MrTakeOutBags.com Foodservice mtob Blog

Specialty goods call for specialty packaging.

At the North Star Mall in San Antonio, Texas there is a popular new bakery kiosk where new and returning customers alike are finding rare treats: mini doughnuts and mini churros. Karla Peña is the majority owner and CEO of Mini Delights. According to her, Mini Delights is the only spot in the area where you can find these delectable sweets. That, and the fact that they are a growing business trying to make a name for themselves, is what drove Peña and her team to custom print all of their food packaging.

Build brand recognition

“It was especially important for us to put our logo on the items,” explains Peña, “because we were trying to build our brand from scratch. We didn’t want generic items. Instead, we wanted our products to carry our logo.” And it’s clearly having a positive impact on the business.

“We definitely see people come in because they saw our logo. They tell us, ‘Your stuff is all over our break room, so I had to come see what the craze is all about!’ We have seen immediate, direct impact from the printed packaging,” says Peña. “If the logo wasn’t there, people wouldn’t know where to find us.”

Maintain a common theme

Part of the business strategy was to keep things consistent too. Peña explains that the logo needed to be on everything, even the paper. “People take our food and walk around the mall, or post pictures on social media.” And the social media has been a huge push for Mini Delights.

“Customers will post that they finally found a place that has mini churros and mini donuts. Often people tell us that they haven’t had these things since they were kids, eating them at the fair.” Peña says that Mini Delights is the only place in San Antonio to carry these items. “And if customers were posting pictures of the items in a nondescript bag, it wouldn’t help. People don’t always link back to you, so putting our logo on the packaging is the best way to go.”

Put your logo on everything

Are customers posting pictures of your food? Then it’s time to start thinking about putting your logo on the packaging. Give our experts a call at 888-321-2248 to learn more about how you can boost business and increase brand recognition.

People in the New Brunswick, NJ area are no strangers to the Cheezen gourmet grilled cheese food truck. The eye-catching vehicle, with its illustrated gooey cheese and the wide-smiled mascot, is hard to miss. And even though the company has created quite a name for itself, owner John Gentile knew that there was more that could be done.

How it all began

“It all started with making dinner for my kids,” says Cheezen owner John Gentile. “And then it hit me! I have fifteen years of food service experience. And I’ve always loved food trucks. I knew I could give people great food. Food that reminds us of when we were kids.”

So in October of 2014 Cheezen began with a small, 10-foot trailer. “Now we have two trucks, a trailer, and a store front in New Brunswick attached to the iconic Olde Queens Tavern,” says Gentile.

“Some days are rough and they can get long,” he says. “But then I see our customers line up for our food, and take pictures of it. And then they do the happy food dance because they feel like a kid again.”

Brand recognition

Gentile noticed more and more people snapping pics of the grilled cheeses and he knew he needed to jump on that to push his brand even further. He realized the need to “make a presence in the market,” as he puts it. Custom printed food tissue made sense as an economical way to get the company’s name in each and every picture his customers posted on social media.

“We always hear potential customers asking people who just purchased a grilled cheese from us, ‘Hey, where did you get that?’ So with the branded basket liners, there is no question about where to go!”

Standing out

In addition to getting the company name out there, Gentile put the Cheezen logo on the tissue to get a leg up on the competition – of which there is no shortage. “In order to be above the rest,” explains Gentile, “you need to make a presence at events. You can see hundreds of people walking around with our product in a customized package, rather than a generic red and white food tray.”

When asked if he sees the printed tissue having an effect on his business, Gentile responds, “Absolutely! I try to ask all my customers how they heard of us. They’ll tell me that they saw me at this event or that location. I think we have a better presentation of product and they can see that we put more effort into the delivery of what we’re making.”

Interested in putting your company logo on your packaging? Give us a call! Our experienced advisors can be reached at 888-321-2248, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Leveraging Food Photography & Social Media with Custom Printed Tissue

The food photo: we’ve all seen them parading down our news feeds, making mouths water and stomachs growl. We tend to share these posts because eating is a communal thing, and what bigger community to share with than the world of social media?

A report from Omnicore shows that there are currently 700 million active Instagram accounts, and 400 million active daily users. That’s a whole lot of audience to get in front of.

In addition to selfies and sunsets, pictures of food are among the most popular focal points for users. Need more proof? Instagram’s busiest day is Thanksgiving. And the most popular food photographed is pizza.

