In today's competitive restaurant landscape, delivering exceptional food isn't enough. Diners seek memorable experiences, and visual branding plays a pivotal role in shaping those experiences. One often-overlooked branding opportunity lies in your food packaging — specifically, custom greaseproof wrapping paper.
Custom-branded food wrap not only protects your culinary creations but also serves as a canvas to showcase your brand's identity. It's an affordable and effective way to enhance customer perception, foster loyalty, and even encourage social sharing.
Why Visual Branding Matters for Small Restaurants
Sure, serving great food is non-negotiable. But want to know a secret sauce?
Your food’s first impression usually happens before the first bite.
That’s where visual branding comes in – and it’s a total game-changer for small restaurants. With the right branding, you can:
- Stand Out: In a sea of burgers, tacos, and pastries, great branding makes you the one that customers remember (and crave).
- Look Tastier Than Ever: Thoughtful, custom packaging instantly boosts how customers perceive the quality of your food — without changing a single ingredient.
- Earn Loyal Fans: Consistent branding across your packaging, menus, and even your Instagram feed builds trust and turns first-timers into regulars.
- Get Free Marketing: Let's be honest – everyone loves snapping food pics. Branded wrapping makes it way more likely your food stars in someone's next post.
And here's the best part, big branding isn’t just for the big guys anymore.
At It's a Wrap, we make it easy (and affordable) for small restaurants to step up their branding game.
With low minimums starting at just 500 sheets, free artwork, and a team that's ready to help, you can have custom greaseproof paper that looks like a million bucks – without spending it.
And trust us, packaging matters more than ever. In fact, according to Coherent Marketing Insights, the global packaging design market is expected to reach $32.42 billion by 2030, because customers notice (and remember) the details.
5 Tips for Designing and Placing Your Logo on Food Wrapping Paper
1. First things first: size matters (at least when it comes to food wraps!).
- Pick the Right Paper Size: Think about what you're wrapping. A towering club sandwich? A delicate pastry? A full basket of fries? Bigger items might need a 12"x12" sheet, while smaller bites are perfect with 6"x6" squares.
- Scale Your Logo Smartly: You want your logo to feel just right - not so big it takes over, not so small it gets lost in the sauce (literally).
- Not Sure Where to Start? No worries. Our team at It's a Wrap has wrapped everything from tiny macarons to giant burritos, and we'll help you nail the perfect size.
2. Select Appropriate Colors
Color isn’t just decoration, it’s one of the best ways to express your brand’s personality. Spark emotion and make your restaurant recognizable – even from across the room... or on someone’s Instagram feed.
- Know Your Logo: Is it a simple 1-color masterpiece? A bold 2-color combo? A full-color explosion? Your logo style helps determine your printing approach (and cost).
- Choose Your Paper Wisely: White greaseproof paper = clean, crisp, modern. Kraft paper = earthy, natural, rustic. Match your paper vibe to your restaurant's energy.
- Make the Logo Pop: Your logo is awesome (we know it – and so do you). So, make sure there's enough contrast between your logo color and your paper background. Good contrast is easy to see, easy to read, and easy to remember.
Pro Tip: We always send a proof for you to double-check before production. Just so you know, screens display color in RGB (red, green, blue), while printers use Pantone® or CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). Since the color systems are different, printed colors may not look exactly the same as they do on your screen – but don’t worry, we’ll make sure it still looks amazing.
3. Decide on Pattern or Placement
- Full Pattern Design: Grid, checker, or diagonal! Repeating patterns make sure your logo shows up no matter how the paper folds, crumples, or wraps.
- Intentional Placement: Want a big, bold logo front and center? Or maybe tucked into a corner? Intentional placement can create a focal point that could be effective for tray liners or open-faced presentations.
- Think About the Food: How will your food sit on the paper? Design the placement around how your customers will experience it.
4. Maintain Brand Consistency
- Reflect Your Brand Personality: Your packaging should match your restaurant's overall branding. A minimalist café might go for subtle, spaced-out, 1-color logos, while a vibrant food truck could go with bold, closely packed, full color designs.
- Ensure Cohesiveness: Consistency across all branding materials – menus, signage, packaging, etc. – reinforces brand identity and enhances customer trust.
Remember, branding is about making customers feel something, and the little details are what bring the whole experience together.
5. Explore Creative Alternatives
Go beyond the logo. Consider incorporating other elements into your food wrapping paper, such as:
- Brand Pattern & Icons: Instead of your logo, add some flavor from your branding. You can design a custom pattern using brand elements – like icons, illustrations, slogans, or textures that fit your vibe. A taco shop might scatter little taco illustrations across their wrap. A coffee shop might use hand-drawn beans or mugs.
- Menus: Printing your menu on the wrap can be both functional and informative. With minimums as low as 500 sheets, this is a great opportunity to showcase seasonal or weekly specials.
- Add an Activity for the Kids (or the Adult Kids): Make table placemats that Include puzzles or games for children, because what kid wants to sit still while waiting for those delicious chicken tenders?
- Promotional Material: Add QR codes, discount codes, loyalty program info, or your social media handles. Turn every sandwich into a marketing opportunity!
- Encourage Social Sharing: Give customers a reason to snap a pic and tag you. "Tag us at @YourRestaurant for a chance to win!" works better when it’s right there on the wrap.
Real-World Inspiration
Lil’ Nashville Country Bar & Kitchen (Chiswick, London)
Lil’ Nashville knows how to bring a little bit of country to their tray liners. Their logo is printed in 2-colors (red and blue), in a diagonal brick pattern on kraft greaseproof. A simple, effective, and timeless look that we absolutely love.
https://www.lilnashville.co.uk/
Flitcroft’s Home Baked (Saddleworth, UK)
We don’t know what we’re drooling over more, the brownies, or the great experience that Flitcroft’s Home Baked provides – ok, maybe we know what we’re drooling over more (we’ll take a box of the triple Belgian chocolate brownies).
Flitcroft’s prints a fun and playful brand pattern in their brand’s blue color on white greaseproof. The brand pattern features their logo sprinkled throughout, but it isn’t the focus of the design, instead, they opt for words like “delicious”, “heavenly”, and “sooo good!” giving an experience as tasty as their sweets.
Words can be powerful, they can fire up cravings, crank up anticipation, and make that first bite feel even more mouthwatering… before it even hits your taste buds.
https://www.flitcroftshomebaked.co.uk/
Getting started is easier than you think.
At It's a Wrap, we believe every restaurant – big or small – deserves to look and feel like a big brand. Here's how we make it simple:
- Low Minimum Orders: Start with just 500 sheets, perfect for small businesses.
- Free Design Assistance: Don’t have a design team? That’s ok, we do! Our team of designers will help you put together the perfect greaseproof.
- Worldwide Delivery: Our greaseproof paper is made in both the UK and the US and shipped globally, so wherever you’re cooking, we’re right there with you.
- Quick Turnaround: Our typical turnaround time is 7-10 business days, getting you one step closer to serving up your brand.
Ready to serve your brand?
Your brand deserves more than a plain paper wrapper. Let’s turn your packaging into something customers can’t stop talking about (or photographing).
Request your free sample today and see just how easy it is to bring big-brand energy to your small restaurant!
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