Street food is one of the most competitive sectors there are – and that’s not just because chefs are up against each other for places at the same markets. You also have to compete with the ever-changing line-up of stallholders at night markets and weekend festivals as well as the up-and-coming class of food truck pioneers trying to chinch a pitch outside your favourite restaurants. When there are dozens of vendors all serving exciting food to a crowded market, one thing is clear: packaging has become the secret salesperson – working hardest for you before anyone’s ever tasted a bite. And by partnering with suppliers such as Zee Custom Boxes with their awesome range of custom food labels stickers vendors can create the most impressive and desired packaging to get across their brand and hook customers for repeat buys.
Why Packaging Is No Longer an Afterthought
Street food vendors have been packaging their dishes for years, seeing it as a necessary cost to have something to hold their food rather than an opportunity to sell. This is no longer the case, with changing attitudes amongst consumers who have become more visually aware thanks to social media. Food is served from generic white polystyrene or plain brown boxes. Packaging is something that helps food get from point a to point b. However generic packaging is just that – it doesn’t really add anything to the customer experience. Food served in branded packaging with character is far more likely to create experiences worth talking about. Word of mouth and social media posts are some of the most powerful form of marketing and packaging that reflects your brand and stall can lead to repeat visits and great customer experience.
The Psychology Behind Packaging and Customer Perception
Your packaging communicates the quality of your food before the consumer even takes a bite. Consumers make judgments as to the quality and freshness of food largely based on the packaging and how it is presented to them. When you place your delicious burger in a customised bag or box from Stuart Richards, it will come across as more premium to the customer than the same meal served from a generic black box. There is a massive perception gap between how we perceive packaging when we’re shopping versus when we’re eating street food from a festival stall or market stall. This is particularly pressing for sellers of street food who are looking to trade at festivals and markets. When your packaging looks stylish, coherent and branded, people assume that the food inside looks as good. Packaging which looks like an afterthought will make customers wonder whether the food inside has been made with the same lack of care.
Key ways packaging influences customer perception:
- Professional packaging indicates that the vendor is a serious businessman
- Branded colours and logos provide immediate event branding recognition
- The appearance of quality materials can give away that the chef is using quality ingredients and is a skilled preparer
- Thoughtful design communicates personality and brand story
- Packaging on all products should be the same for brand consistency
Street Food Equipment Selection
Street food packaging is often confronted with a number of challenging conditions. Restaurants and vendors require materials that not only withstand high temperatures, oils and humidity, but are also simple to handle by consumers on the move. If packaging fails under such demanding conditions the consumer experience is let down.
Cardboard food packaging is the preferred material for street food packaging for most vendors. Modern food-grade cardboard is strong enough to withstand hot foods and comes in plenty of forms to suit any food vendor, durable enough to resist grease migration and strong enough to stay robust for a few minutes to enable customers to eat their way through the packaging.
Material selection considerations for street food vendors:
- Grease resistance: You will need these to serve fried foods, burgers, finger foods and anything smothered in sauces or oils
- Heat retention: Packaging should maintain food at a suitable temperature for consumption whilst avoiding excessive heat in the packaging itself
- Structural strength: The box needs to be rigid enough to hold food, being lightweight enough for a customer to carry and eat from on the go
- Moisture handling: Especially important for foods that are very moist or are to be served in conditions of high moisture such as above steam or near ice
- Weight: Light weight of our portions help to make vendors life easier. Vendors need to handle often 300 portions or more each day so we made our portions light to make their work easier
- Eco credentials: Customers are noticing and loving packaging with sustainable credentials
Branding on a Budget: Making Every Package Count
One of the common fallacies that many street food vendors hold is that using branded packaging has to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, with cleverly chosen packaging and a few well-placed labels, successful and affordable branding can be achieved. Custom labels applied to plain packaging enable vendors to achieve professional looking branded packaging without incurring the expense of having custom-printed boxes designed. A well designed label with your logo, branding and contact details turns an ordinary box of plain packaged sweets into an opportunity for the building of brand. Seasonal updates and changes to menus can be reflected in the change of labels, in addition to selectively applying labels to certain items within your range to create consistency across all offerings. As your business scales, it becomes cost effective for you to transition to fully custom printed packaging as volume increases. Many successful vendors start off by having labelled packaging, proving out concept and volume, before moving to custom printed boxes once numbers are right to take offer to next level.
