Flatbox- The Placemat Lunchbox

I remember the first time that I saw the FlatBox. I was watching Good Morning America, checking emails and listening to my dog snore. The segment “Sell A Shark” came on, and Barbara Corcoran was listening to companies pitch their products in 5 seconds or less.

As Seen On Shark Tank (Sort of)

A woman named Rita came on and pitched her idea for a lunchbox that unzipped into a placemat. I thought it was incredibly brilliant and a god-send for those with food allergies and Celiac Disease. Sadly, Barbara wasn’t impressed.

Why My Husband, a Teacher, Loves Flatbox

Now I have my very own FlatBox. Or at least my husband does. He’s a middle school teacher, and is highly conscious about the need to prevent cross-contact with food allergens. Usually he eats in the staff lounge, but some days he’s short on time and eats in his classroom. Having a FlatBox not only protects him from surfaces with his allergens to pork and shellfish, it protects his students from any possibly allergens from his lunch.

2 Design Benefits of the Flatbox Lunchbox

Most of the time I pack his lunch in a Bentgo container. It’s hard to find a lunchbox that it fits in though. One of the great things about the FlatBox design is its flexability. The soft and insulated neoprene-polyester sides are flexible enough to go around larger items. If you can zip up the sides, you’re good to go. It folds easily, which makes it simple to store.

Additionally, neoprene is machine washable! Which means if your child spills their milk or ketchup on their Flatbox, you can simply unzip all the sides and place it in the washing machine. However, I don’t put mine in the dryer. I simply hang it up to air dry.

How Big is a Flatbox Lunchbox?

Here’s a picture of my husband’s lunch, unzipped. Notice how large the mat is when fully opened. The FlatBox is comes in three sizes (and multiple colors)

• Original – Unzips to a 17.5″ x 17.5″ Placemat
• Plus – Unzips to a 20″ x 20″ Placemat (This is what I own)
• Drinx – Unzips to a 18.5″ x 18.5″ Placemat, and has an additional external pocket that holds a water bottle.

But Are Flatbox Lunchboxes Durable?

Yes! We’ve had 2 Flatbox lunchboxes since 2016 and still use them to this day. In addition, Flatbox won the Best in Tabletop category at the International Housewares Association show in 2013. They’ve also been featured on the Today Show, Good Housekeeping and the New York Times.

Where Can I Buy a Flatbox?

I checked the Flatbox website, and it looks like they are all out of stock. Sadly, I think they’ve gone out of business. HOWEVER, you can get a screaming deal on them through the Menard’s website. Clearance prices range from $3 to $1. Original sale price is $22.

*While I was given a free FlatBox to review, I totally would have bought one on my own. All thoughts and opinions are my own.