Configure Packaging Preferences for Takeout and Delivery

In this Article:

• Packaging Preferences Overview
  • Important Information for LA County and NYC Restaurants
• Packaging Preferences Settings
• Suggested Packaging Preferences Configurations
  • Eco-Friendly Single Location Restaurant
  • Multilocation Group - All Locations Are the Same
  • Multilocation Group - Multiple Setups Required
• What Guests and Staff Will See

Packaging Preferences for Takeout and Delivery Overview

All restaurants have to package their food for takeout and delivery. Traditionally, packaging items like condiments and utensils or plasticware are included in all orders, regardless of whether the guest actually needs those items. The packaging preferences settings in Toast Web give you a way to ask your guests how they would like their orders packaged, leading to less waste. 
 

Watch this video to hear directly from Toast customer, Cutty's, about how to waste less with packaging preferences!

A few important things to note:

• At this time, packaging preferences will only apply to digital orders (not for in-store orders).
• For multilocation groups: In order to configure these settings in Toast Web, you must have the 6.6 Restaurant Operations Setup permission for every location in order to access all locations within the group.
• Third-party online ordering integrations will need to configure their checkout to match the packaging preferences you set in Toast Web. See more information in our developer guide: .

Important Information for LA County and NYC Restaurants

Please be aware that regulations in Los Angeles County (unincorporated areas) and in New York City require Toast to configure our platform in a way that helps prevent restaurants from providing single-use foodware accessories to your guests without them asking. Toast will do this by enforcing packaging preferences configuration that requires guests to “opt-in”. 
 

To promote a smooth transition and give you ample time to prepare, we've implemented an initial voluntary opt-in period for merchants, effective March 6, 2024. This initial voluntary opt-in period is designed to give your restaurant the flexibility to choose when to implement the feature based on your operational needs. However, to ensure Toast’s adherence to local regulations, the setting requiring guests to opt-in to single-use foodware accessories will automatically be applied to locations based in the applicable jurisdictions on July 1, 2024.

Packaging Preferences Settings

You can access the packaging preferences configuration page in  by navigating to Takeout & delivery > Packaging preferences > Packaging preferences.

On this page, you’ll see four top-level settings that allow you to configure your packaging offerings to guests:

• Enable packaging preferences? - toggling this setting On allows you to start asking your guests about their packaging preferences.
• Guest message - an optional, customizable message to display to your guests when they place a digital order.
• Packaging items - the packaging items your restaurant can include in orders. Your guests will be asked if they want each one of these with their order.
• Display guest selection on Toast devices - choose how you want to show guests’ packaging selections to your staff.
  • Show - your guests’ selections will always display on Toast devices.
  • Hide - your guests’ selections will only show if they are different from your default setting (for example, straws are included by default, but your guest unchecks the box for straws on their online order).

Some things to consider as you approach your restaurant’s packaging preferences setup:

• Cost-savings opportunities from reducing single-use items
• How guests might want different packaging items
• Your restaurant’s environmental ambitions
• Local regulations governing packaging 

Suggested Packaging Preferences Configurations

Eco-Friendly Single Location Restaurant

Scenario: Guests eating your food may need utensils, napkins, straws, and condiments. Unless requested, you don’t provide any of these items. A common situation is that a guest eating away from home will need utensils, napkins, and straws. Condiments may be needed either at home or away from home, their use just depends on a guest's eating preferences.
 

Recommended steps:

1. On the packaging preferences page (Takeout & delivery > Packaging preferences > Packaging preferences), toggle Enable packaging preferences? to the On position.
2. In the Guest message field, create a message that explains how guests can make a difference by not requesting items that they don’t need.
3. Create a Packaging item for foodware. 
   1. Select + Add Item.
   2. Ensure that Included by default? is set to No.
   3. Select the Category checkboxes for Utensils, Napkins, and Straws. (Note: If you’ve already added an item and selected one of these category checkboxes, you won’t be able to select them again. You’ll need to delete any other Packaging items that have these category checkboxes selected). 
   4. For Guest-facing name, type “Single-use foodware”.
   5. For Additional description for guests, type “Utensils, napkins, and straws”
   6. If desired, add a Custom name on POS devices for staff to see. If you don’t add a custom name, Toast will use the names of the categories that you selected (Utensils, Napkins, Straws). 
   7. Select Add.
4. Create a Packaging item for condiments.
   1. Select + Add Item.
   2. Included by default? = No.
   3. Select the Category checkbox for Condiments.
   4. Guest-facing name = “Condiments”.
   5. Additional description for guests = “Provided only by request”
   6. Select Add.
5. At the top of the packaging preferences page, select Preview to see how this will look to your guests.
6. Save your changes, and then select Go to Publish Center on the green banner to publish your changes. 

