American Egg Board

Whipped pasteurized egg whites hold their form for an appealing non-alc to-go option in this trend-forward aromatic creamy-topped Elderflower Foam Iced Tea.

It’s important to get this right. Haasarud contends that brands are going to be spending a lot of time serving guests drinks at home rather than in restaurants. “Takeout is going to be normalized soon, and operationally, we’ve got to put the pieces in place,” she says. “It’s just like when the industry made the switch to fresh years ago. It’s about adaptability. We have to get ahead of it and be smart about it.”

She sees opportunity in well-executed, large-format (multiple portions), ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails. “Curate something special like a gin and tonic using a boutique gin brand, and choose from the world of different tonic waters out there. Add fun garnishes.”

Perception is key. “The marketing has to be spot-on so you can validate the price you charge,” says Haasarud. “Make sure you clearly articulate how many portions are included in the bottle.”

Hospitality and customer service are locked together and should guide everything in the to-go strategy, from concept to execution to the finish line.
Barbara Akin

Chili’s Bar & Grill

The beverage kit in Chili’s clever Mar-GO-Rita takeout program plays off of its core strengths by moving a signature drink into a fun takeout experience.

Well-executed cocktail kits can do a lot of heavy lifting for a restaurant brand, articulating its personality, showcasing hospitality and bringing in revenue. “Whatever you’re known for is what you should be doing, but then dial it up a bit,” says Akin. “And pay attention to details.”

She points to Chili’s Mar-GO-Rita program as an example of offering guests a signature dine-in experience in a to-go format. Depending on state and local regulations, customers can order Chili’s margaritas for curbside or pickup in either a pre-mixed format or in a margarita kit. The kits include Patron Silver tequila, brandy, Chili’s fresh sour-and-triple-sec mix, salt and lime.

The brand has figured out a way to market itself outside of its restaurant while maintaining a fun relationship with its guests and reminding them of its unique identity.

“Start with cocktail kits that celebrate what makes your brand special—margaritas, sangrias or whatever it is,” says Tony Pereyra, bar and beverage specialist with The Spirits in Motion, based in Los Angeles. “Make them approachable so your customer can think, ‘I can make that!’

Include a QR code with a video so they can go to your website and watch your bartender walk them through the easy steps. And consider offering different levels of kits: something for the enthusiast as well as the guest who just wants the booze, mixer and ice.”

Thinking through how guests are going to want to enjoy drinks is critical. Hunky Dory in New York breaks down its cocktail offerings by considering when guests might want to consume them—a tactic that savvy operators should employ given that takeout isn’t just a quick fix for folks on the run anymore.

Its menu categorizes to-go cocktails into “Cocktails Piled High with Ice for Drinking Right Away” and “Cocktails for Drinking Now or Later.”

The former is offered in single servings and includes options like an Iced Irish Coffee with cold-brew coffee, raspberry-oat whip and Irish whisky.

The latter category is offered in single servings or in batches of 4-5 servings, with options like the Smoky Mountain Songbird, featuring mezcal, turmeric, Madeira and lemon, and the White Negroni, built with gin, gentian and blanc vermouth.

“Individual cocktails and DIY kits are extensions of your brand identity,” says Pereyra. “Figuring out the to-go experience isn’t a ‘nice-to-have,’ it’s a priority.” Flavor innovation is important as always, he says, but solving how it gets to market is the bigger issue at hand.

“Beverage solutions aren’t about the design of the recipe, but how we pour it. Staff is running leaner, so the bartender might be the host and the server, too. We have to design the next fun drink while saving on labor,” he says.

Pereyra sees draft beverage solutions as the answer for a lot of brands, in non-alc, cocktails, coffee and tea. “Put a raspberry-mint sparkling lemonade and a Ramos gin fizz on tap—beverages on tap are safe, consistent and labor-saving,” he says.

