A mobile food business can be a highly rewarding venture. It may involve making hamburgers for local events, selling roadside beverages, owning a truck-style restaurant, or participating in events and festivals with your menu.
At the same time, a concession trailer can be a big investment, so you want to avoid buying the first trailer you like. Instead, consider your cooking plans, menu, appliances, workspace, towing vehicle, budget, and expansion plans.
Kinema Trailer Depot is the perfect place for entrepreneurs throughout Georgia to purchase concession trailers. We offer a variety of concession trailers that meet different mobile business needs. With new concession trailers available in various sizes, customers can choose the trailer that best fits their business operations and budget.
Identify Your Purpose for Using Your Concession Trailer
Before diving into features, colours, and sizes, identify how you plan to use your concession trailer.
Your menu and service style will strongly influence your trailer choice. For instance, a business that sells prepackaged food may need fewer cooking machines than a food service business that prepares food on-site.
Here are some preliminary questions to answer:
- What type of food or beverage will be sold?
- Will you be preparing food in the trailer, or will there be little or no cooking involved?
- How many employees will be present inside the trailer at the same time?
- Will you mainly do business at festivals, events, parking lots, or in private locations?
- Will your equipment require large refrigeration and food prep space?
- How much storage will you need in the trailer?
- Will your business grow, and will you need more facility?
Answering these questions first helps you avoid buying a trailer that’s too small or too expensive for your business.
Select the Correct Size of Trailer
Trailer size is a vital factor when buying concession trailers. At Kinema, our larger trailers offer more space for operating equipment, storage, accommodating employees, and other features. However, this also means you need a bigger tow vehicle and a higher price.
Our standard sizes start at 8.5 x 16 and go up to 8.5 x 24, with many other sizes available.
Think ahead about the trailer’s intended use, not just how much space you will need regularly.
Choose Between a Standard and Custom Concession Trailer
Each business may have its own needs. For this reason, a custom concession trailer may be appealing.
By designing a concession trailer around your requirements, you can set it up for the best workflow possible, rather than adapting your existing process to a layout imposed by someone else. As Kinema Trailer Depot points out, our firm’s professionals work with customers to build custom concession trailers based on their needs.
In case you choose the custom option, consider:
- Where your equipment will be placed
- Why you need the windows
- Where the doors are coming from
- Whether or not you will need a counter
- Whether or not storage space will be available
- Where you are going to put the shelves
- How you will provide refrigeration for everything
- What cooking equipment you may need
- What power supply you need
- How the workflow in the trailer will be organized
Make your custom trailer work for you. A good trailer layout should let your staff efficiently handle every step, from prep to cooking to serving.
Quality Construction
A concession trailer is a mobile kitchen, but it also serves as an important business tool that operates in tough conditions.
It is essential to examine the quality of construction of the trailer itself – the frame, floor, walls, door, roof, axles and tires, electrical system, etc.
Also, when speaking with the dealer, ask about the manufacturer, assembly process, model variations, and warranty coverage.
Kinema Trailer Depot works directly with manufacturer Cynergy, which allows us to provide concession trailers on a direct-from-the-factory basis.
Whether a prospective customer buys a standard trailer or a high-end concession trailer, construction quality should always be top of mind. Even if the trailer is cheap, that doesn’t mean it will serve its purpose well.
Identify Your Equipment Needs
It is critical to address your equipment needs before purchasing a trailer.
For instance, a restaurant offering fried food will require different equipment than a café specializing in coffee, ice cream, pizza, barbecue, or a taco or refreshment business.
You must outline the types of equipment you will be using and find out:
- Where each piece will be situated
- How much counter space it needs
- How much electric power it needs
- Whether extra ventilation is necessary
- Where the ingredients will be stored
- Where products will go after completion
- How your employees will operate the equipment
Keep in mind that it is more than adding up the number of appliances. The whole process from obtaining ingredients to preparing meals and serving customers is what is important.
This is especially important for high-volume operations that require trailers, as the trailer should meet the business’s demands.
