Snack Boxes for Cafes and Chippers: Sizes and Custom Options
Snack boxes are small board containers for hot food-to-go. Cafes, chippers and food trucks use them for chips, wings, goujons, wedges and small meal portions. They fold flat for storage, hold heat better than a bag, and stack neatly in a bag for delivery. Most come plain kraft or white, and can be printed with your branding.
What is a snack box?
A snack box is a small folded board container with an open top or a tuck-in lid, made for hot food-to-go. It holds a single portion: chips, wings, goujons, wedges, a kids' meal. It arrives flat, pops open in a second, and keeps food together far better than wrapping it loose in paper.
Think of it as the step between a paper bag and a full takeaway container. A bag suits loose chips eaten straight away. A foil or plastic container suits a full main dish that needs a lid and a car journey. A snack box sits in the middle, for the portion that needs shape and heat but not a sealed lid.
Chippers use them for chips and chicken. Cafes use them for wedges, breakfast rolls and sharing sides. Food trucks and festival units like them because they stack flat in a small storage space and open one-handed at speed.
What sizes do snack boxes come in?
Snack boxes are usually sold as small, medium and large rather than by exact measurement. Small suits a side portion of chips or wedges. Medium is the workhorse for a chip portion or wings. Large takes a full snack box meal, chips plus chicken. Match the size to your portion, then check the box against a real serving before you commit.
The names vary by supplier, so always check the stated capacity or dimensions rather than trusting the label alone. The quickest test is a practical one. Serve your normal portion into a sample box. If the food sits below the rim with a little room, you have the right size. If it heaps over the edge, go up one.
| Size | Typical use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Side of chips, wedges, onion rings | Good as an add-on portion beside a main |
| Medium | Standard chip portion, wings, goujons | The everyday size for a single order |
| Large | Full snack box meal, chips and chicken | Needs a sturdier board when full and hot |
Stock the two sizes you actually sell in volume. Carrying five sizes ties up cash and shelf space, and staff end up grabbing the wrong one in a rush anyway.
What are snack boxes made of?
Most snack boxes are folded food-grade board, either brown kraft or white-lined. Board holds heat, keeps its shape when full, and stacks in a delivery bag without crushing. Greaseproof-lined board is the option to ask for with chips and fried food, because it stops oil soaking through the sides and marking the bag.
Two things decide which board you want:
- How greasy is the food? Chips and fried chicken need a grease-resistant lining. Dry snacks do not.
- How long is the journey? Counter collection is easy on a box. Delivery in a stacked bag needs a stiffer board that holds its shape.
Kraft board reads as plain and natural, and hides light marking well. White board gives a cleaner look and makes printed colour stand out. Both are food-grade, so pick on appearance and price rather than safety. The same food-grade rule applies to the bags you pack them in, which is covered in are paper food bags food-safe.
If the dish is saucy or the customer will reheat it, a snack box is the wrong choice. Use a sealed container instead, as set out in best containers for hot food.
Can you get snack boxes printed with your branding?
Yes. Snack boxes can be custom printed with your logo, colours, social handles or a short message. Printed boxes cost more per unit than plain ones and come with a minimum order, so they suit a line you sell every day. Plain kraft or white boxes stay the sensible choice for your slower items.
Printing works hardest on delivery orders, because your box lands on somebody's table with your name on it. A plain box tells the customer nothing about who cooked the food. If you sell a signature snack box, that is the one to print.
Before ordering print, settle three things: the size you will print, the artwork in a usable format, and how many you will realistically get through. A pallet of branded boxes in a size you later drop is money on a shelf. Start with your top seller, run it for a season, then add a second size.
Order snack boxes by the case
Small, medium and large snack boxes for chippers, cafes and food trucks, at trade prices with fast Irish delivery from our Cavan warehouse.
Are snack boxes recyclable?
Clean board is recyclable. A snack box that held chips or fried chicken usually is not, because grease and food residue spoil the paper fibre. Empty the box, and if it is heavily soiled it belongs in general waste rather than the recycling bin. Compostable and unlined board options exist, and they need the right collection to do any good.
This is the same rule that applies to pizza boxes and most food-soiled board. If you want to give customers honest guidance, put a short line on the box or the receipt. It costs nothing and it stops clean recycling loads being contaminated. Material by material disposal is covered in are takeaway containers recyclable.
How many snack boxes should you order?
Snack boxes are sold by the case and the unit price drops as volume rises, the same as the rest of your takeaway packaging. Count roughly how many you use in a normal week, then order enough to cover a month with a buffer for a busy weekend. Board stores well as long as it stays dry and off a cold floor, so buying ahead of a match day or a bank holiday is sensible.
Keep the plain boxes as your fallback. If a printed run is late, you still serve food. Running out of packaging on a Friday night costs far more than the extra case sitting in the store room.
Frequently asked questions
What is a snack box?
A snack box is a small folded board container for hot food-to-go. Cafes, chippers and food trucks use them for chips, wings, goujons, wedges and small meal portions. They arrive flat, open in a second, hold heat better than a paper bag, and stack neatly in a delivery bag.
What sizes do snack boxes come in?
Snack boxes are usually sold as small, medium and large rather than by exact measurement. Small suits a side of chips or wedges, medium takes a standard chip portion or wings, and large holds a full snack box meal. Test a real portion in a sample box before you order a pallet.
What are snack boxes made of?
Most snack boxes are folded food-grade board, either brown kraft or white-lined. Board holds heat and keeps its shape when full. For chips and fried food, ask for a grease-resistant lining so oil does not soak through the sides and mark the carrier bag.
Can snack boxes be printed with my logo?
Yes. Snack boxes can be custom printed with your logo, colours or social handles. Printed boxes cost more per unit and carry a minimum order, so they suit a line you sell every day. Print your busiest size first and keep plain kraft or white boxes for slower items.
Are snack boxes recyclable?
Clean board is recyclable, but a box that held chips or fried chicken usually is not, because grease spoils the paper fibre. Empty the box, and put heavily soiled ones in general waste rather than the recycling bin. Compostable options exist and need the right collection to work.
Should I use a snack box or a takeaway container?
Use a snack box for dry hot portions like chips, wings and goujons that go straight to the customer. Use a foil or plastic container with a lid for saucy dishes, full mains, or anything the customer will carry a distance and reheat later. The lid is what decides it.