Food for Thought: How to Beef Up Your To-go Orders
There’s no denying that Americans are busy people. With a smartphone in our pocket, we sometimes need to come up with creative reasons and opportunities to simply sit down for a few minutes.
It makes perfect sense, then, that millions of Americans eat on the run every day. So, what does this massive take-out culture mean for restaurants' branding efforts?
New players are entering the game
For fast food restaurants, local delis, and food trucks, this on-the-go dynamic is business as usual. But many traditional dine-in restaurants have also realized the importance of offering a to-go option for customers who want a good meal fast that they can bring wherever their busy life takes them.
That means that more restaurants than ever before are sending food out the door, losing the opportunity to impress those who once dined in with exceptional service, the ambiance of their décor, and the myriad of branding and marketing messages that they are accustomed to. Instead, these same customers often leave with plain white bags or flat Styrofoam containers.
A wasted opportunity
This missed branding opportunity is like taking a long drive to the Grand Canyon, only to get there on the darkest, foggiest night of the year. It accomplishes the purpose of arriving to the destination, but what’s the point? All the value is lost.
Similarly, sending your customers away with fantastic food in plain white packages accomplishes the purpose – they’re eating your food – but the customer and anyone else who sees them eating it will not be exposed to any visual representation of your brand.
A better option for to-go orders
Savvy restaurants and restaurant marketing agencies are taking full advantage of the to-go order craze by packing their orders in custom printed Kraft paper bags, butcher paper sandwich wraps, and other types of branded packaging.
This accomplishes two important tasks:
- It lets everyone who sees (and smells) the great food customers take away from the restaurant know where it came from.
- It provides a way to better share your brand with busy customers who might otherwise not think twice about where they get take-out.
If your restaurant isn’t currently taking full advantage of the power of custom printed kraft paper or butcher paper for to-go order packaging, we recommend reading the white paper below that covers five great examples of successful restaurant branding. Then, contact our paper converting company to find out what we can do to help your restaurant.