Quaker Steak & Lube brought back its branded Trash Can cocktails for its memorable and on-brand “Keep the Can” to-go initiative, which includes the Rummy Worm, a spin on the rum punch, and the Bull-dozer, a stiff drink with rum, vodka, gin, triple sec, peach schnapps, lemon sour mix and blue curaçao, topped with an upside-down can of Red Bull.

LOOKS MATTER

Pretty garnishes, lovely bottles or jars, and fun packaging build momentum behind a beverage program. Kathy Casey, owner of Kathy Casey Food Studios-Liquid Kitchen, a global agency specializing in food and beverage innovation and concept development, suggests batching cocktails, then bottling them in flasks or apothecary jars with cork stoppers and hand-written labels.

Don’t forget the lagniappes—the little touches of hospitality. If you’re doing a margarita kit, add a little container of hibiscus salt. If it’s a Bourbon Smash, include a few spiked Amarena cherries. Make it memorable.”
Kathy Casey

“Those are particularly great for guests going up to their rooms at hotels that aren’t offering bar service or who are choosing to socially distance, but still want to enjoy a crafted cocktail,” she says. Cocktails in a bag are fun and make transport easy. Her Toki Capri is a sunny mix of Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky, Aperol, yuzu, spiced ginger syrup, fresh lemon, mint, snapdragon and fresh citrus.

“Don’t forget the lagniappes—the little touches of hospitality,” she says. “If you’re doing a margarita kit, maybe with two different tequilas, agave, lime and mezcal, add a little container of hibiscus salt. If it’s a Bourbon Smash, include a few spiked Amarena cherries. Make it memorable.”

Pereyra calls these strategies “fresh finishes,” and says they’re crucial in a to-go cocktail program. “If you were sitting at my bar, you would see me shaking the cocktail shaker, stirring, straining—the theatrics of making a drink. If I was pulling from the draft, I would still add a fresh finish, an edible garnish or a squeeze of citrus,” he says. “Include those in your cocktail kits because they’re your last touch and help differentiate your beverage program.”

Kathy Casey Food Studios

Kathy Casey demonstrates the fun side of both cocktails and non-alc offerings for to-go menus: Toki Capri with Suntory Toki Whisky, Aperol, yuzu, ginger syrup and lemon; and a refreshing Blackberry Lemon Crush.

NON-ALC OPPORTUNITY

Similar principles apply here as they do in cocktails, offering a world of opportunity for those who get it right. “Do what sells well in your restaurant. If you sell strawberry lemonade, get that out in a to-go format, but add to the experience with color-changing reusable straws, maybe with your logo on it,” says Akin.

“Add a cotton candy puff to the top of a kid’s drink, sitting it on top of a mound of ice so it doesn’t melt into the drink. If you’re a higher- end brand doing in-house non-alc, sell your signature drinks in pretty glass bottles with branded bottle openers. Get that brand recognition through a really great beverage program.”

DIY kits are extensions of your brand identity. Figuring out the to-go experience isn’t a ‘nice-to-have,’ it’s a priority.
Tony Pereyra

THE TECHNICAL STUFF

With the grace period behind us and consumer expectations for to-go orders high, optimizing the experience in flavor and texture is clearly priority one on the food side of the menu. As the need for a robust, long-term takeout operation becomes more pressing, how do menu developers handle some of the technical issues that can cause a downgrade in experience? Tweak the formula, package differently or abandon the item? “The entire menu, item by item, needs to be scrutinized on how to optimize for the harsh environmental conditions of transit that the food will endure before being consumed,” says Robert Danhi, chef and owner of a culinary consulting firm based in Los Angeles. “Chefs will dream of the day when a dish sat on ‘the pass’ for a minute and they lost it. Now, you don’t even know if the dish was turned upside down during transport. Rethink everything, and have the foresight to imagine—and design—each item and how to ideally prep, cook and serve it in house or packaged to go.”

