MrTakeOutBags.com Foodservice Jesse Harster Blog

With the New Year comes a slew of new dining options. Certain food trends are on the rise while others are starting to fall by the wayside. We took a look into our own crystal ball to see what 2018 has in store for the food industry and the future is bright.

New food alert: Kolache

Well it isn’t exactly new, per se. Kolache – the Czech pastry that is often fruit-filled but sometimes filled with savory ingredients – has been around for centuries. Over the last few years, we’ve worked with a growing number of kolache shop owners in Texas. Specifically we’ve seen a lot of them popping up in the Houston area, like our pals at Kolache Shoppe. This year we expect to see the flaky, indulgent hand-helds appear in more and more cities across the nation.

Growing Popularity: Food Halls

In MrTakeOutBag’s hometown of Pittsburgh we’ve seen two inspiring food halls pop up very recently: Smallman Galley and most recently, Federal Galley. Food halls are an entrepreneurial lab for the culinary arts. Hopeful future restaurateurs ply their trade and test their concepts in a supportive environment that comes complete with a fully equipped commercial kitchen and a shared restaurant storefront. We first noticed the burgeoning trend back in July of 2016. The number of halls just keeps growing and shows no sign of slowing. So be sure to check out the hall (or halls) in your city! Chow down on the cutting edge, up-and-coming local spots.

Can’t be stopped: Meal Prep

Show of hands: how many of us are guilty of resolving each New Year to start eating better — only to be pigging out on chocolates by Valentine’s Day? Trust us, we’ve been there. But thankfully, healthy prepared meals are no fading fad. From metropolises to off-the-beaten-path little towns, meal prep companies have found a customer base across the nation. Many have even crossed over into the world of delivery, which means healthy and convenient for customers. We don’t see meal prep slowing down any time soon.

What do you predict we’ll see in the food industry this year? Let us know!

Not a florist or a greeting card company? Not to worry, there are still plenty of ways for your business to boost revenue with festive packaging this February. Whether you’re slinging coffee, crafting cupcakes, or selling prepared lunches, help your customers get into the romantic spirit with eye-catching red packaging.

Red Hot Ripple-Wrap (new product alert!)

Our latest additions to the beloved ripple-wrap coffee cup line are these cherry colored beauties. With the same double wall feature you’ve come to love and expect, this cup helps coffee shops stand out among the competition all year long.

For shops that also sell fresh roasted beans, take a look at our red coffee tin tie bags in ½ pound and 1 pound sizes.

A Sweet for Your Sweet

With a surge in sugary products flying off the shelves, consider presenting your sweetest treats in an appropriate hue. For bakeries we recommend either tulip or lotus cupcake liners in a soft, romantic rose color. These liners add oomph to presentation, and the grease-proof paper means there’s no oily mess.

For all you chocolatiers out there, we say ditch the heart-shaped boxes and go with something more sophisticated. From simple and stylish brick red paper boxes to glamorous metallic red diamond two part boxes, your fine chocolates deserve only the best display.

Box it Up

Of course, this is a booming season for wineries. Now, you could sell bottles of fine spirits to your customers and put them in brown paper bags. Or, you can offer them a truly dazzling presentation with wine carrier boxes. Available in two- and three-bottle sizes, the Pella Bordeaux red is a deep, rich hue that enhances your wine’s presentation. The Pella Rossa box color is a brighter, crisper shade.

For single bottles, check out the cheery, Really Red wine sleeves.

Perhaps your company makes prepared food for customers on-the-go. Give them a darling picnic feel with any number of apple colored gable boxes or stackable handled lunch boxes. If your typical box is brown or white, just imagine how noticeable the red will be in your café.

Can’t find a red item that fits your business? How about red dragon Chinese takeout containers? Or our checkered food tissue for lining baskets.

So, give your packaging some extra pop with a splash of color that’ll get some attention from your customers for their Valentine’s Day celebrations.

Time to make the commitment: starting in 2018 you are going to stop wasting valuable advertising space by putting your company logo onto your packaging. Admit it, you told yourself before that you were going to do it, but for whatever reason you never got around to it.

Perhaps you think it’s too expensive, or that the minimum quantity required is much higher than the amount you need. Or maybe you’re expecting the turnaround time for a printed item to be months. Well, you would be surprised.

Price

Custom printing may be less than you think – not to mention that the revenue boost it can provide for a business is often very impressive. While a printed bag has a higher price tag than a plain one of course, the value that it adds is immeasurable.

Minimum Quantity

This is where we really shine! We’re proud to say that we are able to offer some of the lowest required minimums in the industry. For many flat items (like boxes and bags) we can print as few as 1,000 pieces with a hot-stamping process. Looking to print coffee cups but not prepared to take on 50,000 units? No problem, we can print 5,000 of a size.

Turnaround Time

It’s true, custom items that are imported can take 14 weeks to arrive after an order is placed. That’s one of the reasons we work almost exclusively with American manufacturers. Lead times vary by item, but some things, like custom labels, are made in as few as two weeks (after final art approval).

With options like printed stickers, reusable grocery bags, and wine bottle carriers, there are a ton of options available for all businesses. Each business is different. Let us help you find the best way to get your logo out there, in front of potential customers.