Americans love their food. That’s why most restaurants in our country pride themselves on serving portions massive enough to give an elephant a stomach ache. Because of that, many diners often find themselves stuffed full while still having some hefty proportions left on the plate. Since leftovers make great lunch the next day, sending patrons home with a “doggy bag” has become a treasured ending to the American dining experience.

That said, let’s take a quick second to evaluate that concept. “Doggy bag.” What does it mean? Going on just the connotation delivered by the name, one would presume a doggie bag is full of doggie food—meaning food fit for your dog. In other words, the idea of a doggy bag kinda/sorta implies that you’re bringing your pup foodstuffs you’ve deemed inadequate and, well, crumby. To further exacerbate the situation, many restaurants simply push their customers out the door with a doggy bag that looks like something someone would use for cleaning up after a dog instead of feeding one.

Restaurants are a tough business, one that’s usually only conquered by the proprietor’s passion for delivering an exceptional experience to diners. This experience doesn’t end once the bill is paid. It’s continued when the customer leaves and, most importantly, when they tell their friends and family about their dining experience. There leftovers factor into this experience, and so does the container with which they use to bring their leftovers home.

While t-shirt bags or something similar tend to be an unofficial standard for take-out bags, they’re more utilitarian than anything else. There’s no rule that’s says take-out bags MUST be practical (or even that they have to be bags!) Take home bags should add to the diners experience, not be a result of it. That said, there are some ways to punch up your take-out bag offering and, in the process, give your restaurant the reputation it deserves.

For starters, take a look at exactly what customers will be bringing home with them. Typically, leftovers come in containers that are flat. This will require bags that have bags that have a bottom gusset or flat bottom in order to keep the food level. Even though it wouldn’t be the restaurants fault if a diner spilled leftovers on themselves during the trek home, it may still give the diner a negative memory of the restaurant.

Next, think of how to class up the retail packaging as a whole. Whether it’s a small-time joint or has three Michelin Stars to its name, all restaurants have room for touch ups. Those leftovers are a representation of the restaurant—nibbled, half-eaten representations, but representations nonetheless! How do you want your food to be represented? As far as retail packaging and take-out bags are concerned, there’s a number of themes to choose from, allowing the restaurant’s proprietor to send the right message about their establishment and its offerings.

Finally, think about your brand. It’s a topic this blog has touched on time and time again, and that’s because it’s an important one. In short, a restaurant’s brand is its essence. On top of picking the type of bags that best represent the restaurant, consider placing the logo on the packaging as well—a little advertising via retail packaging never hurts.

When considering take-out bags and containers, there’s a lot more to think about than most people realize. But by keeping in mind the choices that will best represent the restaurant, proprietors can provide take-out bags and containers that will help their patrons carry their brand—and their passion for food—further.

What about you? Do you think some flair can make even take-out bags better?