Ensure the trailer can be towed
A concession trailer is only valuable if the vehicle intended to tow it can do so properly and securely.
Check the trailer’s specifications and weight against the vehicle’s towing capacity before making a purchase. Consider the weight when loaded, not just the trailer’s empty weight.
Once you load food, equipment, water, propane, and other supplies, the overall weight can increase significantly.
Also consider trailer length, hitch specifications, braking systems, and the vehicle’s ability to maneuver the trailer.
If you are not sure whether a trailer is compatible with your vehicle, talk to a dealer about your vehicle specifications before deciding.
Consider Your Budget Beyond the Cost of the Trailer
The cost of buying the trailer is just one part of the overall cost.
You should also think of other costs associated with your business. Depending on your model and area, and in addition to the trailer price, you may need to pay for equipment, marketing, permits, licensing, insurance, supplies, maintenance, and other operating costs.
Create a realistic start-up budget before you pick the trailer. Knowing how much you can spend will stop you from overspending and running out of funds to operate the business.
Financing also makes the whole trailer purchase easier. Kinema Trailer Depot offers financing plans and a financing department that helps customers find financing solutions.
Consider Your Company Growth
You must consider your current situation when choosing your first concession trailer, but make sure it doesn’t limit your plans.
For instance, if you plan to start with a narrow menu and diversify your product range later, leave space for extra refrigeration, storage, or equipment.
Moreover, if you plan to hire more staff, consider whether the interior design will remain functional with more people.
Buying a slightly more powerful trailer now can be less hassle than replacing an undersized one later.
Compare Dealers Before Making a Purchase.
Don’t just compare prices when shopping for a concession trailer.
Instead, consider your trailer’s specifications, construction quality, customization options, the manufacturer, local availability, financing options, and customer service.
A knowledgeable dealer should readily answer your inquiries and advise you on making a good business decision regarding which trailer to buy.
Kinema Trailer Depot is a family-owned, locally run company in Douglas, GA, focused on helping customers choose the trailer they want. The company has been around for many years and offers customers a variety of trailers.
Check the Trailer Before Taking Delivery
Make sure you check exterior surfaces, doors, windows, flooring, and interior walls, as well as electrical equipment, tires, lights, and other essential parts of the trailer.
If the trailer includes additional equipment, learn how it works and make sure it functions properly.
Also ask the vendor for maintenance details and any precautions to follow during operation.
Evaluating your newly acquired trailer helps prevent misunderstandings or concerns down the road.
Buy the Best Concession Trailer
If you want to start your own mobile food or vending operation, buying a concession trailer is one of the first steps. The trailer you buy should match your menu, operations, equipment, vehicle, financial position, and goals.
Whether you need an entry-level model, a custom-made trailer, a high-end model, or something for the commercial sector, take time to review a range of options.
Kinema Trailer Depot, in Douglas, GA, sells trailers in various sizes and styles to meet customers’ needs.
Before you buy a trailer from us, ask our team which concession trailer is best for you.
FAQs
1. What is a concession trailer for?
A concession trailer is a mobile unit you can tow that specializes in food and beverage preparation and sales. You can use it at events, festivals, fairs, markets, on the roadside, or for catering and mobile vending.
2. How should I determine which concession trailer size to select?
Start by considering your menu, equipment, number of employees, how much food and beverages you need to store, and how many guests you expect. Also, make sure your towing vehicle can handle the weight.
3. Is it worth it to invest in a customized concession trailer?
If your business has specific processes, layout, storage, or other requirements, a customized concession trailer can be beneficial because it can be built to meet your needs.
4. What are the things to consider when purchasing a concession trailer?
When buying a trailer for your business, focus not only on price but also on construction quality, trailer size, interior layout, needed equipment, towing requirements, and other important factors.
5. Where can I find a concession trailer in Douglas, Georgia?
Kinema Trailer Depot is located at 1680 Hwy 158 West in Douglas. We offer a variety of concession trailers in different configurations and sizes. Inquire with us today.
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