Building a Mobile Food (Lunch Wagon) coffee cart

[Mr Shave]

Been a busy bee working on the truck. If everything goes as planned (big key words) should be ready for health dept. inspection end of next week.

Most expensive fill up to date

Cup holders are mostly laminated

Espresso machine counter is laminated

Shut off service valves and pressure regulators installed for both coffee brewer and espresso machine

Coffee station isn't ready to be installed yet. Figuring out how everything is going to be positioned and secured.

Other things I've been doing is doing a price analysis of the market and developing the menu.

Did you take into account your competitions pricing when you set your prices? pros/cons?

Thanks,

 

[Mr Shave]

Kitchen has been cleared

Electrical panel is DONE!

Storage unit is empty

 

[Mr Shave]

Securing equipment

I opted not to put the espresso machine on the supplied legs. There is a draw back to this, it is much more difficult to clean up spill and wipe underneath the machine. Also, in some counties it is against the health code. The reasons why I mounted it lower is the counter was made too high and would provide horrible ergonomics for the barista. Also, I felt it was much more stable and easier to secure lower.

Cut to length, with all corners rounded, and burrs filed off.

This is a shot looking underneath the espresso machine. The holes have all been predrilled and lined up. Now it is just a matter of dropping the bolts through. It is very easy to unbolt the machine and then maneuver it around on the counter.

This is what it looks like from underneath the counter

The espresso grinder is pretty heavy and figured it wouldn't move around much. I wanted the brackets to not damage the equipment, allow easy removing of the equipment for cleaning, and to have a clean look to it. I settled with the same aluminum I used for the espresso machine. By dropping the espresso machine in, I could conceal all of the mounting hardware. After dropping the espresso machine in to place it looks sharp and is very secure. I will take a picture of the finished product next time I'm in the truck.

Tuesday - I'm scheduled for health department review. You would not believe how much more stuff has to be finished by then. It will be a very fun and hectic weekend

Does anyone want to help provide feedback on the logo? Please respond below or PM me

Thanks,

 

[Mr Shave]

<72 hours until health inspection

With the clock ticking here is what the truck looked like Saturday afternoon

I hope the picture is really making it look worse than it is...

The water works which is a huge relief.
A couple of funny things with getting the water going
1. Couldn't figure out why the pump wouldn't self prime. I checked the circuit panel and the breaker had power, tried to prime the line, then discovered the master breaker wasn't turned on, oops! After that, I was warned to clamp down all the hoses before continuing. I'm sure you know where this is going right? The hose in this picture blew off and covered the inside of the truck with water. Also, found some pipes we had put in place, but hadn't glued yet. Truck looked like a leaking sub in one of those war movies.

The sink is now permanently installed as well.

The surge tank is safely secured and won't be going anywhere.

Second blender is put in place.

Put shelves and thermometers in the fridges. I was frustrated with the clip that came on the thermometers because it wouldn't fit in the shelving.

Grinder fixed that problem

Finally, the coolest thing of the day

This is a makeshift 'key' to open the paper towel dispenser. I somehow misplaced the original one and needed to open the unit in order to install it. All credit for this one goes to my Dad, I was super impressed.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay tuned for lots more updates before Tuesday.

Still need insurance to come back
Also, ran the generator for about an hour today while fiddling with the water. Discovered that the generator box is running too hot and will need to do something to improve the air circulation.

 

[Mr Shave]

<48 hours until health inspection

The top of the generator box is being sound proofed

Finished generator box top. Cleared out more items out of the truck.

Getting on some rust patrol

 

[Mr Shave]

So how did the inspection go?

Had all my paperwork in order
Insurance got emailed over just in time.
Truck looked great cleaned everything; dusted, polished the stainless, vacuumed, everything was inspection ready.
Got there early and double checked everything.
Had soap and paper towels stocked.
Sanitizer and test strips ready to go.

Did I fill up the generator gas tank? No. Generator cut off while inside doing paper work and the fridges didn't temp.
Also, somewhat comical after the fact, one of the pipes weren't glued and busted apart when the water was on soaking the inside of the truck, the inspector, and all of his paperwork.

