Although requirements for concession trailers differ across the country there are some requirements that are standard across the board. One of the standard requirements is for a 3-compartment sink and hand washing sink. These requirements are in place for food safety handling reasons and something you want installed on your unit regardless of legal requirements.
At M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks, we develop 3 different blue-prints / layouts for each custom build. There is an electrical layout, kitchen layout, and of course a plumbing layout that we will cover in this post. You can view an example of one plumbing layout below.
Plumbing blueprint.
One of the challenges of manufacturing a custom truck is that you need to balance the kitchen equipment installed on the concession trailer with the location of plumbing and electrical needs. As a general rule of thumb, we find that a 15 or 16 gallon fresh water tank will work well for most mobile units. Depending on your menu or unique requests (like an installed bathroom), you may need a larger tank. Keep in mind that the larger the tank, the more space it will require inside of your unit.
Additionally, you also need to ensure that you don’t weigh down your concession trailer by going too big. Ideally, you want to be able to safely move your trailer with full fresh water tanks installed for ease of use. The graph below demonstrates how the plumbing can be setup within a concession trailer as an example.
Above is a diagram from the plumbing for an RV courtesy of MarxRV.com. Believe it or not, the way a concession plumbing is setup is often highly similar to that of a recreational vehicle. The plumbing for your vehicle will be dependent on your specific needs like how large of a gray water tank you’ll need, where you would like your sinks positioned inside the vehicle and other personal preferences.
One pro tip that often gets overlooked is that you want to make sure you choose a builder that will install top-grade hoses and fittings for your trailer. When dealing with any type of waste water you don’t want to spring a leak 6 – 12 months down the line just to save a few bucks up front.
Benefits of Reliable On-Board Plumbing
Food Preparation: Many vendors operating require water to prepare their menu items. Some hot dog vendors like to boil their sausages. If you’re preparing any type of soup or Vietnamese Pho you’ll need this too if you want to complete the prep work on-board. If your menu items require you to boil or water is an ingredient of a menu item having an onboard plumbing system will make operating more convenient.
Food Safety: Anyone that prepares food for the public should thoroughly wash their hands before, during and after food prep on a concession trailer. This is one of the simplest ways to prevent the germs from spreading and keep your customers safe. You can learn the proper way to wash your hands at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official website.
In addition to clean water, we recommend installing a hand washing sink and soap dispenser onboard every vehicle to make following these recommendations easier. One of the most common mistakes individuals make when washing their hands is not scrubbing long enough. The CDC recommends scrubbing for at least 20 seconds to ensure as much bad bacteria as possible is destroyed.
Cleaning Supplies: As a food vendor, you’ll be regularly cleaning the pans, spoons, spatulas, tongs, and other cookware needed to execute your menu. To accomplish this important task, you’ll need an onboard sink with hot and cold water. You’ll also need a gray water tank to hold the used water as well.
Many cities or counties will require that your waste water tank is 15% larger than your hot / cold water tanks. Consult your local regulators for the specifications in your area. The reason for this is to ensure that you have plenty of extra space in the tank to drain additional waste water. At the conclusion of each event, we strongly recommend draining your gray water tank at your commissary or other approved area.
Bathroom: An increasing number of operators want a bathroom and sometimes even a shower installed on their concession trailer. If you’re going to be spending 8 – 10 hours or more vending at different events with sometimes questionable rest rooms this can be a really nice feature to have. It also means that you won’t be awkwardly meeting customers inside a the public bathroom. Just keep in mind that you will need a significantly larger waste tank if you plan to have this element installed.