Over on Pinterest food is the most popular topic. The online marketing site Rocket Post claims that “While the average social shopper spends an average of $60 when coming from Facebook, she spends $140 when coming from Pinterest.”

The Numbers

It’s no surprise that restaurants, food trucks, bakeries, and delis are using social media to boost brand awareness. Each photo a customer posts is a marketing opportunity. While hashtags and geotagging help, you can’t always rely on the customers to divulge just where that gourmet donut came from.

As a business owner you really want customers to share that info with followers. According to a study conducted by Social Chorus of 400 millennials surveyed, 98% of them said that they are more likely to engage with a post from a friend rather than a brand’s post. Those are the same millennials that will have more buying power than other generations by 2017.

Making a Mark with Custom Printed Food Tissue

That’s what makes custom sandwich wraps and basket liners so significant. Consider a photo of your restaurant’s most popular menu item. Now picture it resting on custom tissue paper that boasts your company’s logo. Sometimes the most successful marketing comes from one happy customer snapping a shot of her favorite meal.

Which custom tissue is right for you? There are four levels available:

• Lightweight – Also known as pick-up tissue, it’s often used when grabbing a pastry for a customer. These are somewhat translucent because they’re thinner (roughly 13# basis weight) and, if you hadn’t guessed by the name, rather light. They are the delicate baby of the tissue family. They’re lightly waxed, thinner sheets used for cold, dry foods or to wrap a hot dog.

• High Performance – Next up is a heavier weight sheet that clocks in as an 18# basis weight sheet that can handle lots of jobs. They’re great as a tray liner when serving moist, cold or hot and somewhat greasy foods. Or use them with a BioPak or a disposable lunch boxes as a way to spice up the out-of-box experience for your customer.

• Ultra Performance – This one is tougher, weighing in at 20# basis weight and has a dry waxed finish on one side. Reach for this one when you want a heavyweight compostable dry waxed sheet that can stand up to even the messiest meatball sub or Philly cheesesteak.

• Grease Resistant – The name says it all, and the paper is heavier, at about 20.5# basis weight and treated to be grease resistant, no wax is used. These sheets are intended for wrapping food, like sandwiches or subs with the printed logo facing outward.

If you’re thinking it’s time to up the ante on your brand marketing, consider the power of customized tissue or one of our stock print designs. Or even just a solid color waxed tissue to spice up your culinary creations. If you want to learn more about the various paper weight options, or if you want to chat further about how this style of branding, give us a call at 888-321-2248.

Pic: Fuku Custom Takeout Bag

Fuku Arrives

In 2004, renowned chef David Chang opened Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York. And that was just the beginning. From that beginning stemmed several variations like Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Momofuku Ko, and the bakery, Momofuku Milk Bar. In 2015 (rising from his former successes) came a fried chicken concept named Fuku. So when we were given the opportunity to work on a logoed takeout bag for Fuku, needless to say we were very excited.

For this project, one of our senior Packaging Advisors worked closely with Brendan Newell, Designer for Momofuku. His job was to dream up a look that was reflective of the famous brand. Our job was to help him make it a reality.

Making Local Impact

“The impetus behind this project was to drive the brand impact in the local area,” says Newell. He explains that Fuku opened in a neighborhood where they did not yet have a lot of presence, so Newell and company had to help drum some up. “The idea is that people will be walking from the storefront to their home or office, and the bag design will help gain exposure. When people see it on the street, they become interested,” says Newell. And trust us, this bag’s design is nothing if not intriguing.

Paying Homage

“The design is mostly our logo wrapped around the sides of the bag,” he explains. “Conceptually, the intent was to mirror the flagship item of Fuku – a fried chicken sandwich. When the first location opened, the chicken was way bigger than the bun and it was a distinguishing element, a defining factor. So this design is an homage to that,” says Newell. “It cannot be contained by the face of the bag.”

In addition to the overflowing logo, the brown bags feature a woodgrain pattern. “This location has a lot Baltic birch, so this was a reflection of that,” Newell says. “And the leaf is a call back to the peach in the original Fuku logo.”

This sort of collaboration with the customer from concept to finished product is ideal. The results of this team effort are obvious, because this bag shouts its message to everyone who passes by it on the street.

Learn about Custom Carry Out Bags Here