Delivery Stickers: P.F. Chang’s

I was never a big UberEats or food service delivery user before COVID. Mostly I was just too much of a penny-pincher to justify the additional fees, but from time to time I would fall back on it, like that time a last minute meeting popped up over my lunch break or when the power was out for a few days after Hurricane Irma. But after the COVID lockdown and a few years of working from home I have come to appreciate the convenience of delivery, during inconvenient times. Or I had, until I realized gluten-free delivery is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna get. 

“Clearly labeling which items were prepared gluten-free is a simple step to build trust with your customers”

Labor Day Weekend 2021, our AC unit broke - not ideal timing for a house in the south. It was about 83 degrees inside and we still had no progress on getting the AC unit fixed. Upon the realization that heating any food would be unbearable, my partner and I decided to order pizzas from a local place: one cheese pizza for him and a gluten-free cheese pizza for me. And yes, I realize that’s the most boring order in the history of pizza, but we just wanted to keep it simple.

Our food arrived an hour later via UberEats, and to our surprise neither of the pizza’s were marked and they looked identical. The boxes were not sealed and had no indication which or if either of them was gluten-free.

Imagining the symptoms of gluten poisoning, I decided not to eat the pizza even though it  looked delicious, but could make this very steamy situation much worse. My partner got his money back for the meal I couldn’t safely eat, but he wasn’t happy with two pizzas and a refund knowing I still couldn’t eat with him. 

Unfortunately, that is not a unique experience with food delivery services. Most food delivered has little indicating what order it is or confirming that it was prepared gluten-free. Even take-out from restaurants is infrequently labeled and allergen safe preparation instructions aren’t always indicated on the receipt attached. What may seem like a small inconvenience for someone who merely gets a bite of the wrong meal, but it can cause huge ramifications for someone gluten-intolerant. Clearly labeling which items were prepared gluten-free is a simple step to build trust with your customers, communicating to them that you see them regardless of their ability to digest gluten. 

“This simple sticker took about 2 seconds to apply, but they built confidence that what I was served was indeed prepared gluten-free”

The best solution I’ve seen for marking gluten-free deliveries is a simple sticker. I remember coming out of my office one day and again, my partner had ordered us food (he’s a keeper!) and this time he went for Chinese.

P. F. Chang’s was sitting on the counter, the delicious smell of Chicken Pad Thai and Spicy Chicken filled the house. To my delight, there on the lid was a small sticker. 

This simple sticker took about 2 seconds to apply, but they built confidence that what I was delivered was indeed prepared gluten-free. It normalized my needs for a gluten-free meal which in turn makes me as a consumer feel less of an inconvenience for the restaurant. Most importantly to note for a restaurant manager, I have continued to order P.F. Chang’s time and time again because I didn’t have to guess if what I am eating is safe. 

Interested in trying this strategy with your gluten-free deliveries? We have a pre-designed sticker that even includes a QR coded feedback form for customers to comment on their experience directly!