How To Improve Food Presentation With Sustainable Packaging
If you are a food and beverage (F&B) business owner, you would understand that proper presentation of your food is equally important as the quality of your food. Food presentation dramatically affects your customers' first impression about your dishes, which also sets the tone for your customer’s overall dining experience.
Oxford Professor Charles Spence once conducted a study to explore the impact of plating and food presentation on the taste of a dish. At the end of the study, he concluded that customers were willing to spend up to three times the original price on a well-plated dish. Quality packaging is one out of many ways businesses can improve their food presentation. Also, delivery and takeaway services do not have to compromise aesthetics and the customer’s dining experience. Clever takeaway boxes and smart packaging can help customers enjoy their food better, even if they are not dining in.
With so much importance on proper food presentation, businesses should take the necessary steps to elevate the presentation of their food whenever possible. Here are three ways you can improve food presentation with aesthetically pleasing packaging.
1. Reduce oiliness with boat trays.
Hawker dishes such as satay and carrot cake are popular among many Singaporeans and a go-to option. While they make delicious snacks and add-ons to complete one’s meal, they are also oily. In addition, they are accompanied by additional sauces that may be hard to balance on a tray.
Reduce your customers’ frustrations by serving these oilier dishes on boat trays instead of regular plates and waxed paper. While plates may be slippery and hard to balance, boat trays can contain the food neatly without creating a mess. Moreover, the thin layer of polyethene (PE) inside the tray will prevent the oils and sauces from seeping through the Kraft paper. This smart combination of materials prevents stickiness and oiliness, allowing your customers to enjoy their food with ease.
2. Keep salads fresh and crisp with paper bowls and sauce containers.
Salads are a popular option for busy corporate workers as they are light and easy to take away. However, it may be hard to keep salads fresh and presentable after customers order them to-go.
There are many varieties of disposable lunch boxes, and it is crucial to source the right kind for the corresponding dish. Restaurant owners often abide by a few rules when it comes to presenting salads. Aside from colour and shine, salads often need height as well. Certain packaging options may be slightly low and wide, so instead, you can opt for taller bowls with lids to prevent compressing the salad.
Avoid tossing the salad before serving to ensure freshness and prevent sogginess. Keep the lettuce and greens crisp and dry by preventing them from coming into contact with wet ingredients or sauces. Protect the textural integrity of the salad ingredients by absorbing any excess moisture with a paper bowl.
You can also keep the dressings and sauces separate by serving them in individual sauce containers. When your customer opens up the takeaway box and consumes their salad, they can add their desired amount of dressing to a fresh, crisp salad.
3. Store your desserts neatly in plastic containers.
If you are a home-based business, you may be struggling to find ways to deliver your food to your customers safely in a fuss-free manner. Plastic containers to store your cookies and other yummy baked goods do not always have to be bought in bulk. If you are just starting your business, you can purchase smaller quantities of these containers as you slowly gain more traction.
Unlike disposable plastic containers, your customers can keep the PET containers and reuse them as they wish. Your customers can repurpose them to organise other snacks, dry ingredients, or kitchen accessories. More importantly, the PET containers ensure the freshness of your bakes as they are air-tight.
If you are worried about your baked goods sticking together, you can purchase doily paper. Not only are they food-grade safe and non-toxic, but they will also successfully prevent your kuehs and other stickier desserts from adhering to one another together. Their intricate patterns also add a touch of elegance to your containers and make the perfect base to show off your desserts.
Conclusion
Presentation is one of the many important ways a business can secure its success. Aesthetics play an important role in making food appear appetising, so work up your customers' appetites by investing in quality packaging!