go soggy, like french fries, vented plastic containers allow steam to escape, unlike others that can trap hot air and make food soggy and unappetizing when it arrives.

If you choose one cardboard box, consider drilling holes for ventilation. This simple act will make a lot of difference when it comes to ensuring crispness.

4. Containers with multiple compartments

Another way to preserve the quality and integrity of delivered food is to use containers with compartments.

These lunchbox-style food delivery packages are ideal for making the most of a single package to contain different foods.

If you are serving a meal with multiple textures or temperatures, consider containers with separate compartments.

This feature prevents items from blending together, helping to maintain the desired texture and appearance.

5. Oven- or microwave-safe containers

Sometimes, try as you might, it’s just not possible to control whether your food products will be delivered on time and at the right temperature.

A good solution, especially if you deliver more elaborate hot meals, is to look for takeout containers that are microwave or oven safe, so that when the food arrives, your customers can heat it up if needed.

Remember that consumers love convenience and this can be a big differential for your restaurant. 

In addition to practicality, this helps to avoid culinary catastrophes. People in a hurry or unsuspectingly can put plastic containers, for example, in the microwave, where they can end up melting and damaging the device, in addition to spoiling the food and creating a safety risk.

It is important to note that not all microwave safe containers are oven safe and vice versa. For example, aluminum packaging is great for use in the oven, but can cause fire if microwaved.

However, polypropylene plastic is an interesting material for foods that need heating, as it can be heated in a bain-marie and in the microwave.

Whoever sells frozen lunchboxes usually uses this package a lot for delivery, as it can go from the freezer to the microwave and is stable for most foods.

6. Eco-Friendly Food Packaging

Finally, don’t forget to consider sustainability when choosing your food delivery packaging.

Consumers are increasingly aware of brands that have sustainable policies and, if your business sends that message, your packaging must live up to it.

Sustainable packaging is one that protects its content, is developed by optimizing the use of natural resources and makes it possible to close the subsequent cycle.

Considering all these factors, there is still no material that is much better than another. The choice depends on characteristics such as product properties, shelf life, costs, transport process and, in the case of food, there is still legislation to prevent contamination, for example.

However, in general, it is possible to mention four food delivery packaging options that can be considered sustainable:

1. Glass:100% recyclable and can be reused indefinitely.
2. Aluminum: Recyclable, durable and oxidation resistant.
3. Bioplastics: Bioplastics, also known as biopolymers, have renewable sources of raw material, such as cassava and sugarcane. In this way, these packages can be biodegradable or compostable.
4. Recycled materials: Choosing to use food delivery packaging made from recycled material, such as cardboard or plastic, represents a reduction in the extraction of new natural resources.

Get the food delivery packaging right and sell more

When choosing food delivery packaging, you can focus on aesthetics, practicality, sustainability or all of these options to create a product that will make your customer satisfied.

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The delivery time and experience is often out of your hands when the food leaves the kitchen. That’s why it’s even more important to select a container that will keep your food looking great and at the desired temperature.

When selecting a package for delivery, consider factors such as its sealing and containment ability. As we said earlier, it is essential that the food does not leak from the container, causing unpleasant accidents and ending the meal.

Ventilated, compartmentalized containers will help preserve the appearance and quality of your food.

And eco-friendly take-out containers help improve your brand image and increase customer satisfaction. Also, you can use your food packaging to promote your business values. In this way, it attracts customers who support brands and companies that love the environment.

Don’t be afraid to come up with genuinely unique food delivery packaging ideas. By thinking carefully about the presentation of your product, you show the customer that he is important to you, and demonstrate seriousness in your business.

Besides, all you need is one delivery app to bridge the gap between your business, the courier and the customer.

Delivery365 App was developed so that you can build your own e-commerce and delivery solution for products or services.

Every time someone makes a purchase at your establishment, couriers registered in the app are notified, streamlining the entire delivery process without you having to worry about contacting someone personally.

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With one base of thousands of couriers qualified to take your products to customers anywhere, at any time, it is a true revolution in the way of delivering.

Visit our site and learn more!