Some entrepreneurs, especially those in the restaurant and food service industry, make the mistake of not giving due consideration to the packaging that will be an essential part of their day-to-day operations.

Perhaps it's only natural to be more absorbed in other aspects of starting a restaurant or catering business. Planning the menu, finding suppliers and designing the areas in which your customers need to be made comfortable are undoubtedly critical parts of getting any restaurant started on the right foot.

However, it can be just as essential to ensure that you have functional and attractive packaging options that look appealing and are ideally suited to transporting food items.

For many restaurants and other businesses in the same industry, that means using paper bags. Far from being boring and ordinary, paper bags are incredibly versatile. Not only are they supremely functional when it comes to transporting edible items of all descriptions but also they can be customized in an infinite variety of ways.

When done correctly, the paper bags that you design for your restaurant serve as an effective calling card. Paper bags are a source identifier for your business, boosting word of mouth and causing casual passers-by to wonder about the restaurant whose name is so prominently printed on the bag.

Don't make the mistake of overlooking how imperative it is to design truly eye-catching and attention-getting paper bags for your restaurant. Let Mid-Atlantic Packaging help you made a statement by designing custom paper bags for your food service business.

Why Are Paper Bags a Good Choice for Your Business?

Perhaps one of the main reasons why it just makes sense to choose paper bags for your restaurant is that people like them. Consumers tend to prefer paper bags to plastic bags for reasons such as:

• They are more pleasant to touch
• Sustainability
• Easier to carry
• Easier to recycle
• They are more attractive

Too many entrepreneurs don't consider the increasing role that environmental concerns can play in the public's perception of their business. People honestly pay attention to and appreciate those brands that appear to have made a commitment to preserving the environment. Your choice of paper bags demonstrates that you care about the world around you.

Moreover, people simply find paper bags to generally be more attractive, nicer to touch, and easier to use. When you start delving into the subject, it becomes clear that custom paper bags really are the way to go.

Effective Branding with Paper Bags

When thoughtfully designed, paper bags can be exceptional marketing tools for your business. That is because they can be customized in an endless number of ways.

As you begin the process of designing custom paper bags for your restaurant, you will discover that you have a world of choices available. These include the bag:

• Size
• Configuration
• Handles
• Color
• Type and weight of paper
• Printing

Some businesses opt for a simple brown Kraft paper bag. This is a straightforward and elegant solution that nonetheless provides many options for customization. Add your restaurant's name, logo, slogan, social media handles and some custom artwork. Printing on Kraft paper bags is easy, and you can choose any colors from the rainbow.

Other restaurants may want to take a different approach. Perhaps they will select a heavier weight paper in a custom color, string handles and an understated logo that's printed or embossed on the bag's exterior.

Clearly, with so many customization options available, it is possible for any restaurant to express their personality. Whether your offerings are comforting, homemade creations or gourmet delicacies, you can express this through the design of your paper bags.

Talk to the design professionals at Mid-Atlantic Packaging today to learn more about the customization options that are available with paper bags. Chances are good that you'll be pleasantly surprised to find how versatile this popular packaging solution truly is.

Cost-Effective Paper Bags

Here's another reason why so many restaurants and catering businesses choose paper bags as the mainstay of their packaging strategy. These bags simply make sense from an economic standpoint.

Even if you are part of a startup and your budget is incredibly tight, paper bags will still work for you. Choose a simple, straightforward paper bag and enhance it with your restaurant's logo and name on the side. Printing on paper tends to be easier and less expensive than printing on plastic, so this shouldn't break your packaging budget.

Plus, this means that you will still have custom paper bags for your restaurant. It can be a really big mistake to just opt for off-the-shelf paper bags with no customization whatsoever. These generic bags are cheap, but they do nothing to expose your brand to the greater public.

Imagine that someone brought home a bag of your delicious takeout to share with friends and family. When one of the diners asks where all of that wonderful food came from, you want your customer to immediately be able to recall and share your restaurant's name.

Put that name in big letters on every paper bag, and your customers will have no difficulty telling others that their meal came from your restaurant.

