The 7 Most Important Design Features for a Mobile Kitchen Trailer
At Mobile Kitchens USA, we will work with you to design the perfect mobile kitchen trailer for your mobile food service business. Customization is key. We give you the space to create something that will meet all your commercial kitchen needs while providing expert guidance to help you make the right design decisions.
One of the most common mistakes people make is going overboard with design features. They try to fit in more than they actually need. They add features that really aren’t benefitting their mobile kitchen or their kitchen staff. It can be very easy to get caught up on the customization process and lose sight of what truly matters most. That’s why our team will help you find the ideal solutions.
Here are 7 of the most important design features to consider for your mobile kitchen trailer rental or purchase:
1. Appliances
Ultimately, you will want to be thoughtful about the appliances you choose to install in your mobile kitchen trailer. This is where things can often get out of hand. First, you must think about your actual menu and the food items you are planning to prepare and serve. Second, it’s smart to calculate your average daily foodservice needs. What are you making and how much of it do you need to make? There’s no sense in installing a giant commercial deep fryer if you aren’t pumping out a ton of fried foods. Really take the time to figure out which appliances you require and what sizes will be best. This will help you design the most effective mobile kitchen trailer that is also efficient in terms of space.
2. Storage Space
In addition to your food prep and cooking, you will likely be storing ingredients, cookware, serving items and other supplies inside your mobile kitchen trailer. Don’t forget to plan for this necessary storage space. You can customize your mobile kitchen trailer with shelves, cabinets and drawers. You can dry storage areas. You can also have cold storage spaces with to meet your refrigeration and freezing needs. You may be storing raw ingredients needed for cooking or finished desserts and other prepared meals ready to serve. You might also need a space for storing cleaning supplies.
3. Work Space
The best mobile kitchens are the ones with efficiently designed spaces. Remember, this is a commercial kitchen. You will have cooks, servers and other staff moving around within the trailer. Even the largest mobile kitchen trailers have a finite amount of space in which to work. The trailer should include all the features and appliances you need, arranged in a thoughtful way. There needs to be space in between for people to move around. You may also have work tables, food prep stations and other spatial requirements to consider.
4. Cleaning
A fully contained mobile kitchen trailer will generally need a place to wash/dry dishes and clean ingredients like fruits and vegetables before cooking. Your kitchen may need a food prep sink, a dishwashing sink and/or a separate hand sink for employees to wash their hands. You may want a garbage disposal installed or a commercial dishwashing unit.
5. Safety & Sanitization
Safety is always a top concern. You want to keep your kitchen staff safe. The kitchen also needs to stay clean and sanitary to meet health codes and ensure your food is safe to eat. Safety features like non-slip flooring, fire suppression hood systems, first-aid kits and more should be included in your design plans. Mobile Kitchens USA can help with these. Our mobile kitchen trailers have standard safety features and are designed to comply with any federal, state and local health codes you have to meet.
6. Power Supply
How will your appliances, lights and other features be powered? We can include a generator system for backup power or primary power generation, but many mobile kitchen trailer users will opt to provide their own power supply. Whether you are using an electrical plug-in, natural gas line or propane, you will want to make sure the kitchen trailer is equipped to connect with your desired power supply.
7. Additional Features
The above list represents the most important design considerations to think about when laying out your ideal mobile kitchen trailer. Once you have the necessities and priorities covered, then you can look into some of the extras. Service windows, exterior water tanks, heating and air conditioning, etc.—you can customize your mobile kitchen however you want as long as it fits the space and stays within your budget!
To learn more about the mobile kitchen trailer customization process and how we can help you design the ideal commercial kitchen space, contact Mobile Kitchens USA today.