This morning Bob has a brand new food van walk-through that was built for Tony’s Clam Chowder based in Cedar Key, Florida. You can find out where Tony’s Clam Chowder will be serving next by checking out their event calendar. If you can’t visit at an event near you, you can still get a taste of Tony’s seafood by trying their chowder sold at Albertsons, Safeway, and other markets across Florida. This is hands down the best chowder we’ve ever tasted and we are proud to have had the opportunity to build this van!
The Tour
The tour starts at the front of the vehicle where you see the attractive wrap and branding for Tony’s Clam Chowder and website prominently displayed at the front. The side of this vehicle also features strong calls to action highlighting the “free samples” available for prospective customers when the van is in operation. We highly recommend you take them up on this offer!
As we move over to the right side of the vehicle, Bob demonstrates how the serving window and serving tray are put in position when the vehicle is ready to serve. You may not notice this at first, but the serving window is actually part of the sliding door that can be used to enter into the kitchen of the van.
After the sliding door is opened you discover that there are two retractable serving counters. These allow you to easily enter the van and when you’re ready to serve customers just pop-up the counters and get to work. Inside the van you have a refrigerator to keep the soups fresh, a stovetop for the big pots of clam chowder, a prep shelf, microwave, 3-bay sink with hand washing sink. Of course there’s plenty of counter area for serving and cabinets for storage as well. Also note the installed exstinguisher for fire safety.
What’s not immediately visible underneath the counter is a displace for food. Other features included on the inside of this vehicle include paper towel dispenser, hood, shelving, and of course A/C to keep cool while your cooking up warm clam chowder.
Security Features
The features we have not discussed yet during this tour is the number of security cameras that are installed around the vehicle. You can view the video around the van while you’re operating. This can help when your parking the vehicle, but is also handy for security purposes while you are working inside the vehicle too. Located above the security screen is the stereo controls. On the outside of the vehicle is a stereo system for playing music or making announcements over a PA.
Returning to the outside of the vehicle there is a display area for products. Here you could feature menu items or place drinks so that prospective customers have a visual example of the products you sell on-board. There’s also a second window that lifts up to display a television screen. This screen can be used to display a menu, marketing videos, or to broadcast a game. Moving to the rear of the vehicle is the propane tank for running the burners and a Cummins generator for electricity. As a special require from this customer there was also a ladder installed on the back for access to a rack system at the roof of the van.
We are proud to have had the opportunity to build this van for Tony’s Clam Chowder. As mentioned previously this is the best chowder we’ve ever tried, but don’t take our word for it. Watch the video below to see what their fans have to say:
To see more examples of food van conversions and pricing click here or give M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks a call at 904-397-0246 to discuss your next specialty vehicle build.
