The statistics on restaurant closures related to the pandemic are simply shocking: Fortune reported earlier this year that 110,000 bars and restaurants will be closed in 2020. The sad truth is that since the data was first shared, there may be More venues closed. In this turbulent time for the food and beverage industry, it is helpful to find a silver lining, one of which is that all of us can point to at least one beloved place that has survived unimaginable circumstances. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, an important way for restaurants to resist the pandemic and continue to do so is through its packaging.
As restaurants across the country are closed due to social distancing and masking requirements, restaurants are turning to take-out, take-out, and curbside pickup—you already know this part. But the facts have proved that for every shrewd operation change, the same shrewd packaging decision also plays a role.
For example, Chicago’s high-end restaurant group RPM had to figure out a way to deliver its exquisite steak dinners and Italian cuisine all the way to people’s homes without sacrificing quality. solution? Switching from plastic takeaway containers to aluminum containers, which can be directly transferred to the customer’s own oven for reheating.
In New York City, Osteria Morini specializes in freshly made pasta. But as we all know, these are difficult to deliver because over time, the cooked noodles absorb all the sauce like a sponge, and the meal delivered to your door looks like a large, condensed mass . As a result, the restaurant has invested in new, deeper bowls that can add more sauce-more than the noodles can absorb during transportation.
Finally, in Chicago’s Pizzeria Portofino (another restaurant of the RPM Group), the packaging became a kind of business card. Pizza is already a very suitable food for takeout, and the classic pizza box really hasn’t improved. But Portofino added a series of eye-catching artworks in bright colors to its boxes, a move designed to make the restaurant stand out in the packaging and keep it in mind the next time customers want to order a pizza. Isn’t it a surprise to have dinner in such a cute container?
In addition to these packaging innovations, NRN’s article also talked about other smart measures taken by restaurants in response to restaurant closures and various business challenges, which are well worth reading. I know that next time I bring home a perfectly cooked, piping hot main dish, I will have a new understanding of all the creative thinking that makes sure it arrives.
The biggest problem I saw during our takeaway year was the humidity factor. Styrene/plastic trays with lids, whether of the same material or cardboard, must maintain heat, but do not ventilate to prevent condensate from wetting the contents. What’s worse is where plastic bags are still used instead of paper. I would love to see a recyclable material that can control moisture and condensation while keeping food warm. The pulp container/lid is better, but because the interior tends to be waxed (to prevent them from absorbing the juice and dissolving), we are back to square one. Maybe a bottom/tray is smoother, waxed or sealed, and a separate top, with a rough internal surface and no seal, to capture some of the moisture that rises from the food. When we are talking about developing this industry, why not look at something more dense, which can be heated in a restaurant before being filled with food to act as a heater when delivering food?
Post time: Oct-15-2021