New food businesses tend to get packaging wrong in one of two ways: buying small retail packs in a panic the week before opening, or over-ordering six sizes of container and finding half of them never leave the stockroom. This checklist is the middle path, built around a two-week opening stock and a short list of items that every takeaway, dark kitchen and cafe needs.
Part 1: Food packaging
Microwave containers with lids
Your core item. Start with two sizes, not four: 650ml for mains and 500ml for sides and rice. Add 750ml or 1000ml only if your menu has a dish that needs it. Each Betapro case contains 250 bases and 250 lids. Opening stock: 2 cases of 650ml, 1 case of 500ml. Read which container size you need and browse takeaway containers.
Sauce pots with hinged lids
One case of 2oz covers most sauces, dips and sides; add 1oz if you serve ketchup and mayo by the portion, 4oz for raita, hummus and salads. Opening stock: 1 case of 2oz (1,000 pots), optionally 1 case of 1oz. See the sauce pot size guide and sauce pots.
Napkins
One or two 30x30cm napkins per order. Opening stock: 1 case of 30x30cm serviettes. See napkins & serviettes.
Carrier bags, cutlery and labels
Not stocked by Betapro, but on the list: paper carrier bags sized for your containers, wooden or CPLA cutlery packs, tamper-evident stickers for delivery platforms, and allergen labels (required under Natasha's Law for food pre-packed for direct sale).
Part 2: Kitchen hygiene
Blue roll
Used for wiping surfaces and hands all day; a kitchen gets through a 150m roll every one to two days. Opening stock: 1 pack of 6 x 150m. See blue roll and what blue roll is for.
White roll
For front-of-house, prep benches and anywhere a blue fibre would be visible on food. Many kitchens colour-code: blue in the kitchen, white at the counter. Opening stock: 1 pack of 6. See white roll.
Bin bags
Heavy duty, on a roll, one roll by each bin. From March 2025 workplaces in England with 10+ staff must separate food waste and dry recycling, so plan at least three streams. Opening stock: 1 case of 50-bag rolls. See bin bags and which bin bags a kitchen needs.
Toilet rolls and hand towels
Staff and customer washrooms need a dispenser-format roll that lasts a shift. Opening stock: 1 case of 12 mini jumbo rolls (check the core size fits your dispenser). See toilet rolls.
Part 3: The opening order in one list
- 2 x case 650ml microwave containers (500 containers with lids)
- 1 x case 500ml microwave containers (250)
- 1 x case 2oz hinged sauce pots (1,000)
- 1 x case 30x30cm napkins
- 1 x 6-pack blue roll 150m
- 1 x 6-pack white roll
- 1 x case heavy-duty black bin bags, 50-bag rolls
- 1 x case mini jumbo toilet rolls (12)
That covers roughly two weeks for a takeaway doing 150–250 orders a week. Reorder when you open the last case of each line, and move to pallet pricing once you know your weekly run-rate.
Five mistakes to avoid
- Buying retail packs. A 650ml container with lid is around 12p by the case; supermarket packs cost three to five times that.
- Too many sizes. Every extra size is another case to store and another decision at the pass.
- Containers that are not microwave safe. Customers reheat in the tub; use PP containers marked microwave safe. See our guide.
- No sauce pots. Sauce packed loose over rice turns a good dish into a soggy one by the time it arrives.
- Light-duty bin bags. Kitchen waste is wet and heavy; a split bag is a hygiene problem.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a trade account to buy packaging wholesale? Not with Betapro. Add cases to the basket and check out; VAT invoices are emailed automatically.
How much should a takeaway spend on packaging per order? With case pricing, container + lid + sauce pot + napkin typically comes to 15–20p per order before bags and cutlery.
Can I order a pallet for a new site? Yes; request a quote with your expected weekly volume and we will build a mixed pallet.