Tips on modding a camper trailer into a concession/catering trailer?

Sgt. Lincoln Osiris

Sgt. Lincoln Osiris

Lead farmer
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So, apparently this BBQ Catering thing has some steam.

I have available a very reasonably priced camper trailer that I can get my hands on in the coming months. I'd like to gut it and mod it into a catering wagon, cut the sleeping compartment off, and make a "porch" where a custom smoker would go. Install some mobile kitchen equipment, and hit the ground running.

This is still in R&D stages, but apparently people loved my BBQ at the fundraiser event. I could really make some decent cheddar doing this. I'd like to have it up and running by next A-Day to give it a "quasi-gameday" test run, to see what kind of business I could pull.

Not sure if @RhinoGuy would know much about that specifically, but I'm sure he has some input since he essentially builds restaurants.

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And of course, I would do any and all types of event catering. But I did some basic math in my head, and figured I could clear 20-30k a year just doing home games alone, during football season, depending on the location of my setup. These numbers are based on selling 300-500 plates over a home game weekend.

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I'd recommend you do a little more research before you buy the trailer. Camping trailers are typically more lightly build than a vending trailer (which are built more like enclosed utility trailers), and rely on the solid walls for support. Also, you may want to keep your smoker completely separate from the trailer so you can use it at smaller venues when you'd just be selling from a tent. Most of the competition teams (and the restaurants when they are are at a competition event) have to the cooker behind or beside their sales area and sell from under a 12 by 12 tent. Those that have trailers, they are utility trailers.

As with any business, start small and don't over-invest in equipment and infrastructure. Build sales and grow with it. See what other successful guys have done and pick and choose what works for you.

Good luck.

Pigs N Peaches last year - http://www.pigsandpeaches.com/photos.html
 
It Takes Eleven said:
I'd recommend you do a little more research before you buy the trailer. Camping trailers are typically more lightly build than a vending trailer (which are built more like enclosed utility trailers), and rely on the solid walls for support. Also, you may want to keep your smoker completely separate from the trailer so you can use it at smaller venues when you'd just be selling from a tent. Most of the competition teams (and the restaurants when they are are at a competition event) have to the cooker behind or beside their sales area and sell from under a 12 by 12 tent. Those that have trailers, they are utility trailers.

As with any business, start small and don't over-invest in equipment and infrastructure. Build sales and grow with it. See what other successful guys have done and pick and choose what works for you.

Good luck.

Pigs N Peaches last year - http://www.pigsandpeaches.com/photos.html
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I'd rather go with a utility trailer and just build it up myself.

This is just a really good deal on this camper, and it already comes wired, and plumbed with fresh and waste water tanks. Those were the pros. I'd gut it and overlay the walls with FRP and floors with stainless steel panels, and install basic equipment like a 3 comp sink, hand sink, warming drawers, and prep surfaces.

As far as the "porch" I was thinking something small enough for transport only. I wouldn't cook on the trailer itself.

I ran out of burger buns but had some leftover meat a couple nights ago. So, I threw it in a couple hot dog buns with some sauce, and it was really good. Actually, a little less messy than a traditional pork sammich. I thought that would be a great idea- pulled pork "dogs". I've seen hot dogs topped with pulled pork, but not really a dog with just pulled pork (sans Weiner).



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I dont think I would try it with a camper trailer. They are not built very well. You would have constant roof and floor problems. They also have light axles that might not hold up to the weight of a smoker.

Have you checked with the city to find out what kind of requirements they have? I think that they have regulations on the sizes of holding tanks that you are required to have. I also dont think that they allow "open air" vending so you may have to do any kind of cooking inside the trailer that you use.

You may find that its easier to cook the food at whatever commissary that you are using, then reheating it at your setup location.
 
RhinoGuy said:
I dont think I would try it with a camper trailer. They are not built very well. You would have constant roof and floor problems. They also have light axles that might not hold up to the weight of a smoker.

Have you checked with the city to find out what kind of requirements they have? I think that they have regulations on the sizes of holding tanks that you are required to have. I also dont think that they allow "open air" vending so you may have to do any kind of cooking inside the trailer that you use.

