1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to fast food trays, and, in particular, to a disposable food tray that is formed by folding a single sheet of stiff material, and is adapted to receive and be supported by a beverage container while supporting articles of food.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The fast food industry has substantially grown over the last few decades, and has also become very competitive. Those in the fast food industry are continuously looking for new ways to reduce costs while at the same time enticing consumers to purchase their product. One area of concern in the industry is the packaging of the food.
It has become commonplace for purchasers of fast food to consume the food while utilizing the packaging as a plate or bib. The fast food industry has recognized this phenomena and in response has developed the disposable food tray. However, since it is generally unacceptable to directly charge a customer for the disposable tray, great effort is made in the industry to provide these disposable food trays at the lowest possible cost. Hence, the fast food culture dictates these trays be provided for “free,” making it clear that the cost of these trays bear directly on profit margins realized in the fast food industry. As such, the industry has a tremendous incentive to produce these trays at the lowest cost possible.
Low cost disposable fast food trays are typically configured in a rectangular shape or box. Due to their disposable nature and low cost, these trays are often flimsy and when heavily loaded are prone to accidents such as spilling, and the like. Beverages sold with fast food pose a significant problem in tray design as they are typically heavier in weight than food items, and are susceptible to tipping over when placed in a tray. Thus, most disposable fast food trays require the user to support the tray with both hands, particularly near the beverage containers. Although utilizing thicker, more rigid materials can solve this problem, doing so undesirably increases costs. Thus, most conventional disposable fast food trays are inherently flimsy and when loaded with food and/or beverages require the user to support the tray with both hands. Such flimsy disposable trays are not very desirable for the consumer. Having both hands occupied grasping these trays is not only burdensome, but also unsafe. For example, fast food consumers at sporting events, when grasping a flimsy tray with both hands, are unable to hold a handrail when ascending or descending stairs. This undesirably exposes the consumers to serious injury, and the promoters to liability. In addition, because both hands are occupied, these trays must be placed on the consumer's lap, chair or floor, in order to free up their hands to consume the food. This inconvenience results in numerous messes from inadvertent accidents. In some circumstances there is no place to put the food tray down, so potential customers forego buying items of food because they have no way to handle it. This undesirably works to the economic detriment of the concession owners.
Those concerned with these problems recognize the need for an improved disposable food tray that provides increased convenience and safety for the consumer while maintaining low production costs required by the industry.
These and other difficulties of the prior art have been overcome according to the present invention.