How PandaPak helped a dark kitchen group fix packaging costs, quality, and supply: The Encore Kitchens story

For a dark kitchen, packaging is part of the product. A lid that pops open, a bowl that loses its shape, or a late delivery of stock rarely stays inside the kitchen; it turns up in a customer’s review. PandaPak is a UK wholesale supplier of disposable food and drink packaging for takeaway, food-to-go and catering, with a strong focus on paper bowls and soup containers. You can read more about PandaPak on its website. Encore Kitchens, a UK operator running several delivery-first brands, was dealing with high unit costs, uneven packaging batches and late deliveries when it turned to PandaPak for help with pricing, packaging quality and stock planning.

Encore Kitchens’ challenge: High unit costs, uneven batches and late deliveries across several brands

Encore Kitchens is a UK dark kitchen operator managing multiple delivery-first food brands from shared kitchen facilities. With more than 550 kitchens across 25+ locations in the UK, Encore operates at a scale where packaging decisions affect multiple menus, teams and customer experiences. Its operation depends on four connected priorities: maintaining consistent food quality, presenting each brand appropriately, keeping essential packaging available, and ensuring orders reach customers reliably. With several brands relying on shared resources, packaging needs to meet different operational requirements without adding unnecessary complexity to procurement and replenishment.

Before working with PandaPak, Encore faced three related challenges.

Cost was an immediate concern because unit prices across frequently purchased packaging products placed pressure on margins. Even small differences in the cost of individual items can become significant when purchasing volumes grow across multiple brands.

Quality presented a separate risk. Some packaging batches did not meet the expected standard, increasing the potential for leakage, poor food presentation, and customer complaints. These inconsistencies also made it harder to maintain a uniform delivery experience across brands.

Supply added further pressure, with late deliveries and stock shortages threatening the continuity of daily operations. When several brands depend on the same kitchen infrastructure, a shortage of essential packaging can affect more than one menu or service. Encore needed a supplier that could address these issues together rather than treating each order as an isolated transaction.

How PandaPak solved it: Account-based pricing, delivery-ready packaging and planned stock

PandaPak started with cost. It reviewed Encore’s full product mix and, rather than pricing line by line, restructured pricing around total account value. The result was more competitive unit costs across core products, with clear cost breakdowns and volume-based efficiencies.

Quality was a priority from the start. PandaPak specified packaging for the demands of delivery, where food travels further before it is eaten: secure snap-on lids, leak-resistant bowls, and strong materials, all food-safe for hot and cold food.

For supply, PandaPak introduced stock forecasting and delivery planning. Stock stayed available, last-minute shortages became less likely, and lead times became predictable, backed by clear, proactive communication. The same thinking sits behind PandaPak’s storage and distribution service for regular orders.

Read the full account of how PandaPak supports Encore Kitchens in PandaPak customer stories.

What the Encore story shows about PandaPak’s approach to foodservice supply

PandaPak’s approach to foodservice supply centres on four areas: packaging quality, purchasing costs, supply reliability and support as customer requirements evolve.

Quality: Robust packaging designed for delivery

PandaPak’s packaging is designed to maintain food quality and presentation during handling and transport. Its lids clip shut at 25–26 points around the rim, compared with 14–15 on standard lids, and one lid fits several sizes: a 150mm lid for 500ml and 1000ml bowls, and a 90mm lid for 8oz and 12oz soup containers. Paper bowls use 320gsm board, with double-layer options up to 338gsm, and soup bowl inserts in 36oz, 42oz, and 54oz keep noodles and broth apart. Materials are PFAS-free (No PFAS added), BPA-free, and food-contact safe, and the range offers more sizes than the suppliers PandaPak compared.

Cost: Competitive pricing across the full account

PandaPak prices orders based on the overall account rather than individual product lines, with more favourable pricing tiers for orders over £400 and £800. Transparent costs and competitive unit prices on core products help customers manage packaging expenditure as purchasing volumes grow, without compromising product specifications.

Supply: Planned stock and predictable delivery

PandaPak uses stock forecasting, planned replenishment and proactive communication to help customers avoid last-minute shortages. Its Storage & Distribution service supports regular orders requiring stockholding and scheduled releases. General delivery terms include free delivery on UK mainland orders over £99, with orders placed before 1pm delivered within one to two working days. In London, PandaPak also uses its own drivers and vans for deliveries.

Ongoing support: Adapting to customers’ changing needs

PandaPak supports new brand launches with branded and bespoke packaging tailored to different brand identities. Customers can contact the team through WhatsApp, request free samples, and report missing or damaged items with photographs within 48 hours.

Together, these add up to packaging you can rely on, order after order.

The outcome: Lower costs, steadier quality, and a supply chain Encore Kitchen can plan around

For Encore, the changes showed up in four ways:

• Lower overall packaging costs: Restructured account pricing gave more competitive unit pricing across core products, focused on total value.
• More consistent product quality: Leakage was reduced, structure was stronger, and brand presentation improved.
• Fewer operational disruptions: Proactive stock monitoring and predictable lead times reduced a recurring risk, so Encore could focus on running its kitchens instead of chasing suppliers.
• Greater confidence in the supply chain: Packaging became something Encore could plan around.

Packaging moved from a recurring problem to a stable, predictable part of how Encore operates, one that scales with the business rather than constraining it. The partnership is ongoing.

What comes next: Supporting Encore’s new brands, and yours

As Encore adds brands, PandaPak continues to support new launches, customised branding for each brand, competitive pricing as volumes grow, and logistics planning at scale.

Encore’s story shows what a packaging partner can change for a delivery-first kitchen: pricing that holds as volumes grow, packaging that arrives in good condition, and stock that is planned rather than chased. PandaPak supplies the same approach across its range, with particular strength in paper bowls and soup containers, plus branded packaging and storage and distribution for regular orders. If you run a dark kitchen or a delivery-first operation, request free samples to test the packaging before placing a full order.