Burger Packaging Box and Special Menu Boxes
Not all street food packaging is created equal some foods will require different types of packaging from others and by getting it wrong you can often cause problems not just for your customers and brand image but also for the packaging itself. When it comes to finding the right packaging solution for street food, vendors in certain industries reap greater rewards than others. Burger vendors in particular benefit from purpose-designed solutions, as personalised burger boxes are designed to specifically address the structural and thermal challenges of packaging burgers on the move. They maintain the shape of the burger, prevent any nasty sauce leaks, retain heat well and offer a flat surface which can be printed with your branding and looks great in photographs.
Specialty packaging considerations by food type:
- Burgers and loaded sandwiches: Pack in specially designed boxes to keep contents secure
- Fries and sides: These need to be served in a well ventilated container to prevent sogginess caused by the build up of steam
- Wraps and burritos: Can look neater when eaten from tight-fitting sleeves that hold their form well
- Desserts and sweet treats: It needs to be presentable and look good enough to photograph for a website
- Hot drinks: Require use of an insulated cup with a lid in order to be taken on the move to avoid spills
The Role of Social Media in the Design of Street Food Packaging
Social media has turned the packaging of street food into a highly creative product. Everyone with a smartphone is a potential content creator, and packaging that stands out and looks good enough to post online is priced far higher than its actual material cost. “Photo-friendly packaging is all the rage right now,” says vendor, Erin S. “Companies with a high level of design in their packaging are noticing that their customers are taking photos of their product before serving! Those photos get tagged and posted on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to hundreds or even thousands of people, with the vendor’s packaging front and center. It’s giving these companies so much exposure to people they wouldn’t have otherwise reached at an event they weren’t attending.”
Design elements that encourage social sharing:
- Very distinctive colour schemes that look more striking in photograph form than real life
- Clearly visible logos located in a prominent position allowing optimal placement and viewing of the product logo
- Interesting structural shapes that look different from standard packaging
- Witty or engaging copy to place on packaging surfaces
- QR codes pointing to menus, social platforms or loyalty schemes
Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage
Environmental issues have become an important criterion in the consumers’ choice when consuming street food, and young customers make transparent sustainability efforts visible to others. Packaging is the most visible sustainability issue at the street food stall. Many vendors are experiencing positive reactions from their customers as they make the switch to compostable, recyclable or even reduced-plastic packaging. Not only do customers appreciate the vendor’s new environmental approach but the packaging itself can be used as a marketing tool. Signs and social media can drive the message home, and customers will appreciate the announcement on the packaging itself.
Practical sustainability steps for street food vendors:
- Replace polystyrene with food-grade cardboard alternatives
- Use packaging which is compostable or home recyclable
- All packaging should have water-based inks and natural adhesives applied
- Reduce packaging waste by removing packaging layers and packaging that serve no purpose
- Use store signage and product labelling to highlight more sustainable choices to customers
Operational Efficiency Through Better Packaging Choices
While ensuring a great customer experience and strong brand identity is a key consideration when selecting packaging and structures, there are further operational gains possible. Does the packaging simply stack well off-shelf for easy restocking, is it simple to assemble, and does it also store away neatly in kitchens or bars to minimise storage space? This kind of consideration becomes increasingly important to reduce service times and the stress and pressure put on your teams, during the busy periods when speed and efficiency are key. Vendors find it easier to manage their stock when they use a selection of standardised sizes from a core range of packaging rather than various sizes and formats. Simplifying the stock ordering process, reducing storage requirements and enabling quicker service when handling orders are key benefits of this approach.
Operational benefits of smart packaging systems:
- Faster assembly during peak service periods
- Reduced storage footprint through flat-packed options
- Lower staff training requirements through simplified selection
- Fewer ordering mistakes through standardised supplier relationships
- Recyclable materials used with natural ink avoiding chemical printing