To go containers are a necessity when you are running a restaurant. Even if you don’t have a takeout menu, you want to make it easy on someone if they decide to take home a part of their meal or if they want to get a meal or two for a friend that couldn’t make it to dinner. Having the right containers could significantly impact your sales.
People can say what they want about styrofoam, but it has a lot of benefits. You can find many sizes and shapes of to go containers from foam and it’s super cheap. If you’re a start up restaurant and don’t have a lot of money, this is a great choice for you.
Think about what you serve on your menu and pick as few as you need. There is no need to have a dozen different containers so that each item on your menu goes in a different one. Variety is nice but it isn’t required – especially if you don’t have the money or space for it. Instead, choose the basics.
If you have soup, then you need a soup cup and lid. These come in many different sizes. If you only offer a bowl of soup on your menu, pour water into the bowl and then dump it in a measuring cup. This way you know that your take out version and in-restaurant version are the same. If it’s 12 ounces, then that’s what size cup or bowl you should get.
The rest of the dishes can most likely go in the same size container. Some people may want a smaller container for their leftovers, but if it’s not in your budget, one size is completely acceptable – as long as you always have it in stock. You’d rather have too big than too small.
The container itself will usually have a hinge, so it incorporates the bottom and the lid in one piece. You can find foam to go containers that have two and three compartments molded into this. Think about what your menu consists of before you opt for these because no one wants to get an upside down container simply because you didn’t plan ahead.
Styrofoam isn’t limited to just white, either. If you want to go a little upscale, you can find plenty that are made in black and even yellow. Your logo can be imprinted on it, too. Whichever options you choose, just make sure that you’ve got to go containers and your customers will be happy.
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.
