Custom Restaurant Packaging: Benefits, Trends And Best Practices

The competition in the food chain industry is massive. From tasty cuisines to how they are packaged and presented to customers, everything combined plays a crucial role in building a memorable overall dining experience. From late 7000 BC, the primary concern of the food business was food packaging as they presented their meals to customers in decorative leaves, shells, and gourds. But with time, custom restaurant packaging has also evolved, and now the role it plays in shaping the customer perception of food and restaurants is so concerning.

Are you one of those who are striving to find attractive ways to optimize restaurant packaging? If yes, then continue reading to learn how to transform your packaging and bring some new creative things to make an impression in the competitive food world!

The Role Of Restaurant Packaging In Brand Promotion

Restaurant packaging needs to be more than just a cardboard box or tray but it should reflect professionalism to create a noteworthy experience. First impressions are core to enticing customers, and in the case of food, packaging matters a lot to make your customer’s eyes glimmer. The following are the benefits of taking your restaurant food packaging seriously and having your imaginable outcomes:

Enhances Brand Recognition

Your restaurant menu and food taste can reinforce customers’ perceptions of your food brand, but packaging is the unsung hero in building brand trust and loyalty. When customers see that you care about every aspect of your brand, from food ingredients to presentation and hygiene, they will automatically prefer you in the crowded marketplace. The following are how restaurant packaging enhances brand recognition:

• Mobile advertisement: Small branded details like food flags and straws make a huge difference in creating a recognizable brand image.
• Consistent branding: Make sure to use the same color hues, themes, and designs to develop a consistent yet reinforced brand identity.
• Memorable first experience: Quality food brands set the expectations of consumers, and with your quality and well-designed packaging, you can exceed their expectations.

Create A Premium Experience

The first experience of customers at your restaurant or first direct contact, like from takeout or food delivery, plays a significant role in designing customer loyalty. From your food to packaging and quality, all things work side by side to create a premium experience and win the customer’s loyalty. However, lacking in only one thing, such as neglecting the important parts of packaging (logo printing, intricate designs, finishes), can make customers choose alternative options. Here is  how you can create a premium express for your audience:

• Materials matter: Always opt for high-quality packaging material, as food products contain a lot of grease and oil that can spoil bad material even before reaching the hands of customers. Also, selecting eco friendly restaurant packaging materials can make a positive brand impact as consumers are very concerned about environmental health now.
• Memorable unboxing experience: Make your unboxing enjoyable so customers feel valuable. You can consider adding add-ons like tissue papers, packaging inserts, and other branding elements to excite them.
• Functionality and practicality: Prioritize packaging that can be opened by customers without any hassle. Keep in mind that your food box/bag/tray is well-designed and sturdy enough to keep your items fresh for longer during dine-in and delivery.

Encourages Repeat Business

Exceptional services can make customers promote your brand by word of mouth. A successful business communicates with its customers and makes them feel valued. Here again, packaging is a unique way to communicate to your audience efficiently. It’s your package that they take home during takeaway and delivery, so when they read the contents, see your brand logo, and explore your packaging from front to back, that’s the point they know if they want to continue purchasing from you or not. You can make your restaurant packaging encourage repeat business by following these key points:

• Food integrity: Regardless of design, is your packaging strong enough to prevent spills and keep food warm? Wise printed packaging but lacking in material and style choices can badly affect your food integrity. 
• Promotional opportunities: You can benefit from your packaging by sharing special offers for customers and social media platforms so they can explore you more and ultimately make repeat orders.
• Unique and innovative packaging: Your packaging should commit to both quality and functionality. Failing in one thing can allow your competitors to go ahead of you. So, a good food brand is always well-packaged and a well-packaged brand leads to brand loyalty. 

Support Marketing Efforts

Nowadays, people don’t have time to watch TV advertisements or big billboards as they are always in a hurry. Your food wrapping design is your chance: your moving billboards and silent salesperson. Here is how mindful packaging can support your marketing efforts:

• Customization: Customize your restaurant packaging design with your brand colors and other elements to create a personalized branding experience. This way, you can make your packaging unique from the competitors.
• Emotional connection: Take packaging as a narrative and use it to foster a connection with your customers. You can play with different colors and imagery and also use terms that can create nostalgia and excitement among customers.
• Interactive elements: Make your packaging functional at first and incorporate different interactive elements like QR codes and social media handles to encourage engagement and brand promotion in a fun way.

Promotes Sustainability

A wide majority of about 80% of the UK population are more concerned about eco-friendly packaging and are willing to pay more for brands that follow the same practices. This instant transformation has made brands transform to biodegradable restaurant packaging so they can meet the customer’s expectations. The following are the ways you can stand out as an eco-friendly food brand through your packaging:

• Eco-friendly material: Choosing materials made from a natural process that can break down in the environment naturally makes a huge impact as people now prefer reusing every item to reduce their carbon footprint. Minimise the use of traditional plastics and polyester and look for eco-friendly alternatives.
• Optimize packaging design: Consider minimizing unnecessary layers of your packaging and keep it to the point. Do not overload your packaging with printing; just consider elements that are necessary to print.
• Transparency and information: Mention what materials are used in manufacturing and how they can be recycled. Adding a recyclability badge can not only make your packaging stand out in the market but also create a positive perception in front of consumers who look for environmentally friendly products.

