Custom Fast Food Boxes for Takeaways and Food Vans

Grease, Steam and Heat

Fast food is hot, oily and often steamy, and a box has to cope with all three at once. Grease-resistant board keeps fat from soaking through to the outside print and staining customers' hands or the delivery bag. Food-contact grade board is available on request for boxes that hold food directly, and we note the board on every quote.

Steam is the enemy of crispness. Fried food sealed in an airtight box goes soggy within minutes, so many of our fast food boxes have small vent holes or a lid that sits slightly loose to let moisture out while keeping heat in. Where a box needs to stay firmly shut for delivery, we can add vents to the lid or sides.

For saucy dishes, a liner sheet or a small paper tray inside the box catches drips, protects the board and makes the box look cleaner when it is opened.

Heat retention is the other half of the story. A double-wall or E-flute box keeps food hotter for longer than single board, which makes a noticeable difference on deliveries that take twenty minutes or more. It costs a little more per box, so many takeaways use corrugated for their delivery orders and standard board for food eaten on site or collected at the counter. The grease-resistant coatings and their limits are explained in the board and card types guide.

Food Van and Market Stall Practicalities

Food vans and market traders face problems a shop does not. Storage is tight, so flat-packed boxes that fold up in seconds are essential. Wind can whip a light, open tray off a counter, so a clamshell with a firm locking tab is safer than a loose lid. Queues are long and fast, so boxes that self-lock without fiddly tucks save real time over a service.

Branding matters even more for mobile traders, because customers often eat at a nearby table or walk off through a crowd. A bright, bold box is effectively a moving sign for your van. Print your name, your social handle and perhaps where people can find you next week.

If you trade at festivals, consider one strong design that works across your whole menu rather than different boxes for each item. It keeps stock simple and makes your brand instantly recognisable across the site. Smaller sides for children's meals use the chicken nugget boxes for kids' meals.

Designing a Takeaway Box That Gets Remembered

Fast food boxes are seen briefly but often. The best designs are simple and confident: a strong logo, one or two brand colours and perhaps a pattern or illustration that becomes your signature. A busy design with lots of small text gets lost under a delivery receipt.

Use the inside of the lid for something fun, such as a joke, a short message or a prompt to scan a QR code for your menu. It costs very little to print and gives customers something to share online.

If you deliver through apps, make sure your name appears somewhere a customer can see it at a glance, so they remember who to order from directly next time rather than just which app they used.

Some traders also print a small map pin or the name of their regular pitch on the side, so a customer who enjoyed the food can find the van again. One-colour print on kraft against full colour on white is compared in the print and finish options guide.

Sizing Your Fast Food Boxes

The easiest way to size a box is to plate up your most popular portions and measure them. Burger clamshells are usually sized to the bun plus a little room for fillings and toppings, typically around 110 to 120 mm square inside. Chicken and loaded fries need depth more than footprint. Meal boxes should hold the main and a regular side without stacking food on top of food.

Check that boxes fit your delivery bags and any hot cabinet or holding shelf you use. A box that is a few millimetres too wide for your bag can cause real headaches on a Friday night.

Tell us your portion sizes and we will suggest a small set of boxes that covers your menu. The free design proof shows each one at scale with your artwork.

Cut Your Menu Down to Four Box Sizes

The biggest saving on fast food boxes comes before the order: reducing the number of sizes. List your menu, note the footprint and depth each item needs, and group them. A burger, a wrap and a kebab share one clamshell; chips, nachos and onion rings share one tray; a chicken box and a meal box cover the rest. Three or four sizes in one design cost far less than eight and stack better on the pass. Send that grouped list with your weekly order count.

A custom quote comes by email within one working day, with prices from £0.25 on simpler boxes and suggestions for keeping the range lean; minimums are low and quoted per job. The free proof shows each box flat. Production takes 4 to 7 working days after approval and free tracked delivery to UK mainland addresses follows in 2 to 3 working days; boxes that arrive misprinted or crushed are reprinted or refunded if reported within 10 days. Many kitchens reorder from the same artwork when they reach their last few bundles. Fried chicken sold by the piece suits the taller fried chicken boxes with vent holes.