Yes, The Best Price Boxes makes custom burger boxes with no minimum order, and we will beat any written quote you already have. A burger box has about eleven minutes to do its job, and in that window it has to hold heat, let steam out, keep grease off the customer, and stop a stacked build from tipping over on a scooter.
Custom burger box specs
| Spec | What you get |
|---|---|
| Minimum order | None. Print one size, run it through a real service, and change it before you order a year of them. |
| Construction | One-piece hinged clamshell with corner locks, or a two-piece tray and lid. Clamshell is faster to close one-handed at a pass. |
| Board | Clay-coated food grade board for counter service, or E flute for delivery, where the extra stiffness stops a stack collapsing. |
| Food contact | Board and inks suitable for direct food contact, from components cleared for paper and paperboard under the FDA indirect food additive rules. |
| Grease resistance | Grease-resistant or clay-coated surfaces, available without intentionally added PFAS, which several states now require. |
| Venting | Die-cut vents in the lid or the side wall. The single most important spec on this box and the one most often left off. |
| Sizing | Built to your tallest build, not your standard one, with clearance so the crown is not touching the lid. |
| Stacking | Recessed lid or moulded ribs so boxes locate on each other instead of sliding, which is what keeps a delivery bag upright. |
| Printing | Full color CMYK, Pantone spot colors, white ink on kraft. Inside printing available and rarely used well. |
| Finishes | Aqueous coating on food surfaces. Lamination and foil on the outside only. |
Steam is what ruins a burger, not heat
A hot patty in a sealed box turns the air inside to water vapor, the vapor condenses on the coolest surface it can find, and that surface is the underside of the lid directly above the bun crown. Ten minutes later the top of the bun is wet and the customer thinks the kitchen sent out a soggy burger.
Vents fix it and cost almost nothing. A few small die-cut openings in the lid or the upper side wall let the vapor leave instead of raining back down. The trade is heat loss, so vent the lid for delivery where sogginess is the bigger risk, and vent the side wall for counter service where the box is opened in a couple of minutes.
Size to your tallest build
Kitchens size the box to the standard burger and then add a special with two patties and onion rings. The lid presses down on the crown, the box will not close properly, and the person at the pass forces it. Every one of those goes out looking squashed.
Measure the tallest thing on the menu, add clearance above it, and use that as the internal height. A slightly generous box with a stable base is a far smaller problem than a tight one, and it is the difference between a burger that arrives assembled and one that arrives in pieces.
Delivery and counter service are different boxes
A counter box is opened almost immediately. It can be lighter board, it can vent through the sides, and it never has to survive being stacked.
A delivery box spends twenty minutes in a bag, on its side sometimes, under two other orders. That box wants stiffer board so the stack does not collapse, a recessed lid or ribs so boxes locate on each other rather than sliding, and lid vents so the trapped vapor has somewhere to go. If you do both service styles at volume, two specifications is usually the right answer rather than one compromise.
Grease resistance and PFAS
Plain uncoated board stains within the hour on anything fried, and a greasy box in a customer hand is the last impression of the meal. Clay-coated and grease-resistant boards solve it.
Historically some grease barriers used PFAS chemistry, and a growing number of states now prohibit intentionally added PFAS in food packaging. We can supply grease-resistant board without intentionally added PFAS. If you operate in more than one state, specify it everywhere rather than tracking which jurisdiction requires what.
Print for a box that is seen closed and then thrown away
A burger box is looked at for a few seconds, closed, at arm length, often in poor light in a car or on a sofa. Detailed artwork is wasted there. A strong mark, a clear name and a legible allergen or handling line does more work than a full-bleed illustration.
Inside printing is the exception worth considering, because the lid interior is directly in view for the whole meal. A short line of copy there is one of the few places a takeout box gets read.
Related food packaging
See food boxes for the wider range, donut boxes for the same grease and steam questions in a bakery format, window boxes where the food does the selling, and gable boxes for meal deals and combos. Start a quote on the burger box product page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really need vents?
Yes, on anything hot. Without them the steam condenses on the lid directly above the bun and drips back down. A few small die cuts cost nothing and are the difference between a burger that arrives right and one that does not.
Should I vent the lid or the side?
Lid vents for delivery, where twenty minutes in a bag makes sogginess the bigger risk. Side vents for counter service, where the box is opened quickly and heat retention matters more.
What size should I order?
Size to the tallest build on the menu, not the standard one, and add clearance above the crown. A box that has to be forced shut sends out a squashed burger every time.
Is your board PFAS free?
We can supply grease-resistant board without intentionally added PFAS, which several states now require. If you operate across state lines, specify it everywhere rather than tracking which rule applies where.
Clamshell or tray and lid?
Clamshell for speed, because it closes one-handed at the pass. Tray and lid where the presentation matters more than the service time, or where the lid needs to be a different board from the base.
Get a quote for custom burger boxes
Send the dimensions of your tallest build, whether the boxes go over a counter or into a delivery bag, and how many sizes you need. We come back with a dieline, a venting recommendation, a digital proof and a quote. If you already hold a written quote for the same specification, send it and we will beat it.