“You should expect a lot from your packaging,” said Kurt Richars, director of market development and sustainability, Anchor Packaging. “There are so many things good packaging can do for an operator.”

Richars’ list includes effectively displaying your food (“when customers see more, you sell more”), creating reduced waste by keeping food good longer, making food prep easier and migrating food from the hot case to the cold case, among others. The most important component Richars cites is the consumer experience—“bringing the customer back.”