Kathy Casey is also owner of fast-casual concept Lucky Louie Fish Shack located at Sea-Tac Airport. She developed a battered fish formula that was carefully and strategically thought through to ensure a crispy coating that would hold up in a to-go format. “I just don’t think you can get and maintain that crispiness through hand battering in a restaurant for a to-go environment,” she says.

She sources wild Alaska pollock fillets that are special center-cut and custom-breaded, then frozen. Landing on the right formula for breading took months, but was worth the effort. “The custom-breading system adds seasoning, crunch and a layer of adhesion so that the light batter sticks to the fish and stays crispy,” says Casey. “The process sees a very quick dusting then a waterfall pass of the light batter, then a special panko that goes over last.”

For packaging, she says Lucky Louie goes with a combination of practicality and whimsy: a red plaid old-school boat, then a piece of wax paper, then wrapped butcher paper bundled with a red rubber band. “It adds a nice action to the expo line, is nicely branded and it keeps the heat without making the fish soggy.”

Left: Sixty Vines, right: Kim Haasarud

(Left) Sixty Vines, a Front Burner Restaurants brand in Dallas, matches the frothy, summery fun of frosé with its juice-box style to-go packaging. (Right) Creative bottling in a kit can translate the specialness of crafted cocktails. Designed for hotel guests, Kim Haasarud batches a Blueberry Cucumber Gimlet and bundles it with a shaker, stirrer, ice and rocks glasses.

For crispy or fried foods overall, vented packaging is ideal, releasing steam. “Consider thicker coatings rather than tempura so they hold their integrity, and look to denser foods, like falafel, which hold well during travel,” says Corliss.

Danhi advises tackling the to-go challenge with toasted sandwiches by coating the internal surface of bread or layering the fillings to protect the bread from absorbing moisture. “Fat may be liquid, but it is not moisture, and hence a fat-based sauce generally performs better in any sandwich,” he says.

For plant-based menu items, studying each component can help determine its to-go viability. “Think through how they’re going to be prepared and packaged, and maybe switch out items that don’t maintain heat well, like broccoli,” says Maeve Webster. “Residual cooking is a concern, so slightly under-prepare certain items so they still have a pleasing texture. Look at the harmony of some ingredients and consider switching them out—maybe it’s replacing caramelized onions in a bowl build with pickled onions. Structure becomes even more important here.”

Pasta dishes require technical attention for optimal experience. “Pasta is a solid choice for takeout with a few considerations to keep in mind,” says Corliss. “Leakproof and insulated packaging is critical. Good go-to dishes are pasta bakes, lasagnas and stuffed shells,” he says. “Use thicker/wider pasta over delicate shapes and consider putting the sauce on the side for travel, depending on the style of pasta and how much sauce it usually absorbs.”

Rethink everything, and have the foresight to imagine—and design—each item and how to ideally prep, cook and serve it in house or packaged to go.
Robert Danhi

Robert Danhi, a consultant for the American Egg Board, says that portability and eggs go hand in hand. The breakfast handheld is an obvious go-to here, but to keep things interesting, he suggests tucking a slice of Italian frittata or a folded “walking omelette” into a sandwich.

Braised dishes like the global hit shakshuka aren’t out of reach in the to-go space—with a little ingenuity they become easy on the prep team. Danhi suggests batch cooking the sauce and the eggs (either coddled or poached), then chilling. Then tuck the eggs into the sauce in the off-premise container when ready for service.

The takeout world has so many moving parts that require precision, passion and creativity to keep things headed in the right direction. “Hospitality means that you’re giving it a little bit of your heart,” says Hunter. “That’s what we do, whether it’s in the restaurant or in someone’s living room.”

Kathy Casey Food Studios

Kathy Casey says the key to maintaining crispiness of fried fish in takeout items is in the sourcing and breading system. She uses center-cut wild Alaska pollock fillets that are custom-breaded and frozen for optimal texture.