For the operation of a mobile taco catering business in New Zealand, Ruhi required a 'portable kitchen for sale' that would not only meet her cooking needs and NZ regulations but have a unique lighting design for visibility during evening events. Our team worked closely with her to customize a 10ft commercial kitchen trailer that met and even exceeded her expectations in all aspects, from the mobile kitchen layout to the food trailer design. There were many challenges our team faced in the design and production. How to build a portable kitchen to the NZ standards and rules in electrical design? How to make sure the food trailer design can withstand the frequent rainfall in Auckland? How to increase the visibility and attractiveness of the trailer at night? Anyway, we overcame all and gave a perfect mobile kitchen that Ruhi felt satisfied with.
In this project, we'll discuss the custom features, the kitchen floor plan, and the specification of Ruhi's commercial kitchen trailer. Let's see how our professional food trailer design team helped to create a standard portable kitchen that made Ruhi's mobile taco catering business a success in New Zealand.
Commercial Kitchen Trailer for Mobile Taco Catering in New Zealand
This 10*7ft commercial kitchen trailer we customized for Ruhi's mobile taco catering business is a perfect solution for starting a mobile food business in New Zealand. With all the features you can find in a commercial kitchen, from the heart of the kitchen - stainless steel worktables to the water sink, it is a portable kitchen that provides a convenient and special way to prepare meals for customers. The construction follows strictly the food trailer regulations and standards in New Zealand, ensuring that the kitchen can be registered successfully and used to sell food and drinks legally in public areas. The trailer chassis makes it easy to transport the commercial kitchen trailer and start a food business quickly without the large investment in setting up a permanent restaurant.
The commercial kitchen trailer has many customizable features to meet the specific needs of the business:
Standard Electrical in the Mobile Kitchen
Most laws regarding mobile food trailers are the same around the world. For example, they should have a water system that gives a consistent flow of cold/hot water, and their exterior walls must be an easy-to-clean material in a light color. However, electrical sockets and voltages differ internationally. The commercial trailer kitchen is designed for use in New Zealand. It is installed with the electrical components manufactured to the NZ standards, such as electrical wiring, outlets, and breakers, so any electric appliances can be used without adapters when plugging them into sockets in the trailer. Our electrician calculated the total wattage of the equipment in the kitchen trailer, helping Ruhi determine the size of the generator she needs.
Best Mobile Kitchen Design for Rainy Climate
In Auckland, the rain can last for days, weeks, and even months, so the walls of the commercial kitchen trailer should be waterproof and rainproof ( as the New Zealand Government requires ). The rainfall is a factor that our team really thought about when building Ruhi's portable kitchen. We recommended the roundtop trailer model as the base of Ruhi's build because of its round roof. Compared to the flat roof, the round roof allows the rain to flow to the ground continually, minimizing the possibility of leaks due to ponding water. The joints between exterior walls and interior walls are treated with waterproof coating, ensuring smooth surfaces and avoiding water leaks. The exhaust fan of the range hood is the biggest concern that Ruhi had. She worried that the rain would go into the kitchen through it or the cut in the roof. In fact, the exhaust fan is watertight. Firstly, it is welded tightly throughout the assembly and the joints are filled with caulk. Second, it has a stainless steel cover that provides shade against rain. All the parts are fully sealed so, in theory, there is no void for the rain to leak into the commercial kitchen trailer. For safety, the generator receptacle comes with a waterproof cover, which protects everything in the electrical box during rainfall.
Turnkey Commercial Kitchen Equipment Package
The portable kitchen for sale comes with a commercial equipment package, including essential kitchen equipment such as a 2-compartment sink, an electrical system, stainless steel worktables, and a non-slippery floor. Extra kitchen equipment has been added to the mobile kitchen to support Ruhi's food preparation for making tacos and wraps. One of the pieces of equipment is a gas stove that requires gas piping in the kitchen. Hence, our workers ran the propane line in Ruhi's commercial kitchen trailer and installed two stainless steel gas tank holders for mounting the propane tanks conveniently.
Highly Discernible Food Trailer Lighting Design at Night
The working hours of Ruhi's mobile taco catering business start at 7 p.m. and end at 1:30 a.m., making the lighting decoration of her kitchen more necessary. Bright and colorful lights not only increase the visibility of the trailer in the dark but also create a special and attractive atmosphere that attracts more customers. Our food trailer design team has found an ideal food trailer lighting design that makes Ruhi's portable kitchen highly discernible and fancy when the LED lights on the concession windows and LED lighting strips glow in different colors at night. If you find a black food trailer with neon lighting on Marewa Road in Greenlane West, you are in luck. You have the chance to taste Ruhi's wraps and Lamb Kebabs.
Branding is one of the parts of Ruhi's business plan. Our designer discussed and reviewed the design details of the trailer look, such as the color schemes, layouts, and materials, to create a unique food trailer graphic that was tailored to Ruhi's mobile taco catering business. The graphic was refined until it met Ruhi's needs and preferences. They were stuck on the front and side of the commercial kitchen trailer, allowing passers-by to notice the business easily. That will exploit the advertisement of the food trailer and build customer loyalty. These graphics can be removed and replaced with a new logo that displays an updated brand so that Ruhi can shape and evolve her mobile taco catering business freely.