Small Touches That Make A Big Impact 

From the salt quantity in your burgers to your precise color usage in packaging, all small details should be considered to bring out unique brand value. The design of your packaging impacts consumer behavior, so that’s your chance to elevate your food by incorporating tiny details into your packaging. The following are some creative things to consider:

Line Your Drinks With Custom Coasters

Coasters are designed to protect tables from stains, but their elegant appearance can create a unique brand image. You can add a touch of personalization by incorporating your logo, brand name, and other engaging graphics printed on custom paper coasters. You should present your drinks with custom coasters for the following reasons:

• Preventing water rings and stains.
• Shielding from heat damage.
• Minimizing scratches.
• Unique brain opportunity.
• Preventing spills and easy to clean.

Coasters come in different materials, but you need to select those that work with your budget and required usage. All the materials are print-ready, so you can stay consistent with your branding and portray your promotional elements in front of customers. The following are the materials used, but most of the brands go with paper-based as it is an affordable and sustainable option:

Disposable Cold Cups

Another budget-friendly yet functional branding option is the cold cups, perfect for takeout and quick service settings for restaurants. Investing in high-quality and branded cold cups will make your restaurant stand out from competitors and offer another canvas to portray your brand’s creativity. You can choose from the following types of cold cups, mainly based on their materials:

• Paper cold cups: An Affordable and lightweight choice, available in double poly lined, wax coated, and insulated paper cups. 
• Plastic cold cups: Made from PPT or PET, while other compostable plastic cups are made from PLA.
• Foam cold cups: Not so environmentally friendly, expanded polystyrene is used in manufacturing foam cold cups that are designed for one-time use only.

Eco-Friendly Straw Options

Some restaurant owners may think that there’s no need to focus on such small things, but when you present your drinks with personalised paper straws, they will help you enhance the restaurant’s reputation. Below are some types of straws:

• Bamboo straws
• Paper straws
• Metal straws
• Glass straws 
• PLA straws

Food Presentation And Restaurant Decor For Visual Impact 

You have hired expert chefs to make the most delicious food for your customers, but the reality is that if your food lacks basic presentation skills, not a single customer will eat it happily. The environment, food presentation, and your restaurant decoration/aesthetics play a unique role in creating a memorable atmosphere. For restaurant decor, you should keep in mind the following key points:

• Establish a cohesive theme.
• Master the art of lighting.
• Embrace nature with greenery.
• Prioritize greenery.
• Reflect your brand personality with color psychology.
• Don’t neglect the small details.

The last point mentioned has the biggest impact as our main focus in this blog is to highly detail the small details that impact consumer behaviour. The art of running a business is to utilise small to large things on branding. From printed straws to your restaurant walls, all things matter to enhance the dining experience and complement the whole decor. Look for skilled restaurant packaging manufacturers that meet your budget and have positive testimonials to meet your packaging and decoration goals. Following are the two small touches that help you add the personalization in budget.

Decorative Food Flags

Why present your food items solely when you can add charming food flags for an exciting presentation? Mini food flags are usually inserted into food like burgers, sandwiches and cupcakes or displayed around the food. They are made from wooden sticks and paper-based materials that offer another chance to seduce eco-conscious consumers. Some attractive ways to use toothpick flags for food are given below:

• Labelling food items: Charcuterie boards, buffets, cake toppers, etc.
• Decorating food and events: Birthday parties, weddings, themed parties, international food festivals, etc.
• Practical uses: Food safety, stock rotation, and reduced food waste.

Colorful Bunting For Ambiance

People like to eat food in a decorative, clean environment. You should not only serve delicious food, but your ambiance should also be your main concern as it’s the first thing that is noticed by entering consumers. You can hang custom buntings banners across doorways, walls, ceilings and windows. Make certain that your selected bunting shape and printing match the overall theme and colors. You can use bunting in the following creative ways:

• Branding and promotions: Print restaurant colors, logos and messaging for a consistent visual experience.
• Atmosphere and festivity: Make it more enjoyable for consumers by adding trendy designs.
• Directional signage: Guide customers through buntings to different areas of restaurants.
• Promotional messaging: Announce upcoming events and new menus to consumers.
• Event decoration: Use special birthday, Halloween or Christmas buntings to brighten up the holiday atmosphere.

Tips For Professional Takeout And Delivery

A large population prefers takeout and delivery due to busy schedules. Your customer service and ordering system should be up to date, but one thing that helps communicate your true brand values to customers is your food packaging. The first thing to ensure while deciding the restaurant packaging ideas for your food is whether it will affect your food quality and safety. Focus on high-quality materials, clear labelling and microwave-safe options. The following are some components to consider:

• Safe materials: Use paper-based materials that offer good protection and insulation. 
• Sustainability: Opt for eco-friendly packaging solutions to build a positive brand aspect.
• Sealing: Consider secure sealing options, such as packaging tape for food to maintain freshness and prevent spills. 
• Microwave-safe packaging: Always wrap your food in freezer and oven-safe papers for customer convenience.
• Clear delivery receipts: Use a consistent format and include relevant information on delivery receipts.
• Labelled packing: consider printed packaging with branded logos, names and other related elements.

Wrap Up!

The key to giving a raise to your custom restaurant packaging uk is to focus on small details. People always prioritise the packaging of the brand and then build the perception accordingly. If you want your restaurant to become the word of mouth of consumers, then consider your food safety and branding side by side. 

Always consider easy-to-open and handle packaging and identify areas of importance through customer feedback. Moreover, regulatory compliance is another important thing to stand out in the competitive market and gain the trust of people. Look for experienced restaurant packaging suppliers and learn about their manufacturing and customer feedback. For competitive prices and customisation, Waxpapers.co.uk is the ideal packaging firm, with years of expertise in the industry. Waxpapers stay updated with packaging trends that are tailored to each client based on their budget and brand. 

Lastly, the main key to successful restaurant packaging is prioritizing functionality and creating a memorable experience for customers. Follow all these steps, and we bet your packaging will be the most prominent in the whole food chain!