GLOBAL Expertise with restaurants, bars, FOOD TRUCKS, and clubs

COMING SOON IN 2026!

Every restaurant has a packaging program.

Almost no restaurant has a packaging system.

A packaging program is a list of SKUs.

A packaging system is a strategy that protects your product, your margin, and your brand.

This book exists to teach you the difference — and to give you the tools to build the second one.

What This Book Will Help You Do

By the time you finish, you’ll be able to:

✔️ Diagnose whether your current packaging is helping or hurting profitability
✔️ Match materials to menu and pricing strategy — not guesswork
✔️ Build a packaging portfolio that supports speed, accuracy, and labor efficiency
✔️ Eliminate waste, redundancy, and SKU chaos
✔️ Engineer packaging for each revenue channel (dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering)
✔️ Plan for scale and sourcing stability
✔️ Turn packaging into a brand touchpoint that builds loyalty

Why Packaging Fails

Packaging fails when:

It fights the food
It fights the menu
It fights the labor model
It fights the price point
It fights the delivery environment
It fights the brand story

When all six align, packaging becomes one of the most powerful tools in the restaurant toolkit.

Why This Matters Now

You are operating in the most complex moment in restaurant history:

Off-premise is no longer optional
Guests expect perfection on the move
Third-party delivery owns first impressions
Material regulations create chaos
Sustainability mandates outpace infrastructure
Labor is more expensive — and harder to train
Margins are thinner than menu paper

If packaging is the last thing you consider, profit will be the first thing you lose.

This book is here to stop that from happening.

Eric Faber
Restaurant, Packaging & Hospitality Consultant
U.S. Restaurant Consultants • U.S. Foodtruck Consultants

U.S. Delivery Consultants • Packaging Resources

A SNEAK PEEK

PREFACE

BACK COVER

PREFACE

Packaging is one of the most misunderstood — and most expensive — decisions a restaurant makes. Not because of the price on the invoice, but because of what happens after that container leaves your building.

The wrong lid costs more in guest retention than it does in dollars.
The wrong material ruins your food faster than labor ever could.

The wrong lid costs more in guest retention than it does in dollars.
The wrong material ruins your food faster than labor ever could.
The wrong package damages your brand in the customer’s hand.

I didn’t learn this in a classroom. I learned it on the floor of factories, inside blow-molding facilities and thermoforming plants, in back-of-house prep lines, ghost kitchens, commissaries, franchise QSRs, mom-and-pops, food trucks, airports, casinos, catering programs, club stores, and everywhere in between.

I wrote this book because restaurants are being asked to operate with:

Higher costs
Lower guest patience
Faster delivery ecosystems
More competition than ever before

And packaging — the one tool that touches cost, product, guest experience, labor, and brand all at once — is still treated like an afterthought.

This book is my attempt to fix that.

It’s not about which container to buy.
It’s about how to engineer a packaging system that drives profit, protects food integrity, strengthens your brand, and supports modern restaurant operations.

Packaging is not a cost center.
Packaging is a strategy.

Let’s build it like one.

— Eric Faber

Show Less

FORWARD

BACK COVER

PREFACE

For twenty years in this business, I thought packaging was simple: find the cheapest container that won’t break and call it a day. I believed the purpose of packaging was just to “hold the food.”

Then I met Eric Faber.

Eric taught me — and countless operators around the country — that packaging isn’t just a container. It’s a guest experienc

Then I met Eric Faber.

Eric taught me — and countless operators around the country — that packaging isn’t just a container. It’s a guest experience tool. A profit lever. A branding engine. Packaging is the silent part of your service model that speaks the loudest once the guest walks out the door.

Before this book, there wasn’t a resource that connected:

Packaging to menu engineering
Packaging to labor efficiency
Packaging to delivery ecosystems
Packaging to repeat frequency and lifetime value

Now there is.

This book doesn’t sell you product. It teaches you how to think. It gives you frameworks, not catalogs. It shows you exactly how to make packaging decisions the same way you make menu, staffing, and financial decisions: with intention, clarity, and math.

If you care about margins, consistency, retention, delivery performance, brand reputation, or guest experience, you picked the right book.

Welcome to the first restaurant packaging manual that actually understands restaurants.