The Specification of Ruhi's Commercial Kitchen Trailer
Model: FR300WD
Size: L300xW200xH230CM
Full Size: L430xW200xH230CM
The Length of the Trailer Tow Bar: 130cm
Tire: 165/70R13
Gross Weight: 700KG
Max Load Weight: 450KG
Electrical: 220V/50HZ
Electricity: Breaker panel / New Zealand electrical outlets / 32A socket for the generator / LED lighting unit
Accessory: 88cm safety chain / trailer jack with wheel / heavy-duty support legs / drop down folding concession shelf / LED lighting unit / trailer tail light / red reflectors / steel gas tank holder / logo stickers / electric brake
Kitchen Equipment: 201stainless steel worktables / vertical drink cooler / gas stove / 2 compartment water sink / 1.5m commercial range hood
Commercial Kitchen Trailer Layout
As a small restaurant on wheels, the commercial kitchen trailer is a portable kitchen in which food and drinks are prepared and served. It must be constructed to meet the regulations of commercial kitchens to ensure the quality and safety of food and efficient food preparation. How did we create a functional kitchen equipped with commercial kitchen equipment and appliances Ruhi required to make Indian and Mexican dishes in a 10*7ft space? The floor plan of the commercial kitchen trailer will tell you everything.
The deprivation of room available in their food trailers is the main complaint of almost every trailer owner, no matter how large their vehicles are. What they don't know is that a good food trailer layout not only ensures kitchen areas for dealing with all kinds of cooking tasks, such as roasting meat and washing pans but gives sufficient storage for cooking equipment, food, and supplies. To determine the mobile kitchen layout, one should figure out what kitchen equipment a food trailer needs, and then, think about how to arrange them to increase his workflow. The first step is rather simple. In addition to a basic kitchen equipment package, Ruhi demanded a gas stove and a drink cooler in her commercial kitchen trailer. Then, our professional designers worked with Ruhi on the process of designing an optimal trailer layout that suits her mobile taco catering business in New Zealand.
As the commercial kitchen trailer layout shows, the food trailer is loaded evenly from left to right, helping prevent trailer sway. The worktable fixed against the concession windows gives a large countertop for serving customers, preparing food, and placing Ruhi's cooking appliances, food containers, and other items that should be brought along with the kitchen. A 95L drink cooler is next to the front worktable.
The other table creates an important area in which all the cook tasks are performed. The stove is the equipment that requires gas in the commercial kitchen trailer. We placed it on the worktable, near the gas tank holders, to shorten the length of the gas piping. There is a stainless steel range hood above the stove, which removes the greasy kitchen fumes and helps with ventilation. In most cities, the range hood is a piece of must-have equipment if a mobile kitchen has cooking equipment that generates oil and grease in cooking. Its length depends on the size of the cooktop. If you require a stove, grill, or fryer in your commercial kitchen trailer, it is necessary to pay more for a larger range hood.
The working area for cooking and food preparation should be as close to the water sink as possible. On the one hand, it's convenient to wash dirty cooking utensils and tools, saving more time and energy in food preparation, particularly when you have to deal with different orders. On the other hand, having a sink nearby minimizes the amount of clutter in the cooking area. You can quickly clean things with fewer steps and movements, meeting a high standard of hygiene in the kitchen even during peak hours.
The commercial kitchen trailer layout focuses on creating an efficient kitchen that allows its owner to provide high-quality food to customers efficiently. If you prefer more storage space in your trailer, this blog will give you an ideal solution: Best Food Trailer Layout Ideas to Maximize the Storage Room
Is It Necessary to Add a Brake System to Your Commercial Kitchen Trailer?
A trailer brake is a safety system that minimizes the risk of serious accidents when your kitchen trailer moves on the road, especially if it is fully loaded with hefty kitchen equipment and all kinds of food. Ruhi's commercial kitchen trailer has an electric brake that helps stop the vehicle quickly and prevents it from hitting the towing car, even if at a high speed. Besides, the brake can avoid trailer sway, ensuring a safe drive on bumpy country roads. So, is it necessary to pay extra for it? That depends on the regulations in your city and your budget.
The laws about the trailer barking system may differ from country to country. According to regulations in New Zealand, a concession trailer whose gross laden weight is over 2,000kg must require a brake system that allows the trailer to stop within 7 meters from 30km/hr without damaging the vehicle. Single-axle food trailers that have a gross trailer mass of 750kg or less require no braking system if they are equipped with safety chains. That is one of the reasons why small food trailers predominate in most countries - No Expense for Extra Trailer Accessories. But, just in case, please check the regulations and requirements of your local road safety authority to determine if a brake system is necessary for your kitchen trailer.
Among the large group of trailer braking systems, the electric brake is the best option because of its excellent performance. However, its price may turn someone down. Luckily, there is more than one cheap alternative to the electric braking system. We will find the best one when building your commercial kitchen trailer. Contact our experts for all the trailer brakes we can offer and learn more about their advantages.
