Third party delivery services have become an essential way for restaurants to survive and keep steady business through the pandemic. Unfortunately, there have always been concerns surrounding the safety of these delivery services. Customers have complained that their delivery drivers have taken bites of their food, sips of their drink, and worry about contamination. These concerns started pre-covid but were greatly exacerbated by the fear of virus transmission starting in 2020.
California recently became the first state to enact laws regarding the safety and packaging of third party delivery food. Surely other states are soon to follow. It’s clear that food delivery services are here to stay and there are simple ways to address the health and safety concerns of customers.
Why should you use tamper-evident food packaging?
Even before the covid-19 pandemic, food packaging was a concern for some consumers after horror stories were shared online regarding third party delivery services. Photos and video of delivery drivers taking bites of people’s food or even sipping people’s drinks surfaced, leading everyone to believe that their food deliveries might not be as sanitary as they should be. Tamper evident packaging can give your customers the peace of mind they desire when ordering from delivery services, and it protects your restaurant from bad reviews or health issues.
You can also use your tamper-proof food packaging as a branding tool for your restaurant. Many packaging items for food service and delivery can be custom printed with your logo or design to enhance your restaurant branding. Custom printing your restaurant’s packaging is a great way to connect with your customers when you can’t see them face to face.
Here are a few different ways to make your food packaging safer for delivery and takeout:
Just Staple It!
By far the easiest and least expensive way to close your takeout bags, is with a stapler. This may not work for boxes or cups, but paper and plastic bags can be stapled shut to provide protection from unknown tampering. Staples tend to rip when pulled out so the attempt would be pretty obvious if someone tried to open the bag before the end customer. If you’re on a tight budget and are looking for a simple way to protect your customers’ food, a stapler might be the best way to go.
Labels and Stickers
One of the most cost-effective ways to make your food packaging tamper-evident is with the use of of labels or stickers. There are many types of tamper-evident labels available that can be purchased online and are convenient to use. They can be used on bags, boxes, cups, or soup containers and provide enough protection to keep anyone from trying to tamper with your food before it reaches the end customer. You can use just a simple sticky label, or multiple to close the top of your bag or box, or you can buy labels made for tamper-evident closure. Tamper-evident labels usually break apart when someone attempts to remove them, and sometimes have easy tear perforation for the end customer. These labels can easily prevent food takeout bags or boxes from being opened without visible signs of tampering left behind.
If you want tamper-evident labels that help enhance your restaurant’s branding, labels can be custom printed with your logo or design to further promote your brand. This allows you to use plain takeout bags to save money while still branding your packaging so your customer knows exactly where their food came from. Branded packaging is extremely valuable when using third party delivery services because you want to remind your customers where their food came from and keep your name in their mind for future orders.
Tamper Evident Bags
Many types of tamper-evident takeout bags have been created to aid in the need for more secure food packaging. There are options made from both paper and plastic, that usually include a self-adhesive closure that prevents anyone from opening the bag without clear evidence. Many of these bags have an easy to open perforation that allows the end customer to open their bag when they receive it. These bags make tamper-proof food packaging easy by making it an all-in-one takeout bag that you can just grab, load, and seal. Then you only need to keep bags in your inventory versus having bags and separate labels or seals.
Tamper Evident Boxes
You can use tamper-evident labels or stick on labels to enclose your boxes, but there are also tamper-evident box options with locking closure built in. Tamper evident takeout boxes are usually made from sturdy paperboard and have closing tabs that “lock” into place so they can’t be opened again unless you tear the perforated strip. Some have adhesive closure with a perforation or tear strip for the end user to open the box. Again, having the locking closure built into your takeout boxes can streamline your packaging process and make tamper-evident packaging easier and more convenient.
Safety Seals for Cups
For cups, certain types of tamper-evident labels may be purchased that span the length of the cup lid and over each side of the cup so the lid can’t be removed and the straw hole can’t be opened. As straws should be packaged separately for most drink orders, you want your tamper evident seal to enclose the lid and any sipping holes present to prevent someone from sipping the drink or removing the lid. Nobody wants to order a milkshake and worry about their delivery driver taking a sip!
If you need tamper-evident packaging for your restaurant, you can purchase many of these products online directly. Or you can contact a company that specializes in packaging like Morgan Chaney. If you want to enhance your tamper-evident packaging, many of these packaging items can be custom printed with your logo or design for additional branding. Branding your packaging for takeout and delivery reminds the customer where their delicious food came from and helps keep your branding strong and consistent. It can also help increase social media shares and positive reviews of your restaurant’s food and service.
Contact Morgan Chaney if you are interested in learning more about tamper-evident packaging options and custom branding options for your restaurant packaging.
