In today’s video, Bob Pierson guides you on a tour of a recent custom build we are very proud of for Chief’s Chill Out. Chief’s Chill Out wanted an efficient and agile way to bring their cold treats to the street and chose a new Ford Transit van to serve as the foundation of their business. In this video, Pierson takes you on a 360 degree tour of the outside and inside of this build out and explains the details that went into converting this ordinary van into a snow cone and custard distribution machine.
The tour begins on the left-side of the converted Ford Transit van, where a lot of planning was invested into the marketing aspects of the vehicle and capturing customers attention. After opening up the first serving window reveals a large screen television where a menu or product videos can be displayed. All of the information displayed on this digital menu can be controlled inside the truck or remote from an iPad or phone.
To the rear of the vehicle is the serving window where fresh custards and snow cones will be served to customers. As you can see there are two trays that securely latch up. Below the serving window is a display that allows customers to be able to view the products you serve before you buy. This is a convenient way to demonstrate the different offerings on a custard van like this, but also allows you to showcase add-on items like sodas or chips that can increase your average customer value without additional effort.
At the rear of the vehicle is another custom addition. Unlike your traditional ice cream truck that may only sell pre-packaged product, Chief’s Chill Out wanted to create a higher-quality offering and have a custard machine installed on the vehicle. Running a custard machine on the truck requires a lot of electricity to operate and an additional generator needed to be installed on the vehicle to execute this type of vehicle. The problem is that space is at a premium in one of these smaller Ford Transit vehicles versus a traditional food truck.
How we were able to get around this problem was to create a custom sized generator box on the rear of the Ford Transit. This enables the owner plenty of power their custard machine from the external generator, but also saves space on the van. We did need to adjust the placement of the rear view cameras as well to make this adjustment. Instead of having the cameras on the bumper, they are now located on the doors and look out over the top of the generator so that the operator of the vehicle can see where he or she is going. The spare tire was then attached to the new custom built generator box.
See The Inside
As we open the sliding door into the converted Ford Transit, you see the beginning of the mobile kitchen and a large freezer. When you step into the van, the first thing you’ll notice is the line of bottles that extend across the ceiling. When in operation, these bottles will contain different flavors of syrup for snowcones. These syrups run down tubes to the outside of the van where customers can dispense their own syrups and mix flavors.
As Bob moves back into the rear of the kitchen you see some of the other features of this build. Naturally, there is the custard machine and refrigerator to keep product cool. There is also a variety of shelving units and counter top space store product.
From a security standpoint, a monitor is also positioned near the serving window that allows you to monitor the outside of the vehicle while you work. In the rare event that someone attempts to tamper with your vehicle while it is in operation, you’ll be able to see it even while you’re inside of the vehicle. The electrical box is also installed nearby the serving window so it can be easily accessed while you work. The other convenient feature you’ll see is a push to start generator button from the inside of the van. This is a huge time saver and will make operating the van a lot easier. When you’re done using the generator, you can turn it off from inside the van as well.
Overall, we are honored to have helped Chief’s Chill Out get started. Visit ChiefsChillOut.com for more information about their business. If you have a custom-built van in mind for your own business, don’t hesitate to reach out to M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks directly to learn how we can assist with your next custom build.