That's the kind of publicity you need, especially if you are just getting started. The more members of the public recognize your restaurant's name and associate it with fine food, the better and healthier your bottom line is bound to look.

Don't forget how flexible paper bags are. They don't have to be fancy and expensive to make an impact. Sometimes, simplicity is best, and it doesn't break your budget.

Paper Bags Are Convenient

Most of the time, your paper bags will be used by customers who are taking food out of your restaurant. Whether it is a piping-hot meal or some leftovers for tomorrow's lunch, paper bags simply are the best way to take out food.

Of course, you'll also want to package your food in custom paper boxes and other solutions before they go into the bag. The purpose of the bag is to make carrying away several items convenient and easy for your customer.

This is accomplished by ensuring that the paper bags you choose are of an appropriate size and weight. Specifically, you want your bags to be sized correctly for the type and number of items that they will be transporting. It may be necessary to invest in two or more sizes of paper bags to ensure that you are prepared for transporting anything from a single dessert to an entire feast.

This means that paper weight also is a critical consideration. If you are sending people out the door with small delicacies, your bags can probably be quite lightweight. However, if your food items are large, heavy or bulky, then opting for a paper bag with a little more heft to it only makes sense.

Above all, you do not want to choose paper bags that will frustrate your customers by not being sized appropriately or selecting bags that are not able to carry the weight of a full meal if they need to do so.

Paper Bags Look Great on the Counter

It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of paper bags as a means of marketing. Set up a few of these bags on your counter, and they could get peoples' mouths watering in an instant.

One of the main advantages of using paper bags in your restaurant is that they are super-easy to pack. Equipped with flat, stable bottoms, paper bags are able to stand on their own. This means that you don't have to struggle to hold the bag open and steady as it is loaded. Greater efficiency such as this means that your restaurant has the capacity to serve more customers.

This also translates to greater ease of use for your customers. When they unpack the food at home, they do not have to fight with the bag. They just set it down on a table or kitchen counter. The bag does not fold in on itself, and it stays where it was placed. If you want to ensure that your customers have a frustration-free experience from beginning to end, paper bags can help you get there.

Paper Bags Can Carry Any Food Items

It's easy to envision paper bags as the ideal solution for containing some saltwater taffy, but this packaging strategy is so much more versatile than that.

Whether food is hot or cold, paper bags can contain it with ease. Even foods that tend to be greasy can be packaged in paper bags. All you have to do is choose greaseproof paper. This saves your customer's hands from getting dirty. Additionally, bags made of greaseproof paper maintain their strength and integrity so that your clients won't be unpleasantly surprised by leaks and spills.

Paper bags are ideal for carrying an assortment of fresh items like cookies, tea, coffee, spices and candy. This is such a flexible solution that you can probably tailor paper bags to meet the needs of any restaurant or food centered business. Just use your imagination, and let Mid-Atlantic Packaging help you figure out the rest.

Bespoke Paper Bags

Some restaurants and stores that sell foodstuffs and beverages choose to design bespoke paper bags that are specifically made to order. Typically, bespoke bags are designed with the transport of a specific item in mind.

One example of this is bespoke wine bottle bags. Customers like bags that are precisely sized and shaped to hold a bottle of wine or liquor. Such bags can conceal the true contents, which can be valuable for any number of reasons. Perhaps your customer wants to give a bottle of wine as a gift. In this case, your bespoke bottle bag can act as wrapping in addition to effective transport.

If you have specific items for which you would like to design bespoke paper bags, just contact Mid-Atlantic Packaging. Our design professionals have already helped dozens of restaurants and other food service companies to create special paper bags just for them. Let us work our magic for you as well.

Build Brand Loyalty with Custom Paper Bags

When you are starting a business in the food service industry, even the smallest details matter. It can be difficult to tell exactly which of these will make your restaurant stand apart from the competition. That's why it is crucial that you do not miss an opportunity to boost awareness of your brand.

Using custom paper bags is just one of the strategies that you can use. If you are ready to start designing custom paper bags that are specific to your business, contact Mid-Atlantic Packaging for a custom packaging quote today.

In addition to paper bags, we help our clients in the restaurant industry with a wide variety of boxes and other packaging solutions.