Mobile Catering Services

By: David Urmann

Mobile Catering is the business that provides or prepares food from some type of vehicle in a remote site. Thus, good service rendered will satisfy one’s customer in the emerging world of mobile catering services.

Mobile Catering is common in outdoor events such as workplaces, downtown business districts, and concerts. Mobile catering events range from a box-lunch drop-off to a full-service catering.

A catering company or specialist is associated with an events planner. Part of the food service industry would include the staff who sets up a self serve buffet and dining area. They actually prepare the food and put finishing touches to it. Companies like this commonly charge not only for food and drinks but also for other themes that include decorations, lighting, and table settings.

Catering has a flat rate for each additional person, which means, it is sold on a per-person basis, although, this practice is not the case all the time. In order to make good profit, the food cost and supplies should be below a price margin.

Here is a list of elements shown on a formal and comprehensive catering proposal:
• Business license and health permit
• Time-line is important. Such as: staff arrival time, meal serve time, rental pickup, rental arrival time, out-of venue time, bar opening and closing time.
• Considerations on menu servings such as specific dietary or religious foods for client needs. Includes: Kosher, Halal, Vegan, food allergy, and vegetarian.
• Food safety and sustainability
• Three or four pass around items should be appropriate for the one-hour period prior to mealtime.
• The meal itself
• Rentals of chairs, tables, tabletop, plants, glassware, dance floor, serving equipment etc
• Labor staff - Event Manger/Lead, Assistants, Chef, Wait Staffs, and Bartenders. About 10 up to 20% more staff will go in order to do a large event.
• Quotes that include fire permits, floral arrangements, lighting, valet, coat check, and draping
• Sales Tax
• Service Charge/ Catering Bill

A mobile caterer uses a vehicle or cart in delivering the food. Types of vehicles are as follows:
Street cart – or a food cart is a motorless trailer that often uses a hand, bicycle or automobile that can be seen on public sidewalks and parks. Carts have an onboard heating device or a refrigerator for keeping the food ready for consumption.

Beverages and foods include - tacos, hotdogs, and sausages, Mexican food such as burritos, frozen treats like ice cream, donuts, sandwiches, bagels and Halal food such as chicken or lamb over rice.

Food Truck – the truck carries stocks of prepared foods that enable the vendor sell a large volume. Examples are the ice cream vans.

Mobile Kitchen – a large modified van with built-in cooking equipments such as grill and deep fryer. The vendor can prepare food inside the van. Examples are fish and chips vans in UK and taco trucks on United States.

Concession Trailer – like a mobile kitchen, it has equipments for preparation but it cannot move on its own. Trailer is suited for lasting events such as funfairs.

Mobile catering services can also be used to feed people in areas of natural disasters and in places where the infrastructure is destroyed.

Requirements for Mobile Catering Vehicles:
Commissary – it’s a place where all mobile units must report for the daily supplies, servicing and cleaning. A commissary approval form must be submitted and notarized if the owner is not present for signing.

Requirements for commissary: (1) Facilities must have a storage of food, washing and sanitizing equipments, single service articles, disposal of waste and washing and storage of vehicles. (2) Facility must be inspected by the health authority. (3) City permits.

Construction – (1) Vehicle must be a commercial type with enclosed, smooth, cleanable floors, walls, and ceiling with no carpet inside. (2) Proper temperature of equipment must be NSF approved for maintaining hazardous food. Provides and checks thermometer reading for each holding unit of food. (3) Liquid waste must be collected, put in a holding tank, and disposed into a sanitary sewerage system at the commissary. (4) Firm name, address, and contact numbers must be on both sides of the vehicle. (5) Empty vehicles are not permitted.

Operation – Health code: Foods cannot be sold from a mobile catering vehicle, cleaning and good repair of the interior and exterior part of the vehicle, food containers must be stored properly. Proper temperature maintenance at all times - cold foods – 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below, hot foods – 140 degrees Fahrenheit, transported food must have insulated units and notify the Neighborhood Services Department for the rented vehicle.
Permit requirements – payment fee for the mobile food permit and vehicle inspection permit.

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