Large Food Trailers

A large food trailer is a twin-axle mobile kitchen up to 5 m long, fitted out as a full production line. Bodies of 2.0 x 4.0 x 2.1 m and 2.0 x 5.0 x 2.1 m run on twin three-tonne braked axles, with commercial extraction, water tanks and fire suppression.

This is a restaurant that tows. The difference from a compact unit is not just floor area, it is that several people can work at once without getting in each other’s way, and that the services are specified to carry a full service rather than a stall.

The exterior is insulated aluminium or stainless. Inside there is commercial exhaust and ventilation, which is what makes a closed body survivable with a griddle and a fryer running, fresh and waste water tanks so the unit is self-contained for a full day of trade, a non-slip floor, fire suppression and a marked emergency exit. Those last two are usually what an insurer and a venue ask about first.

Running gear matches the mass. Twin three-tonne braked axles on 14 inch white mags, a braked global coupler and a 55 mm round twin jockey wheel, which is what you need to move and level a loaded unit without four people pushing.

The 4 m body suits a focused menu executed at volume. The 5 m body suits a full menu with separate prep, cook and service zones, and it is the size franchise operators and event caterers usually settle on after outgrowing something smaller.

Fit-out varies with the menu, and most of these are specified around the equipment list before the body is built. That conversation is worth having before you order, not after.