Round 2 will be Friday. I will make sure to fill up the gas tanks and double check water system

 

[PEBARTS]

Mr Shave, this is super exciting! I love the detail you showed in building your truck. Hope friday goes great for you!

 

[Mr Shave]

Mr Shave, this is super exciting! I love the detail you showed in building your truck. Hope friday goes great for you!

Thanks Paul! I'm glad you have enjoyed my posts

Window screen covering. Items needed screen, scrap wood, and 2 long refrigerator magnets.

Truck cleaned out. The counter on the right will be laminated. I accidentally stepped on the laminate and cracked it

Still need to work on securing the refrigerators

Got the truck ready in 1.5 hours
Not the most exciting video, it is amazing to see how much stuff accumulated in the truck though.

 

[Mr Shave]

Passed will have certificates in about a week

Have a massive headache right now. Filled gas up too much and fumes got to me a little bit

 

[Mr Shave]

Took a couple days off from the truck to have some fun and clear my head. Now we are back at it full speed

The screen is movable because the hinges for the door stick in when closed. I would like to get something to cover the fiber glass insulation, but haven't figured out what I'm going to use yet.

What the truck looked like at the time of inspection

Still need to secure the fridges. Cracked a piece of laminate during this shifting of equipment

Laminating generator top

Laying out coffee equipment and trying to figure out how everything will be secured

As promised, completed photos of espresso grinder secured with aluminum angle iron tabs

Working on programming cash register which has turned out to be very time consuming
Need to add additional fans to cool generator box. It isn't getting enough air and box is heating up FAST
Need to secure coffee equipment and a syrup rack
Need to finalize logo and work on promo materials - Anyone using twitter, fb, or have a website they would like to showcase their work or show examples of how it should be done? Please post or msg me Mahalo!

 

[Mr Shave]

Lock down

Health permits are in hand and the truck is just getting some minor adjustments done.

Securing remaining equipment

Aluminum brackets to secure coffee pots

These are only going to be used when driving. During operation they will just sit in place

Coffee brewer is secured in similar fashion with the addition of u-bolts. I made the mistake of placing the u-bolts to high, I will redrill the holes and put the bolt right above the foot. This will secure the brewer better and eliminate rocking

Grinder. Might need an additional strap to prevent shifting.

Standard Monin syrup rack, with back legs cut off. Secured by bolt, waster, and t-nut.

Original rack

Under side view of tnut. This method allows for easy, repeated, removal and cleaning of syrup rack

The generator was running hot so I ordered 2 7" plastic radiator fans.

1 of 2 hacked up holes

2 fan exhaust boxes (viewed from under the trunk)
Each fan is capable of moving 1,500 CFM. I'm not sure if they will move that much air, it will definitely help remove excess heat from the generator box.

Monday is the first planned day of operation

Anyone else excited for the premier of The Great Food Truck Race 2 premiering Sunday?
The Great Food Truck Race, hosted by Tyler Florence
Season 1 is on Hulu The Great Food Truck Race - Full Episodes and Clips streaming online - Hulu

 

[Mr Shave]

In the ever so inspirational words of Shania Twain, "ready to run!"

Hope everyone has a great and safe Friday

 

[Mr Shave]

Generator was still running hot so 2 more radiator fans were added, to help exhaust the hot air

Before (see 1 of 2 previous exhaust fans behind muffler on floor of truck)

2 9" exhaust fans. They are rated up to 1,500 cfm

The generator seems to run a lot better with the additional fans. I have not run it with a full load for a extended period of time sense the installation. I will have more of a report on Tuesday.

 

[AWarren87]

coffee cart

hey i wish i had some answers for you, but i am just in the beginning stages, I want to convert a popup camper into a coffee cart and im really lost trying to find details of how to build it, what exactly i need in regards to plumbing and what kind of espresso machine will work.
Did you ever end up finding answers to your question? if so, where?

 

[AWarren87]

thank you so much for these great pics and post's, super helpful.