The 10 Best Food Delivery Bags
Special Honors
ServIt Heavy-Duty Food Delivery Bag Made with durable nylon and reinforced stitching, the ServIt Heavy-Duty Food Delivery Bag should hold up to plenty of use. It has extra fabric at the top flap to trap heat well, and has a rigid bottom for stability. The Velcro closure is easy to open quickly and secure just as rapidly, and its exterior pockets are good for utensils or condiments. servitproducts.com
Sterno Leak Proof Insulated Bag The Sterno Leak Proof Insulated Bag has a liner that isn't only tear-resistant with a three-year warranty, but also antimicrobial to prevent odor and mold buildup. It has reliable foam insulation to keep the contents at the ideal temperature, long carrying straps, and a clear ID window on the front. sternopro.com
Editor's Notes
October 29, 2020:
In selecting items for this list, we prioritized features that would help maintain the freshness and ideal temperature of food. We also wanted bags that would hold contents securely during transit, even when drivers make sharp turns or come to sudden stops since spilled or messy food typically results in a smaller tip. Whether you transport pizza, miscellaneous entrees, or large catering trays, we made sure there was something on this list for everyone.
For a bag that will survive plenty of pickups and drop offs, we like the Rubbermaid Commercial ProServe Catering for its rugged materials, as well as the Belleford PRO XXL, which has a rigid bottom and reinforced stitching. We decided to remove the Phoenix Vital Life Insulated because its handle is prone to ripping off when it takes on even moderate weight. We also eliminated the Kibaga Premium during this update because its zippers get stuck too often, which is a nuisance for delivery personnel who are in a hurry. Though the Nature's Wild ComDelBag looks good at first glance, its materials prove to be cheap, and it develops rips and holes easily, so we removed it.
The DeliveryPizzaBags OP-38499 was of good quality, but we took it off the list to make room for the New Star Foodservice Pizza, which can hold more and larger pies. We also added the BlueVoy Thermal Carrier, which is a sizeable option that can accommodate hotel pans. The Rubbermaid ProServe End-Load is another good pick for those who need to transport party-size platters, as it's technically a pan carrier. Unfortunately, the Brandzini FDB0001 loses its shape too easily, and begins to look old after little use, so we eliminated it, even though we appreciated its generous dimensions.
Those who make deliveries on a bicycle can benefit from the Homevative Backpack and the Packir PK-34V, both of which leave one's hands free to steer.
March 04, 2019:
When you run a restaurant or catering business, or you're making side money as a driver for apps like Postmates and Uber Eats, there's no knowing what sort or size of order you'll receive. That's why we cultivated a well-rounded list to meet a variety of needs. The Rubbermaid Full-Size End Load is ready to carry platters to a small gathering, with its supports for trays and hefty size. The Etz Thermal 85 and Nature's Wild ComDelBag are also large enough to accommodate quarter- and half-sheet chafing pans for parties. The DeliveryPizzaBags OP-38499 and Rubbermaid Commercial ProServe All Purpose are the type of classic red bag you see delivery men carrying hot pies inside of. They are both perfectly shaped for pizza boxes and feature a side opening that makes it easy to slide them out. If you deliver food on a bicycle, then you'll definitely want to check out the Packir PK-34V, since it features backpack-style straps and even has a reflective strip to help keep you safe.
Delivering Deliciousness
Nobody wants to eat a cold meal that was supposed to be served piping hot.
It has finally arrived — the night of the big game. Once your living room is filled with friends and the beverages are flowing, the food arrives at the front door, just in time. After you pay the driver, set everything out on the kitchen counter, and urge your visitors to dig in, your heart suddenly sinks.
The pizza is soggy. The wings are cold and dry. Your guests are trying to be polite, but they’re clearly dejected.
You’ve become the latest victim of a shoddy food delivery bag.
If you’re responsible for purchasing supplies for an established restaurant or outfitting an up-and-coming food startup, you’ll learn quickly that the delivery bag plays a critical role in determining whether the customer is ultimately satisfied.
Nobody wants to eat a cold meal that was supposed to be served piping hot. Retaining heat is perhaps the most vital function an insulated delivery bag can perform. By controlling the moisture level, these bags also preserve freshness and prevent the main course — be it pizza, pasta, or a sandwich — from becoming soggy or dried out.