Show Less

BACK COVER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Packaging is not a line item. It’s a system.

And in today’s restaurant industry, that system determines margin, guest satisfaction, and brand perception more than most operators realize.

For decades, packaging has been treated as an afterthought—something purchased, not engineered. But the truth is simple:

The wrong packaging costs you far

Packaging is not a line item. It’s a system.

And in today’s restaurant industry, that system determines margin, guest satisfaction, and brand perception more than most operators realize.

For decades, packaging has been treated as an afterthought—something purchased, not engineered. But the truth is simple:

The wrong packaging costs you far more than the invoice.

It costs you labor efficiency.
It costs you product integrity.
It costs you repeat guests.
It costs you profit.

This book is the first operational manual to show restaurants how to build a packaging system—not a SKU list. You’ll learn how to match materials to menu, align packaging with labor and kitchen flow, support off-premise and delivery channels, streamline SKUs, and protect the product you’ve worked so hard to create.

Inside, you’ll find practical frameworks, real-world tools, and field-tested strategies for:

Engineering packaging for speed, quality, and consistency
Reducing waste, redundancy, and delivery failure points
Choosing materials based on menu physics, not guesswork
Protecting margins through system design and ROI logic
Packaging for independent operators, ghost kitchens, and multi-unit growth
Aligning packaging decisions with guest experience & brand value

This isn’t theory.

It’s the playbook for restaurants operating in the real world: where labor is tight, costs are high, and perfection is expected on the move.

Eric Faber is a lifelong packaging professional and restaurant consultant who grew up in the industry, learning manufacturing and operations from the inside out. His career spans blow molding, thermoforming, molded fiber, packaging sourcing, and restaurant systems consulting. Through U.S. Restaurant Consultants, he helps independent operators, franchise groups, and hospitality executives build packaging programs that drive profitability, protect product integrity, and elevate every guest touchpoint.

“Packaging isn’t a purchase. It’s a strategy.
And if you build it like one, everything gets better.” — Eric Faber

Show Less

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric Faber grew up in the packaging industry — literally.

As a young boy, he watched his stepfather pioneer one of the first American manufacturing operations for plastic cutlery and foodservice disposables. That early exposure led to a lifetime career in packaging, manufacturing, and consulting across North America and Europe.

Over forty y

Eric Faber grew up in the packaging industry — literally.

Over forty years later, Eric has built a rare cross-disciplinary expertise at the intersection of:

Restaurant operations
Packaging manufacturing & sourcing
Club store & retail product strategy
Food truck and ghost kitchen operations
Supply chain systems & logistics design
Hospitality experience engineering

Eric has advised independent operators, franchises, OEMs, and international project developers on how to build packaging systems that activate brand, protect product integrity, and drive profit.

He is the founder of U.S. Restaurant Consultants, U.S. Food Truck Consultants, Packaging Resources, and The Construction Forensics Group of Idaho, and the author of The Restaurant Playbook, Wheels Of Fortune, The Mobile Food Playbook, and the forthcoming Packaging For Restaurants.

When he’s not writing, consulting, or building packaging frameworks, he can be found in Idaho, working with operators, mentoring emerging entrepreneurs, and pursuing his mission to modernize the foodservice industry one system at a time.

Show Less

PACKAGING FOR RESTAURANTS

How to Build a Packaging System That Drives Profit, Brand & Customer Experience

PART I — THE LOST PROFIT CENTER

Why Packaging Is the Most Undervalued Asset in the Restaurant Business
The Packaging Profit Equation
The Hidden Costs of Bad Packaging (And How They Kill Margin)

PART II — THE PACKAGING SYSTEM

Designing a Pack

PACKAGING FOR RESTAURANTS

How to Build a Packaging System That Drives Profit, Brand & Customer Experience

PART I — THE LOST PROFIT CENTER

Why Packaging Is the Most Undervalued Asset in the Restaurant Business
The Packaging Profit Equation
The Hidden Costs of Bad Packaging (And How They Kill Margin)

PART II — THE PACKAGING SYSTEM

Designing a Packaging Program, Not Buying Containers
Menu Integration & Packaging Compatibility
Portioning & Yield Control Through Packaging
Guest Experience: Sensory, Delivery, Ritual & Repeat Behavior
Branding Through Packaging: The Silent Salesperson

