Doing Better In Food Delivery Temperature Retention
Last Updated on February 23, 2024 by Yoyo
As the pace of life accelerates, people on workdays have less and less time to enjoy a beautifully prepared lunch (or even dinner!) at a restaurant. On the other hand, technological advancements have made food delivery services increasingly popular; with a few taps on a smartphone app to order your favorite dishes, a friendly delivery person brings your meal right to you, saving a great deal of time. This service has seen exponential growth during the pandemic.
Nonetheless, delivered food can never quite match the wonderful experience of eating the same dishes in a restaurant setting. A primary reason is that these dishes often leave the kitchen at their peak and miss their optimal temperature by the time they reach you.
Mastering delivery food temperature retention for takeaways to provide customers with a restaurant-quality taste experience has always been a top challenge for both restaurant owners and food delivery service companies.
Table of Contents
Factors Influencing Food Temperature Retention During Delivery
There are various factors during the delivery process that can affect food temperature retention. A thorough understanding of these can help craft proper strategies for your food delivery service.
Packaging Container Materials
Taking that first step in choosing the right container, what are you packaging your takeouts in?
Common takeaway packaging comes in three types of materials:
- Plastic containers
- Paper containers
- Aluminum foil containers
Each of these has its own set of pros and cons. Of course, plastic containers are being phased out globally due to environmental concerns, while newer aluminum foil packaging is rising to prominence.
In terms of temperature retention, aluminum foil containers have the upper hand over paper containers. Aluminum’s high reflectivity to visible light and infrared rays means it doesn’t radiate heat from the container, providing an extra layer of insulation. This helps maintain the temperature of the food for a longer period, whether it’s hot or cold.
Find the perfect aluminum foil takeaway container for your needs at Aikou.
Insulation Techniques
Most food delivery services equip their couriers with a basic insulated box lined with aluminum foil to retain some degree of temperature. However, over time, the temperature of the food will inevitably drop. Therefore, feasible options include placing additional warming or cooling elements inside the box, such as hot packs or ice packs. If the budget allows, portable food warmers are an excellent investment.
Delivery Methods
Food delivery companies always rack their brains optimizing their delivery methods. Things like transport equipment, routing, and order distribution are meticulously planned to ensure the food reaches patrons faster and safer. After all, the less time it takes to deliver, the less the food temperature is affected.
Environmental Factors
Environmental conditions, particularly outside temperature, can be your greatest foe.
Extreme heat and the stark rays of the sun can hasten the melting of cold foods like ice cream and cause hot foods to overheat and spoil in their containers. Conversely, cold weather can accelerate the cooling of your meals. Troublesome as it is, under extreme conditions, any temperature-retention measures seem quite futile unless large investments are made to counter it, such as mobile thermal catering vehicles designed for large-scale events.
Best Practices for Temperature Retention
Having identified factors that affect the temperature changes of takeout food, it’s easier to come up with corresponding measures.
Proper Packaging and Sealing
Whether you’re packing in paper boxes or aluminum foil containers, doing it right is key.
We know air circulation carries heat away, so sealing your packages tightly helps retain food temperature.
Generally, paper and aluminum foil containers come with either paper or plastic lids, with high-quality versions nearly achieving an airtight seal. Aluminum foil containers offer another advantage—they can be heat-sealed. A heat-sealed aluminum foil container can be completely airtight, maintaining the temperature during delivery, and also preventing spills due to jostling.
Do be mindful that while sealing preserves temperature, steamy hot food can cause condensation in an airtight container, affecting texture and taste. You might assume paper absorbs moisture better, pity, but most paper containers are film-lined to prevent the paper from getting soggy.
Use of Insulated Containers
As mentioned earlier, delivery services usually provide an insulated box for temporary food storage. But what if you don’t utilize such services, perhaps delivering through your own staff or a service that doesn’t offer insulated boxes?
Consider providing disposable insulated tote bags. They, too, have an aluminum lining and can be sealed at the top. While these provide some temperature retention, they come with a higher cost compared to plastic or paper bags.
Strategic Delivery Planning
Traditionally, before the rise of food delivery service apps, restaurant takeout was often familiar to customers. Thoughtful restaurant owners knew their customers’ locations well and planned appropriate delivery logistics based on distance.
Nowadays, most restaurants partner with delivery service apps, which are more efficient and cost-effective. However, ensuring food arrives in optimal condition is more challenging. In some developed countries, food delivery is seen almost as a leisurely job, with deliveries taking an hour or more. Regardless of how excellent your packaging’s insulative properties are, the food is bound to get cold after that long. The only remedy is to choose more competent and efficient service providers based on customer reviews on the app.
