Printed delivery bags give restaurants and cafés an opportunity to do more than carry takeaway orders. With the right design, a bag can reinforce a restaurant’s branding, promote seasonal products and encourage customers to notice something new on their next order. The best approach depends on the food being delivered, how frequently bags are used and whether the aim is year-round branding or a short-term promotion.
Both options can work, but they offer different levels of flexibility and space for your design.
A standard paper bag with your restaurant’s branding can be used throughout the year. You can then add seasonal stickers to promote occasions such as Halloween, Christmas or a limited-time menu. This is a practical option if you want to change your messaging without changing the entire bag design.
A fully printed seasonal bag gives you more room to communicate your message. If your café is launching a Halloween-themed coffee or cake, for example, the bag could feature the product, seasonal artwork and a short promotional message. Customers who already order from you may notice the offer and decide to try it next time.
The choice depends on the effect you want to create. A sticker is suitable for a small addition to an existing design, while a printed bag provides a larger canvas for a more distinctive campaign. Combining the two is also possible, provided the designs work together.
Start with your previous delivery volumes rather than guessing how many bags you might need.
A useful starting point is to calculate your average monthly delivery orders and multiply that figure by 1.5. This is a practical rule of thumb for building in a buffer, rather than a fixed requirement for every restaurant.
For example, if you fulfil an average of 1,000 delivery orders per month, a starting estimate would be 1,500 bags.
The additional allowance can help accommodate busier periods, damaged bags and bags that become unusable during preparation or handling. You should also consider whether a seasonal promotion is likely to increase demand.
Before placing an order, check whether each delivery order requires one bag or several. Larger orders, multiple food containers and separate hot or cold items can affect how many bags you use.
If you are ordering bags specifically for Halloween or another limited-time promotion, estimate how many you are likely to use during the campaign period. Ordering too few may leave you without the packaging while the promotion is still running. Ordering too many can leave you with seasonal artwork that is no longer relevant.
A delivery bag needs to work in practice as well as look good. The artwork, dimensions and construction should all reflect what the restaurant sells and how orders are packed.
Consider the size, weight and shape of your typical orders before settling on the bag dimensions.
Food served in rigid containers may already have some structural support. Burgers, fries and other foods packed directly into a bag may need a more supportive base or an insert to help prevent the bottom from giving way.
The appropriate construction depends on the contents. A bag intended for a couple of lightweight pastries has different requirements from one carrying several meals and drinks.
The bottom of the bag needs to support the order, while the handles must be suitable for the weight being carried. If handles are included, their construction and attachment are worth checking as part of the specification.
A well-designed bag should be practical for staff to pack and for delivery riders and customers to handle. The appearance of the artwork matters, but it should not come at the expense of carrying the food securely.
The top of a bag is often folded, gripped or handled during preparation and delivery. Placing important text or imagery closer to the bottom can help avoid positioning key parts of the design in an area that is likely to crease.
Consider how the bag will look when carried, not only when laid flat for the artwork to be reviewed. Leave enough room for any necessary labels or order information, too.
Recycled paper is an option worth discussing when specifying bags. However, choosing recycled material does not automatically eliminate waste. The quantity ordered, how many bags are used and whether unused seasonal stock remains after a promotion all matter.
This is another reason to base your order on actual usage. A realistic forecast can help you balance having enough bags available against ordering more than you are likely to need.
If sustainability is important to your business, consider the material alongside the bag’s strength, intended use and end-of-life disposal. Avoid making environmental claims about a bag without checking the relevant material specifications and evidence.
If your restaurant or café takes orders through Uber Eats or Deliveroo, check the relevant partner guidance before finalising your packaging. Requirements and recommendations can vary, so do not assume that one bag design will automatically suit every platform.
Consider whether your bags can securely hold the food containers, withstand normal handling and keep each order clearly identifiable. You should also leave room for any required order labels and make sure the packaging works with any applicable sealing procedures.
The outer bag is only one part of the packaging. Food containers, closures and any required tamper-evident seals need to work together. A decorative sticker should not be treated as a substitute for a required security seal unless it meets the relevant requirement.
For restaurants and cafés planning custom printed delivery bags, the starting point is to establish what the bags need to carry, how they will be handled and whether they need to accommodate specific labelling or sealing processes. This helps you develop a design that supports your branding without compromising practicality.
Seasonal artwork is most useful when it has a clear purpose beyond making the packaging look different.
For example, a café promoting a Halloween cake, a limited-edition drink or a seasonal discount could use the bag to make the offer visible to customers. This gives the promotion another point of contact after the order has been placed and may encourage existing customers to try something new.
Handled bags can also remain visible after the original delivery if customers reuse them. A distinctive design may provide further brand exposure, while attractive seasonal artwork can make the packaging more appealing in customer photographs. Neither outcome is guaranteed, so it is best to treat reuse and social sharing as potential benefits rather than promised marketing results.
For businesses that want seasonal messaging without changing every bag, stickers may be sufficient. For a larger campaign where the artwork and product promotion are central to the idea, a fully printed design may be more appropriate.
Before ordering, establish how many bags you use, what they need to carry and what you want the design to achieve. These decisions will help you choose the appropriate dimensions, construction, material and artwork, whether you are planning a year-round design or a seasonal promotion.
If you are exploring options for your packaging, you can find out more about Gemini’s larger-format, point-of-sale and packaging services.