PART III — CHANNEL-DESIGNED PACKAGING

Dine-In Packaging (Yes, it matters)
Takeout Packaging
Delivery Packaging (And 3rd Party Realities)
Drive-Thru Packaging
Ghost Kitchens & Virtual Brands
Food Trucks & Pop-Ups

PART IV — MATERIALS & METHODS

Plastics vs Fiber vs Paper — The Truth
Hot, Cold, Crispy, Saucy — Material Matchmaking
Sustainability Myths & Realities for Restaurants
How to Right-Size SKUs & Avoid Inventory Chaos

PART V — COST, ROI & SCALING

Packaging Cost as a Line Item vs Profit Engine
Supply Chain & Freight Reality
Club Stores, Retail Crossover & Packaging Extensions
Custom, Semi-Custom & Stock (When to Choose What)

PART VI — PACKAGING BY CONCEPT TYPE

Burger, Fried Chicken, Sandwich
Pizza, Pasta, Italian
Mexican & Greasy Food Profiles
Bowls, Salads & Cold Offerings
Coffee, Bakery & Beverage Packaging
Fine Dining, Catering & Banquets
Bars & Mixology Programs

PART VII — THE PACKAGING TOOLKIT

The Packaging Scorecard for Restaurants
Supplier Evaluation Criteria (and what to ask)
Spec Sheets, SKUs & Ordering Standards
Packaging ROI Calculator for Restaurants
Guest Feedback & Packaging Testing Protocols

PART VIII — CASE STUDIES

The QSR That Increased Repeat Orders 12% with Better Lid Fit
The Ghost Kitchen Saved by SKU Optimization
The Food Truck That Became a Retail Brand
The Fine Dining Chef Who Tripled Catering Revenue via Packaging

CLOSING

• The Future: Robotics, AI, Dynamic Packaging & On-Demand Manufacturing
• Final Thoughts: It’s Not Packaging — It’s a System
• Templates, Checklists & Tools
• About the Author

Show Less

GLOBAL Expertise with restaurants, bars, FOOD TRUCKS, and clubs

COMING SOON IN 2026!

What This Book Will Help You Do

Why Packaging Fails

Why This Matters Now

A SNEAK PEEK

PREFACE

BACK COVER

PREFACE

FORWARD

BACK COVER

PREFACE

BACK COVER

BACK COVER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PACKAGING FOR RESTAURANTS

How to Build a Packaging System That Drives Profit, Brand & Customer Experience

PART I — THE LOST PROFIT CENTER

PART II — THE PACKAGING SYSTEM

PACKAGING FOR RESTAURANTS

How to Build a Packaging System That Drives Profit, Brand & Customer Experience

PART I — THE LOST PROFIT CENTER

PART II — THE PACKAGING SYSTEM

PART III — CHANNEL-DESIGNED PACKAGING

PART IV — MATERIALS & METHODS

PART V — COST, ROI & SCALING

PART VI — PACKAGING BY CONCEPT TYPE

PART VII — THE PACKAGING TOOLKIT

PART VIII — CASE STUDIES

CLOSING

GLOBAL Expertise with restaurants, bars, FOOD TRUCKS, and clubs

COMING SOON IN 2026!

What This Book Will Help You Do

Why Packaging Fails

Why This Matters Now

A SNEAK PEEK

PREFACE

BACK COVER

PREFACE

FORWARD

BACK COVER

PREFACE

BACK COVER

BACK COVER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PACKAGING FOR RESTAURANTS

How to Build a Packaging System That Drives Profit, Brand & Customer Experience

PART I — THE LOST PROFIT CENTER

PART II — THE PACKAGING SYSTEM

PACKAGING FOR RESTAURANTS

How to Build a Packaging System That Drives Profit, Brand & Customer Experience

PART I — THE LOST PROFIT CENTER

PART II — THE PACKAGING SYSTEM

PART III — CHANNEL-DESIGNED PACKAGING

PART IV — MATERIALS & METHODS

PART V — COST, ROI & SCALING

PART VI — PACKAGING BY CONCEPT TYPE

PART VII — THE PACKAGING TOOLKIT

PART VIII — CASE STUDIES

CLOSING

This website uses cookies.