Takeaway Delivery Packaging: What to Buy
Delivery orders travel, wait on a scooter and sit on a doorstep. The packaging has to cope with all of that and still look right when it is opened. This guide is a buying checklist for a takeaway, cafe or caterer that sends food out: what to put in the order, in what sizes, and how many come in a case.
1. Main containers
Pick the container by the dish. For curries, rice, noodles and soups, microwave containers come with a clear push-on lid in every case of 250. They are polypropylene, the 500ml to 1000ml in a heavy duty grade, and the product pages list them as microwave safe for reheating (loosen or take off the lid first) and freezer safe. Sizes run from a round 8oz and 450ml to rectangular 500ml, 650ml, 750ml and 1000ml.
For food that is not wet, bagasse boxes and kraft food boxes work well. The bagasse boxes are hinged and come in compartment versions that keep a main and sides apart. Aluminium foil containers with matching lids suit larger portions and catering trays, with the No1 and No2 in cases of 1,000.
2. Sauces and dips
Put sauces in their own pot so nothing runs into the main dish. Our clear sauce pots come as 1oz and 2oz hinged pots (cases of 1,000), a 4oz hinged pot (cases of 500) and a 2oz heavy duty pot with a separate lid (cases of 800). The hinged pots have the lid attached, so there is nothing to match up.
3. Bags to carry it all
A paper carrier bag keeps a delivery order together and gives the driver something to hold. The small, medium and large brown kraft bags have flat handles and a flat base, in cases of 250, and arrive flat packed. They can be printed with your logo: see bespoke printing. For chips and sides, greaseproof bags come in 6x6 to 10x10 inch, 1,000 to a case.
4. Drinks
If you deliver drinks, a moulded fibre cup holder stops cups tipping: the 2 cup holder comes in cases of 360 and the 4 cup holder in cases of 180. For cold drinks, the clear 12oz and 16oz smoothie cups take a snap-on dome lid (cold drinks only).
5. The small extras
- Cutlery: birchwood forks, knives and dessert spoons, 1,000 to a case.
- Serviettes: 1 ply 30 x 30 cm in cases of 5,000, or 2 ply 40 x 40 cm in cases of 2,000.
- Black nitrile gloves, powder free, packs of 100, for packing at the counter.
Starting your first order
You do not need everything at once. Write your ten best-selling delivery dishes, note the container each one needs, and order one case of each container plus one case of sauce pots and bags. After two weeks you will know what to reorder. You can also order a sample before committing to a case.
Ordering and delivery
There is no minimum order. Free UK next-day delivery: orders placed by 4pm Monday to Friday leave the same day with Evri, fully tracked, next-day where Evri offers it to your address, otherwise standard, usually 2 to 5 days. See delivery information.
Frequently asked questions
Which container is best for curry and rice?
The microwave containers have a push-on lid in every case and are listed as microwave safe for reheating and freezer safe. Choose 750ml or 1000ml for a full portion.
Do the sauce pots come with lids?
Yes. The 1oz, 2oz and 4oz hinged pots have the lid attached. The 2oz heavy duty pot comes with a separate flat lid.
Can I get paper bags printed with my logo?
Yes. See the bespoke printing page for minimums and lead times.
Is there a minimum order?
No. Delivery is free across the UK with no minimum order, and orders placed by 4pm Monday to Friday leave the same day.