You may find that its easier to cook the food at whatever commissary that you are using, then reheating it at your setup location.
Click to expand...
I may do that. Smoke the butts and ribs at home, wrap in foil and throw them in coolers and take the smoker and reheat on site. For sides, I may just make tubs of potato salad and baked beans, keep the potato salad on ice, and baked beans in crock pots.


About "open air vending"... How do all these BBQ competitions do that? Most of the time, competitors bring their smokers, set up a tent and a couple tables, and prepare servings in an open-air setting...

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Sgt. Lincoln Osiris said:
I may do that. Smoke the butts and ribs at home, wrap in foil and throw them in coolers and take the smoker and reheat on site. For sides, I may just make tubs of potato salad and baked beans, keep the potato salad on ice, and baked beans in crock pots.


About "open air vending"... How do all these BBQ competitions do that? Most of the time, competitors bring their smokers, set up a tent and a couple tables, and prepare servings in an open-air setting...

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Team Cornwell


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Click to expand...


I dont know how the competition people do it. I just remember something about the hotdog cart guy downtown getting shut down because his setup wasn't enclosed. The city may have changed the requirements lately. I know that there have been a couple of food trucks open up in the last couple of years so it may be easier. You need to figure out all of the regulations before trailer shopping.

You may have to cook the bbq at home (telling the city that you are doing it at the commissary) and then re-heating it inside the trailer. You could still put a smoker outside with some wood in it so your customers think its being smoked onsite. Nobody would know the difference.
 
Big Balls said:
Because BBQ competitions are competitions and they aren't selling anything. Hence "vending".
Click to expand...

True, but you'd still think that the city or county would have a say in that since food is being prepared and served for public consumption. Thousands of people go to these competitions and eat the food at these events. Like, there's a " Brew and Que" festival coming up in September here in T'town. There might be a couple hundred contestants, but thousands of people will come through the and eat the food.

I'm not going to be set up in time for that competition, but I may still attend, to observe.
 
planomateo said:
What about a food truck with a trailer?
Click to expand...
Thought about that as well...

My only question about that are the "fly contamination" rules, etc associated with an open-air smoker, mentioned by @RhinoGuy.

My question for the Tuscaloosa Co. Health Inspector is going to be "How do places like Dreamland and Archibald's, that have detached open-air smokers, get away with that?"

Woman hasn't called me back yet. I've left her two messages.




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Sgt. Lincoln Osiris said:
Thought about that as well...

My only question about that are the "fly contamination" rules, etc associated with an open-air smoker, mentioned by @RhinoGuy.

My question for the Tuscaloosa Co. Health Inspector is going to be "How do places like Dreamland and Archibald's, that have detached open-air smokers, get away with that?"

Woman hasn't called me back yet. I've left her two messages.





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TEAM MORRIS
Click to expand...
They may be grandfathered in.
 
Yeah, but every year is a new inspection.

I don't understand that rule, honestly. I've done this for years at home, and for small events like church stuff, etc. I've never seen a fly or any other insect want to get anywhere near a hot grill or smoker, or even the freshly pulled meat nearing 200° F.

Just last football season, I've seen concession trailers with detached smokers parked outside of Walmart and selling food. Concession stands at high school football stadiums everywhere have detached grills.

I don't see why there would be a rule for that. After about 2 hours, my butts are wrapped in foil for the cook to finish. 2 hours is about all the smoke flavor you're going to get, anyway. Then when the meat is done, I wrap them in another layer of foil to retain heat while the meat rests in a cooler. It stays hot for up to 4 hours that way.




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UPDATE: Got the answers I needed from Mike, the other heath inspector. Should have asked for him in the first place. Just like a woman, to ignore a dude's calls...smh.

Anywho, he said as long as the cooking unit, be it a grill, smoker, or a combination thereof, has a lid and it stays mostly closed outside of seasoning and removing the cooked meat for preparation, I'm good. I reminded him of the rule "if you lookin, you ain't cookin", and he laughed and said " that's exactly right"..

So, cool. Now I know where to look as far as what type of mobile kitchen. I'd honestly rather have a trailer, because I need a pickup anyway. Maybe a trailer with a large service/cleaning door that I can keep the smoker in the trailer and transport it to the sale site, and roll it out to cook.




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