Assisting the driver in staying organized is an important but often overlooked aspect of a delivery bag, too. Some styles contain multiple compartments for separating menu items, and many include convenient features like receipt pouches, beverage chambers, and comfortable carrying straps.
Most models will hold multiple orders at once, which vastly improves the efficiency of the delivery process, allowing the driver to drop off several warm meals in one trip. A delivery bag is also extremely useful for hygiene, both in practice — it helps protect food from contaminants — and in appearance. Customers like to see their orders covered in a clean container.
Customers also appreciate professionalism, which is exactly what a quality delivery bag conveys. Someone who is impressed with your presentation is more likely to develop loyalty and become a repeat customer. The effectiveness of a sharp-looking bag embossed with your business’s logo may surprise you, especially if it produces a tasty dish served up at just the right temperature.
A Complement To The Chef
When you think about a delivery bag, the first application to pop into your mind is probably pizza. And why not? Few things are more American than ordering up a hot pizza pie. Today, however, delivery services span across industries: restaurants and cafes, coffee shops, sub sandwich chains, catering businesses, and on-demand food startups, to name a few.
Over the past couple of decades, the prevalence of food delivery has increased exponentially, and there’s little to indicate that this trend won’t continue. Despite its rising popularity, it’s not an easy gig — countless things can go wrong with any given delivery.
Typically, you’ll be able to choose from nylon and vinyl bag styles, both of which are tough and water-resistant for making deliveries in myriad weather conditions.
The right bag for your application will help prevent any miscues in the delivery process from ruining a customer’s experience. Typically, you’ll be able to choose from nylon and vinyl bag styles, both of which are tough and water-resistant for making deliveries in myriad weather conditions.
The primary benefit to a nylon bag is its breathability, which allows it to retain heat even as steam escapes, helping to prevent the food inside from becoming soggy. Vinyl bags don’t breathe as well, but they’re leak-proof and usually more affordable. These work well for short deliveries that don’t require a bunch of stops.
Depending on the type of operation you’re delivering for, plenty of extra features may come in handy. Bags with removable racks are ideal for pizza delivery drivers who need to keep multiple pies stable and secure during a multi-stop trip. For exceptionally heavy orders, a hardboard bottom is useful in providing extra stability, as well.
Some include individual insulated runners to provide additional support for pans, making them easy to slide in and out of the bag during deliveries. If you work at night in low-light areas, a bag with reflective strips is a nice choice for enhancing visibility during your trips.
Businesses that want to maximize their marketing opportunities should consider bags with integrated identification windows or slots, which can hold coupons, business cards, brochures, menus — anything you’d like to use to boost your exposure to consumers and potential customers.
Food Delivery: A Brief Timeline
The Ancient Romans didn’t invent the concept of cooking food in one location and distributing it to another, but they did plant the seeds. In creating the thermopolium, the Romans basically established antique take-out restaurants, serving up food prepared by professional chefs to villagers who didn’t have their own kitchens.
The next step in the evolution of this idea is one you're familiar with: pizza delivery.
The next step in the evolution of this idea is one you're familiar with: pizza delivery. Instead of taking aim at the working class, super-rich Italians in Naples got the ball rolling on this concept in 1889, when the King and Queen decided they wanted pizza but didn’t feel like jostling around with commoners to satisfy their craving.
During the same time period, an innovate immigrant in Mumbai launched what may have been the world’s first food delivery business. When he noticed some other immigrant workers lacking lunches, he developed an intricate system for collecting home-cooked meals from across the city and distributing them to hungry laborers with astounding accuracy.
As we entered the 20th century, horse-drawn food and snack deliveries began to appear in American cities like New Orleans and New York. Pizza delivery started to catch on in the 1950s, but the pies tended to become soggy quickly, and due to poorly-designed bags, deliveries containing multiple pizzas often arrived in a jumbled mess.
You can thank the 1960s version of Domino’s Pizza for pushing pizza delivery to the forefront of American culture — or more specifically, the company’s development of the corrugated cardboard box as a delivery mechanism. It provided stability, ventilation for escaping steam, and the ability to stack multiple pizzas, allowing consumers to wave goodbye to loathsome, soggy pies forever.