How to Reduce Packaging Costs in a Takeaway Business

How to Reduce Packaging Costs in a Takeaway Business

Food costs get watched to the penny in most takeaways. Packaging rarely does. It arrives in bulk, disappears one order at a time, and by the time you notice a problem the margin has already gone. For UK takeaways, cafés, caterers and event kitchens, packaging is usually the second-biggest controllable cost after ingredients - which means it is also one of the easiest places to recover profit without touching your menu prices.

This guide walks through the practical steps that actually move the number, from auditing what you really spend per order to right-sizing containers and buying the pack sizes that suit your volume. Each step points to the specific product pages you need.

Step 1: Work out your true packaging cost per order

Before you change anything, measure it. Pick a typical week and add up everything that leaves the kitchen wrapped, boxed, cupped or bagged. Divide the total packaging spend by the number of orders.

Most operators are surprised by two things: how high the per-order figure is, and how much of it comes from items nobody thinks about - napkins, portion pots, straws, lids. Once you have a per-order cost, you have a baseline to beat. A realistic target is a 10-20% reduction without changing the customer experience at all.

Step 2: Right-size your containers

Over-packaging is the single most common source of waste. Serving a single portion of curry in a 98oz box costs you money on every order and gives the customer a container that is half empty.

Match the container to the portion:

• Smaller single portions suit the No4 Brown Kraft 98oz Square Paper Food Containers range where larger sharing dishes are the norm, but drop down the size ladder for individual mains.
• Cold dishes and salads belong in Medium 26oz / 750ml Brown Kraft Salad Bowls, which use less material than a full meal box while presenting the food better.

Right-sizing typically saves 5-10% on its own, because you stop paying for board and paper you are not using.

Step 3: Replace foil-plus-lid combinations with multi-compartment containers

Many takeaways still pack hot meals in a foil tray, then add a separate lid and sometimes a bag. Each item is a line on your invoice. A single multi-compartment container does the same job in one unit.

Black Base 3 Compartment Microwaveable Meal Containers let you plate a main and two sides in one box, are microwave-safe for the customer, and remove the foil, the lid and the stacking problem in one move. Fewer components means a lower cost per order, faster packing, and less time lost at the pass.

Step 4: Buy the pack size that matches your real volume

Supplier pricing is built around single packs and full cases. If you are ordering single packs every week, you are paying the highest unit price available. If you order a full case, the unit cost can fall sharply.

Two rules keep this safe:

1. Buy cases only for your highest-volume lines so stock turns over quickly.
2. Check that your dry storage can hold flat-packed items without damage.

High-turnover lines are the obvious candidates. 12oz VIP Brown Paper Coffee Cups and 2oz Round Hinged Deli Containers with Lids for sauces and dips are used on nearly every order, so case quantities pay back fast.

Step 5: Cut the hidden costs

The small items are where margin leaks fastest because nobody questions them.

• Straws. Switch to a bulk pack of Kraft Paper Drinking Straws and only issue them on request or with cold drinks.
• Double cupping. Customers double-cup hot drinks for heat, which doubles your cup spend. Insulated ripple cups such as the 12oz Brown Paper Coffee Cups 3 Ply remove the need for a second cup entirely.
• Lids and carrier bags. Buy lids as part of the container decision, not as an afterthought, so you are never paying for two mismatched components.

Step 6: Match the box to the food for high-volume items

For core menu items, the cheapest packaging is the format designed for that dish. Using a generic box for fish and chips or pizza wastes material and slows packing.

• Fish and chips travel better - and cheaper - in a dedicated Corrugated Medium Kraft Plain Fish and Chips Box than in a universal tray with extra wrapping.
• Pizza is the same story: a correctly sized 12inch Plain Brown Kraft Corrugated Pizza Box protects the product with less material than oversized alternatives.

For Indian menus and event catering, Thali Food Trays 6 Compartment Punjabi White Bagasse replace a stack of separate plates and bowls with one compostable tray - fewer items per cover and a faster clean-up.

Step 7: Standardise a core range and buy against it

The final step is discipline. Pick one format per job - one hot meal box, one salad bowl, one cup, one portion pot - and standardise on it. A short, consistent range means:

• better case pricing because volume concentrates on fewer SKUs;
• simpler stock control and less dead stock;
• faster training and more consistent presentation.

Getting started

Reducing takeaway packaging costs is not about buying the cheapest item on the shelf. It is about paying for exactly what each order needs, buying it at the right pack size, and removing the components customers never asked for. Audit your per-order spend, right-size your containers, consolidate multi-part packs into single units, and standardise your core range.

Thali Outlet supplies wholesale takeaway packaging, disposable tableware and compostable catering supplies across the UK, with free shipping on orders over £75 and next-day options on weekday cut-offs. Browse the product pages linked above to price the switches for your own volume, and start with the two or three changes that move your number fastest.