Custom Hot Dog Bun Bags

Sizing a Bag Around a Row of Rolls

Hot dog rolls are usually packed side by side in a single or double row. Measure the length of one roll, the width of the row when the rolls are touching, and the height of the tallest roll. The bag width should cover the length of the roll plus room for the gusset to open, and the bag length should cover the row plus enough at the open end to close it with a clip or seal.

A side gusset lets the bag expand around the rolls instead of squeezing them, which keeps the tops from flattening. For a double row of eight or more rolls, a wider gusset or a bottom gusset gives a squarer pack that stacks better on the shelf. Send us a filled sample if you can; it is the quickest way to get the size exactly right. Our method for measuring a row of rolls covers batch variation.

Artwork That Sells From the Bread Aisle

Bread shelves are crowded and colourful. A strong brand colour across the top of the bag and a simple, large product name helps your pack get picked up. Keep the window big enough to show several rolls, and frame it with print rather than covering the rolls with graphics, because the bake itself is the main reason people buy.

Add the pack count clearly, such as six rolls, near the front. Include any key selling points in a few words, such as brioche style, seeded or extra long. The back of the bag holds ingredients, allergen information, storage advice and a barcode. Leave a plain space for best before dates or price labels if they are added at the bakery.

If you supply more than one retailer, check whether any of them need their own label or wording on the pack. It is often simpler to print a shared design with a blank panel for a retailer sticker than to run a separate version for each customer, especially while volumes are still growing. Our print options on film compared guide shows one colour against full colour.

Closures and Shelf Life

The closure affects how long the rolls stay fresh and how easily customers can reseal the pack. Plastic clips and twist ties are the traditional bread closures, quick to apply and easy for customers to reuse. Heat-sealed bags give a tamper-evident, airtight seal, which helps rolls last longer, but they need a sealer on the bakery line and cannot be reclosed unless a zip is added.

Some bakeries add a small perforated area or micro-holes to let a little moisture escape, which stops rolls from sweating and becoming sticky. We can discuss what suits your bake and your shelf life targets when preparing your custom quote.

Freezer storage is worth mentioning separately. Rolls that will be sold frozen, or that customers are likely to freeze at home, need a film that stays flexible at low temperatures and does not crack around the clip. Tell us how the rolls will be stored and we will recommend a suitable film thickness. Dates that change daily are easier as best before labels for the seal.

Bakeries, Wholesalers and Food Service

Craft bakeries use printed bun bags to get their rolls into farm shops, butchers and delis, where a branded pack sells much better than a plain one. Wholesale bakers supplying supermarkets use them to meet retailer packaging requirements. Butchers who sell their own sausages sometimes bundle them with rolls in matching bags, and food service suppliers use larger bags for catering packs of rolls delivered to pubs, kiosks and event caterers.

Food-contact grade film and paper is available on request, and you should tell us whether the rolls will be frozen, chilled or stored at room temperature, as this affects the choice of film. Food service kitchens serving the buns use our hot dog boxes for food service.

Bag a Row of Rolls Straight From the Cooling Rack

Bun bags are sized from the row, so take six rolls as they come off the cooling rack, line them up as they will be packed and measure the length of the row, the width of a roll and the height of the tallest one. Rolls vary between batches, so measure a large batch rather than a small one. Add 30 mm to the length for the closure and tell us those figures with the number per pack. Decide film or paper by shelf life and by how you close the bag, a clip, a twist tie or a heat seal, because a heat-sealed bag cannot be reclosed without a zip. Say where the window should sit so several rolls show. Artwork is a logo, a product name and the back panel with ingredients, allergens and a barcode, sent as vector files, and the free proof shows the window and barcode positions. A custom quote comes by email within one working day, minimums are agreed per job, and bags are produced in 4 to 7 working days after approval with free tracked UK mainland delivery. Event caterers serving the hot dogs use our printed hot dog trays for events.