Athough Covid has challenged the restaurant industry, it has also proven to force seeds of change. The pandemic has provided restaurateurs with opportunities to revamp and revitalize profit centers that in the past may have been considered secondary or ancillary.
At the top of that list is Takeout & Delivery, matched only by sanitization and safety, which has proven to be one of the most important opportunities. With limited reopening of indoor dining, customers still always feel the safest in their own homes. Now, new protocols have shone a critical light on takeout systems everywhere, making it clear what’s working, what isn’t, and where room for innovation lies. A new family-owned company BobiBands has capitalized on this opportunity, and has proudly announced its newest products, a line of durable, tamper-evident bands and seals designed specifically for takeout programs across the nation.
“Covid forced a lot of restaurants to reevaluate nearly every aspect of their business,” said Debra Phelps, CAO of BobiBands, “Where previously restaurants could get away with cracks and flaws in their operations, Covid forced these issues into the light, giving these restaurants no other choice than to address them. One of the common issues we noticed was what we call a lack of food safety, meaning a lot of establishments weren’t prepared for the massive uptick in takeout. This often led to the integrity of takeout orders being compromised, often due to packaging.”
Designed by former Postmates delivery drivers, BobiBands aims to remedy this issue by providing these restaurants with their namesake product, which gives restaurants and franchises a way to seal and protect takeout containers.
“This emphasis on takeout and delivery is here to stay. Covid has not only changed the restaurant industry, it’s altered the way people fundamentally view health and safety, cementing the importance of these aspects in customers’ minds. As long as customers find the integrity of their meals important, restaurants will have to do so as well. BobiBands is the perfect solution for this,” claimed Phelps.
One of the biggest draws of BobiBands is its’ tamper-evident design. “Third-party delivery has never really been taken seriously by many restaurants. It doesn’t take much thought to just throw something into a foam container, toss it in a white bag, and send it out into the hands of a stranger. The period between an order leaving the restaurant and making it to the customer’s front door is such an unknown, and customers are aware of this. Throwing masking tape on an order, or even more likely, doing nothing at all, isn’t giving the customer any assurances, and can be indicative of an establishment’s regard for their customer,” noted Phelps. BobiBands eliminates this fear, making it glaringly obvious if a seal has been broken, or a meal has been tampered with in any other way. “With BobiBands, gone are the days where unknown delivery people can get away with sneaking a fry or repackaging spilled product.”
With an eye on restaurants using their packaging to build customer loyalty, BobiBands also feature a writable surface. This enables restaurants to customize the seals and labels they use to secure their takeout items. “The possibilities are endless in regard to customization. Restaurants can add anything from simple logos, to coupons which encourage customers to return in the future.” Many establishments have recently opted for QR codes that customers can scan, taking them either to the business’ website or to an app from which they can order in the future. The center portion of each BobiBand is also detachable, allowing customers to save the portion that might serve a purpose in the future while discarding the rest,” claimed the BobiBands CAO. BobiBands can be made in any size depending on the business’ needs and are also capable of adhering regardless of nearly any temperature. They can even be effortlessly applied to wet items.
The versatility of BobiBands’ product line is its greatest strength. Tamper prevention, durability, customization, and the resulting improvement in the quality of takeout meals, customer experience, and brand perception are well worth the small investment BobiBands is asking restaurateurs to make. Debra Phelps is available to answer questions at debra@BobiBands.com. Interested parties can also visit the BobiBands website, or call 702-509-5088 for more information.
