Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Tubs or bags

This is topic Tubs or bags in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by David J Hilsgen (Member # 2614) on 12-29-2019, 01:39 AM:

What do people prefer popcorn tubs or bags

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 12-29-2019, 02:01 AM:

I generally prefer tubs, because they're more stable and make less sound during the movie, but that's just me.

Tubs be a bit more expensive and increase your trash volume (not so much the weight) quite a bit though.

For smaller volumes, you also have cardstock based containers, which are also fine in mine opinion.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 12-29-2019, 10:22 AM:

Tubs, for the reasons that Marcel mentioned (noise, mostly). Also, bags have a reputation for leaking butter, although that seems to have been mostly solved with newer bags.

Also, from the theatre's point of view, it is faster to fill a bucket than a bag with popped corn, so it should be possible to serve more customers with fewer staff.

If serving without butter, the white-and-red-striped cardboard boxes seem to work fine (they would leak butter and salt, though).

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 12-29-2019, 11:27 AM:

I have always used tubs. I had the outfit that I buy my popcorn supplies from send me two or three bags as a sample to try out one time, thinking that I could save substantial money by using bags, and within thirty seconds of receiving them I decided that they were not for me.

Tubs stand up by themselves and are easier to fill since you don't have to try to open them. And they look prettier than a bag, which is also an important feature when it comes to selling popcorn.

As for trash volume, it's easy to re-stack them when picking up the trash so they don't take up more space than they did when they were in the stack behind the counter.

The only disadvantage is that sometimes the tubs stick together in the stack a bit and you have to give them quite a yank to get them to separate. I think it's because the box they came in got banged too hard at some point between the factory and here and the tubs got wedged together since it seems to happen fairly frequently for a week or so and then it doesn't happen again for months.

But I would never want to use anything but tubs.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-29-2019, 03:59 PM:

Tubs...not even a close call. Bags only benefit the exhibitor (cheaper and take up less space in storage). Tubs are much better for dispensing the product and holding the topping (for which I'm only interested in real butter).

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-29-2019, 05:03 PM:

A lot of the chains use bags, which is proof that the best thing to use is tubs.

We use four sizes... 32, 46, 85 and 130 ounce. The 85 is our best seller by far, with the 130 being second.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 12-29-2019, 05:41 PM:

quote: Scott Norwood
If serving without butter, the white-and-red-striped cardboard boxes seem to work fine (they would leak butter and salt, though).

The self-folding type boxes often tend to leak (both salt and butter), because they're not glued together, but I've seen them pre-folded and glued together. They are almost as good as tubs for anything up-to a "medium sized" serving, just not entirely as stable. For anything bigger, I'd always go for tubs.

quote: Frank Cox
As for trash volume, it's easy to re-stack them when picking up the trash so they don't take up more space than they did when they were in the stack behind the counter.

Do you collect them separately or do you actively sort your trash?

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 12-29-2019, 08:51 PM:

Our local health inspector will not allow dispensing butter type liquids in paper containers like boxes.

Buttered popcorn must be in a coated bag or in a coated container (bucket or tub)

This pretty much limits the choices for containers where butter type coatings are included. Salt is not the concern like the liquid substances that can penetrate the container and then contaminate the contents.

Buckets and tubs tend to be left on the floor after the show while the bags get sealed and taken home. This is especially true when there was a refill involved.

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 12-29-2019, 10:04 PM:

I pick up the popcorn containers and stack them as the first thing when I start cleaning the auditorium. So it's easy to put the stack in the bag before sweeping up the rest of the litter.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 12-30-2019, 05:11 AM:

So you expect people to leave the tubs at their seats and not take them with them and dump them in the trash themselves?

quote: Kenneth Wuepper
Our local health inspector will not allow dispensing butter type liquids in paper containers like boxes.

That's a general requirement for any food packaging around here, unless the paper is made from a food safe paper (which excludes recycled resources) and printed with 100% food-safe ink. That's why practically anything here is coated.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-30-2019, 08:14 AM:

I prefer eating the left over popcorn in the morning right out of the warmer or popper. Its always better the next day!

Mark

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 12-30-2019, 09:56 AM:

It's about a 50-50 split between people who bring them out to put them into the trash in the lobby and those who leave them on the floor in the auditorium. It really doesn't matter to me whether people bring them out or leave them. I stack what's brought out to the lobby first, then start cleaning the auditorium.

Posted by James Wyrembelski (Member # 9037) on 12-30-2019, 08:18 PM:

I started with paper bags last year. Ultimately, I do like them more mostly because I feel they're less wasteful and them being less costly is also nice.

But, a lot of them will leak if you aren't careful about putting too much topping on. (I always had issues with everyone putting way too much on no matter how much I tried hah)

Moved over to the tubs and customers really like them more and you can serve customers way faster. I still have my small in paper bags until the stock runs out and because of that everyone orders mediums or large sizes now.

They really do increase trash volume. I had to add another garbage can. After about 150+ people all leave, they fill up extremely fast with tubs.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 12-31-2019, 09:10 AM:

We use bags only. Different colors for sweet and salty. Coated for sweet, uncoated for salty. We fill larger number of these bags in advance to admission, the slightly extended handling time for filling them is not such a problem, as after so time, staff aquires routine. the different colors allows to separate them easier. But, we don't pour butter over our popcorn here.
What you refer to as 'tubs' - it's plastic, right?

- Carsten

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 12-31-2019, 10:49 AM:

The containers that I use look like this:

They are made of a stiff paper. They're just the same as disposable paper drink cups, but bigger.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 12-31-2019, 12:49 PM:

quote: Carsten Kurz
What you refer to as 'tubs' - it's plastic, right?

Usually it's coated cardstock type paper. A lot like the typical paper cup, only usually stronger paper and a thicker rim.

The only time I've seen a plastic cup for popcorn was for some prefab salted-caramel concoction that came pre-packaged in some transparent type of plastic container.