Multilocation Group - All Locations Are the Same

Scenario: You manage more than one location, but all locations have similar food and follow the same packaging procedures. A common situation is that a guest ordering from your juice-only restaurant may not always need a straw to enjoy their beverage. Some guests may have their own reusable straws or may prefer not to use a straw at all.
 

Recommended steps:

1. On the packaging preferences page (Takeout & delivery > Packaging preferences > Packaging preferences), toggle Enable packaging preferences? to the On position.
2. In the Guest message field, create a message that explains how guests can make a difference by not requesting items that they don’t need.
3. Create a Packaging item for foodware. 
   1. Select + Add Item.
   2. Ensure that Included by default? is set to No.
   3. Select the Category checkbox for Straws. 
   4. For Guest-facing name, type “Straws”.
   5. For Additional description for guests, type “Straws provided upon request”
   6. If desired, add a Custom name on POS devices for staff to see. If you don’t add a custom name, Toast will use the names of the category that you selected (Straws). 
   7. Select Add.
4. At the top of the packaging preferences page, select Preview to see how this will look to your guests.
5. Save your changes, and then select Go to Publish Center on the green banner to publish your changes. 

Multilocation Group - Multiple Setups Required

Scenario: You manage more than one location and different regions follow different packaging procedures (or have to follow different packaging regulations). 

In this case, we recommend creating a default setup that applies to the largest number of locations in your group. Then, you can add overrides to change the configurations for the locations that need a different setup. 

A few examples:

• Most of your locations don’t need packaging preferences enabled, but a few restaurants are in a state with local regulations that require them.. 
• Most of your locations are in a region where guests prefer to have utensils included with their orders, but a few restaurants are located in an area where they often opt out. 

To be as efficient as possible, organize your location groups appropriately (learn more: ).

1. Go to the packaging preferences page (Takeout & delivery > Packaging preferences > Packaging preferences) and set up the configuration that applies to the majority of your locations. 
   1. If most of your locations don’t need to implement packaging preferences, toggle Enable packaging preferences? to the Off position.
   2. If you want to enable packaging preferences for the majority of your locations, you might find it useful to refer to the  section of this article for an example setup.
2.  In the Overrides section at the bottom of the packaging preferences page, select Add override + to create your first override.
3. Use the Target group/location drop-down to select a location group or an individual location.
4. If needed, use the Owner group/location drop-down to select a different location or group that can edit this override.
5. Use the Setting drop-down to select which setting you’d like to change for the selected group/location. For example, if most of your locations have packaging preferences enabled but you’re adding an override for one location that doesn’t need packaging preferences, you’d select Enable packaging preferences? from this drop-down.
6. The setting you select will appear on the page. Make the change that you want to apply for this override. 
7. Select Done.
8. Repeat steps 2-7 to override other settings, or if you need a different override for another group/location.
9. Save your changes and select Go to Publish Center to publish them.

If you have overrides configured, you’ll see them listed on the packaging preferences page for each individual setting, as well as the complete list in the Overrides section at the bottom of the page. 

What Guests and Staff Will See

You can select the blue Preview button at the top of the packaging preferences page to see how your default configuration will appear in online ordering, the Orders Hub, and on the KDS. See the examples below:

Toast Online Ordering: 

Orders Hub:
 

Kitchen Display System (KDS) screen:
 

KDS ticket:
 

Packaging Preferences will only show on the Expediter Kitchen Display Screen or tickets printed from the Expediter printer. They will not show on Prep Station Display Screens or print on tickets from a Prep Station printer.