If the beverages you send out for delivery have to be held in place by strips of masking tape crisscrossed across the lid to prevent leakage, or you have wasted lids strewn all over counter tops, you have a solvable problem.
GP PRO’s lidding technology is providing the ideal solution for takeout and delivery beverage dispensing. Its’ Automated Sealing Machine not only makes for a more hygienic, mess-free, and tamper-proof delivery, it also saves operators money.
“We have estimated that the savings could be as much as about 10%,” said Alec Frisch, vice president and general manager of Foodservice with GP PRO. “The Automated Sealing Machine is not really designed to provide a cost savings for the physical lid, but if you think about it in terms of waste and if you think about labor and storage savings, a certain number of lids are wasted from patrons grabbing too many in the self-service area. One of the huge pain points for operators now is labor and stacking and restacking those multiple sizes of lids is labor. One roll of our sealer film equals 2,500 lids, so it eliminates the need to replace lids for a much longer period and that saves labor as well.”
The Automated Sealing Machine, Frisch said, was originally designed primarily for the back of the house but quickly gained front-of-house status. “It has an attachment that is available to anyone who buys the equipment that is very easy to install and comes with instructions. The attachment goes over the current model which makes it foolproof for a patron to seal a drink themselves.”
This sensible remedy that Frisch said is mostly used by their clientele in QSRs, healthcare, and entertainment facilities like stadiums, also provides environmental benefits. “In terms of sustainability, the film uses 60% less plastic than a traditional snap-on lid. And it’s packed in a much smaller cube, which means less cardboard waste and fewer trucks on the road. Many operators see it as part of their carbon footprint agenda.”
There have been many changes in how America consumes beverages over the past two years. “Ghost kitchens and commissaries have created new opportunities for us. One of the beauties of the Automated Sealer is that we can custom print film with a restaurant’s branding and marketing message. It’s not uncommon to see a virtual kitchen running three or four different concepts with a separate sealer supporting each of the brands to enable them to accomplish their mission.”
According to Frisch, GP PRO is excited that “the industry is coming back, and I think people have a bigger appetite or at least are more open to capital investments.” In addition, as the takeout and delivery concept continues to rise, Frisch added that consumers have become savvier and are expecting a more sophisticated delivery experience, which he says can be enhanced with GP PRO’s lidding solution.
A survey conducted by GP PRO revealed that more than 50% of consumers have higher expectations of their delivered meal experience than they did even one year ago. “Consumers were willing to show operators a lot of grace in the early days of the pandemic. They wanted to support their favorite restaurants, and they sort of understood that many of those restaurants were learning off-premise on their feet with a limited staff,” Frisch said. “But we are two years in now, and I think time, combined with paying more for the same meal due to inflation and other economic issues, has led consumers to expect more. They want that same on-premise meal and brand experience, but they want it from the comfort of home without compromise.”
The survey also found that patrons ranked temperature maintenance, tamper-evident packaging as well as more convenient packaging among their top choices for an improved takeout & delivery experience. Frisch is confident that GP PRO’s automated sealer can help operators in this regard. “There is good news here for operators, and I encourage them to take note. Consumers continue to increase their delivered meal frequency, and they’re willing to pay more if that delivered meal experience is elevated.”
Restaurant and foodservice professionals can access more information by visiting the GP PRO website.
