A Practical Guide to Transitioning Your Foodservice Business to Compostable Packaging

Switching an entire foodservice operation's packaging over to plant-based alternatives in one go can feel like a big lift — new suppliers, new SKUs, new unit costs to plan around. Most businesses have more success treating it as a phased transition rather than a single switch.

Start with your highest-volume categories. For most restaurants and caterers, that's cups, clamshells, and plates — the items that move through the kitchen fastest and are most visible to customers. Getting those right first delivers the most impact for the effort.

Order a small quantity before committing to a full case or pallet, so your team can test how a product performs under your actual conditions — hot food, cold food, delivery time, stacking in a to-go bag — before it becomes part of your standard ordering.

Once a category is working well, move to the next one. Sipper lids, cutlery, and meal trays are natural next steps for most operations. Spacing the transition out this way keeps your kitchen running smoothly while you make the switch.

Finally, loop in your team. Staff who are packing to-go orders are the ones who'll notice if a new product doesn't seal as well or stack as neatly — their feedback is one of the fastest ways to catch issues before they become customer complaints.