Guide
Packaging is not a rounding error.
Buried inside food cost, it makes your delivery channel look healthier than it is.
In short
Track packaging separately from food cost. Work out the full pack cost for each order type, including containers, lids, bags, cutlery, labels and any sauce pots. On a typical delivery order this is a meaningful per-order cost, and hiding it inside food cost makes delivery appear more profitable than it is.
Updated 28 August 2026
Cost a whole order, not a container
Add up everything that leaves with a typical delivery: main container and lid, side container, bag, label, napkins, cutlery, sauce pots. People price containers individually and are surprised by the total. Do this for your three most common order shapes and you will have a usable per-order figure.
Give it its own line
Packaging inside food cost distorts two things at once: it inflates your apparent food cost and it hides the true cost of delivery. Separate it and your channel profitability analysis becomes honest, which is the point.
Where to save without wrecking the food
Not by buying flimsier containers, which leads to leaks and refunds that cost far more than the saving. The genuine savings are in not sending things nobody uses.
- Cutlery and napkins on request rather than by default
- Right-sized containers instead of one large size for everything
- Fewer sauce pots, sized to the portion
- Buying in sensible quantities rather than emergency top-ups
Opt-in cutlery is the easy win
Most delivery customers are eating at home and have cutlery. Making it opt-in removes a per-order cost, reduces waste, and is now expected by customers rather than resented. It is close to free money and it takes one setting.
The honest limitation
Packaging protects the product. Cheap containers that let heat out or leak cost you the order, the refund and often the customer. This is a category where the cheapest option is regularly the most expensive, so optimise what you send rather than what it is made of.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Should I charge for packaging?
Most operators build it into prices rather than itemising it, since a separate packaging charge at checkout reads badly and contributes to abandonment.
Are compostable containers worth it?
They cost more and some customers value them. Judge it as a positioning decision rather than a cost one, and check performance with hot and oily food before switching.
How much should packaging be per order?
Work out your own number rather than using a benchmark, since it varies enormously by menu. The exercise takes twenty minutes and most operators are surprised by the answer.
Does packaging affect reviews?
Yes. Leaks, soggy chips and cold food are packaging failures as often as kitchen ones, and they get reported as bad food.
See it run your restaurant.
Twenty minutes on your menu and your numbers. We'll show you what actually changes in the first month and exactly what it costs. If it's not right for your restaurant, we'll tell you that instead.
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