A Guide to Soup Take Out Containers

Take out and delivery is still a large part of the eating out experience, but for restaurants that serve soups, transporting hot liquids may seem challenging. Here’s the scoop to serving hot soup on the go.

It’s important to consider all your to-go containers for soup:
• Paper Food Containers
• Injection Molding Bowls
• Hot Paper Coffee Cups

Paper Food Containers

Most major fast-casual restaurant chains use paper food containers to pack their soups for take-out. These to-go containers are popular for several reasons:

1. Custom print- Paper food containers can be custom printed with your branding. Chili’s, Panera Bread, Boston Market, Wendy’s, El Pollo Loco, and other chain restaurants that sell soup serve it in to-go containers that are printed with their colors and logo. Custom print restaurant supplies allow customers to quickly identify where their food is from and act as advertising when others see customers eating from these printed containers.

2. Grease resistant- Paper food containers are double poly-lined. In other words, the inside is coated with a plastic material that prevents hot liquid content from seeping through the paper structure. Soups cannot be absorbed because the slick lining makes the soups just slide right off.

3. Microwaveable- Soup in take-out containers can be reheated in the microwave. Other types of to-go containers are made of Styrofoam or PET plastics and these materials are not safe to microwave.

4. Secure with lid- Paper food containers always have a matching lid available to create a tight and secure seal that is perfect for transport. Be sure to find the correct lid size for your container cup.

5. Eco-Friendly Options- Typical paper food containers are made from renewable resources, however, they are lined with plastic which means they cannot be recycled or composted. Luckily there are eco-friendly to-go containers that are lined with PLA, a plant-based material, and after use, this entire take-out container is compostable in a commercial facility.

6. Insert Available- Keep broth separate from add-ins such as noodles or veggies with the use of a plastic insert. Container inserts help keep ingredients fresh avoid getting soggy, which makes for a better eating experience.

Injection Molding Bowls

Injection molding bowls are plastic bowls made from food-safe materials. These bowls have many similar benefits as paper-to-go containers including, grease resistance, safe in the microwave, and compatible secure lid. Restaurants will want to stock these plastic bowls when serving larger portions since they are sold in 22 oz, 36 oz and 48 oz sizes. Injection molding bowls are perfect to-go containers for soups like wonton soup or chicken noodle.




Karat Injection Molded Deli Containers and Lids withstand much higher heat levels and retain their shape better than regular deli containers.

Paper Hot Cups

Paper hot cups are an unconventional solution to soup on the go. Campbell’s created the Sipping Soup to go packaging to allow consumers to enjoy soup whilst on the road or at events where a conventional bowl and spoon are not an option. This is an excellent choice for bisques like tomato bisque. Fast-casual restaurants that aim to accommodate the needs of busy customers may try out a soup menu item and then serve it in a hot paper coffee cup. These cups can also be custom printed to give your business that extra brand advertising as people walk and drink your soup.

The Verdict

The real question may not be how to serve soup at fast-casual restaurants but rather which fast causal chain has the best soups? While that may be up for debate, restaurants can at least be sure that the best soup-to-go containers are available at Karat Packaging.

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