Food Packaging Supplies for Restaurants: What to Stock for Takeout and Delivery
The quick answer
A restaurant doing takeout and delivery needs four groups of food packaging supplies: food containers with lids, cups, lids and straws for drinks, carryout bags to put it all in, and trash bags for the back of house. Start with two or three container sizes, one cup size pair and one bag size, then add as your menu shows you what sells.
What to stock by type of business
| Business | Start with | Add later |
|---|---|---|
| Takeout and delivery restaurant | 24 and 32 oz containers with lids, carryout bags, trash bags | 8 oz soup or sauce cups, drink cups and straws |
| Meal prep and catering | 24 and 32 oz containers (with and without compartments), paper bags | Mixed-size storage sets |
| Cafe or drink-focused shop | 16 and 24 oz cups with lids, straws, carryout bags | Soup and food containers |
This guide covers the containers, cups, straws and bags JiaroPack carries. It does not cover items like cake boxes or pastry liners.
Food containers: sizes and case packs
Containers are where most of your packaging budget goes, so size them to your menu. Here are the options on our food container collection, with the cost per container at one case from the prices listed on October 19, 2026:
| Size | Type | Per case | Lid included | Cost each, 1 case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 oz | Deli / soup container | 48 | Yes | 54¢ |
| 16 oz | Storage set (2 cups / 1 pint) | 48 | Yes | 54¢ |
| 16 oz | Meal prep, 1 compartment | 50 | Check page | 52¢ |
| 24 oz | Meal prep, no compartment | 50 | Yes | 44¢ |
| 24 oz | Meal prep, 1 compartment | 100 | Check page | 40¢ |
| 32 oz | Meal prep, 2 compartments | 50 | Yes | 50¢ |
| 32 oz | Meal prep, 2 compartments | 100 | Check page | 50¢ |
| 32 oz | Quart storage set | 24 | Yes | $1.08 |
| 38 oz | Round meal prep | 50 | Check page | 80¢ |
"Check page" means the listing does not say whether a lid comes with the container, so confirm on the product page. Prices change with volume tiers and over time.
Compartments or no compartments?
A single open cavity suits soups, bowls and one-dish meals and fills faster. Two compartments suit a protein with a side. A restaurant with a mixed menu often stocks both. See our guide to compartment vs. no-compartment containers.
Small containers for soups and sauces
The soup container collection has 8, 16 and 32 oz containers with lids, plus mixed sets, for soups, sauces and sides.
Material and microwave safety
Ratings matter if customers will reheat the food. According to our guide on what microwave-safe and freezer-safe really mean, food-grade polypropylene (PP) is the standard material for microwave-safe containers, and a common published range for PP is roughly -40°F to 250°F. Ask any supplier for the stated range, and check the lid and base separately. Many suppliers recommend microwaving with the lid vented rather than sealed.
Cups, lids and straws
JiaroPack's plastic cups are clear, food-grade plastic cups described as suited to cold drinks, cafes and takeout. They come as sets with lids, in 16 oz and 24 oz, with either a straw lid or a strawless sip lid, 800 sets to a case. At the one-case price on October 19, 2026, that works out to about 14 cents a set.
For straws, the drinking straw collection has individually wrapped straws in 7.75 in and 10.2 in lengths, 3,000 to a case. Pick the longer straw for the 24 oz cup.
Carryout bags and trash bags
- Plastic carryout bags: thank you bags at 11.5 x 6.5 x 21 in are sold 1,000 to a case.
- Paper bags with handles: kraft paper bags in several sizes, for larger orders and a more premium look.
- Trash bags: wholesale trash bags from 1.6 to 60 gallons. Heavier waste calls for thicker bags.
How much to order
Work out what you use in a week: orders per week, times containers per order, times the share of orders that need each item. For example, a restaurant with 40 takeout orders a day that uses 1.5 containers an order goes through about 60 a day, or 1,800 a month. That is 36 cases of 50 or 18 cases of 100. (This is an illustrative example.)
As a rule of thumb, keep two to four weeks of your fastest-moving items on the shelf and reorder when you are down to the lead time of the supplier plus a week. Order more when a promotion or a holiday is coming.
Common mistakes
- Buying too many sizes. Two or three container sizes cover most menus.
- Ignoring the lid. Confirm that the lid is included and that it seals.
- Forgetting reheat ratings. Know the temperature range before you promise "microwave safe".
- Comparing price per case. Cases hold 24 to 3,000 pieces, so divide by the count.
- Running out of bags. A shortage of carryout bags stops service as surely as running out of containers.
FAQ
What food packaging supplies does a restaurant need?
Food containers with lids, cups, lids and straws, carryout bags, and trash bags. Add sauce and soup containers as the menu requires.
What size containers are best for takeout?
24 and 32 oz cover most meals. Add 8 or 16 oz for soups, sauces and sides.
How many containers come in a case?
From 24 to 150 on JiaroPack's range, depending on size and type.
Are the containers microwave safe?
Check the product page and ask us for the rating of the specific container. Food-grade PP is the usual material for microwave-safe containers.
Can I order a mix of items in one order?
Request a wholesale quote listing everything you need, and we will price the full order together.
How much stock should I keep?
A common rule of thumb is two to four weeks for your fastest-moving items.
Ready to order?
Browse the food containers, cups and straws, or request a wholesale quote for the full list.
Related reading: reusable vs. disposable meal prep containers, compartment vs. no-compartment containers.
Sources
- JiaroPack: Food containers (sizes, pack counts, prices as of October 19, 2026)
- JiaroPack: Plastic cups
- JiaroPack: Drinking straws
- JiaroPack: Microwave-safe and freezer-safe meal prep containers
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