If you run a food or hospitality business in Dublin you know how challenging it is to stay on your feet in the current climate. As we are slowly moving towards ‘the normal’ and more and more businesses are reopening, the future is looking a little brighter, yet still there are many challenges lying ahead.
There are several businesses in Dublin and across the country that have successfully adapted to the current situation and have been operating and staying profitable. You may wonder who these businesses are and what Reward Catering has to do with it?
Reward Catering is a food truck and trailer manufacturer who provides catering trailers and food trucks in Dublin for clients such as Insomnia, Bewley’s Ireland, Vodafone and Bank of Ireland. The company has been supplying custom built catering units to various clients for many years.
The demand for catering units hasn’t decreased during the Covid-19 crisis. In fact, food trucks proved to be a perfect outdoor solution for many businesses. For some they were life-savers as they brought another stream of income when they couldn’t operate indoors.
Many exciting projects have flourished in Dublin during the pandemic. Let’s take Griolladh as a prime example of that – the new toastie sandwich chain. The founders, Jack and Jacob launched their business when the pathogen hit and they have subsequently suffered a job loss. These two furloughed bar managers have spotted a huge business opportunity – selling street-food to a community who could not dine inside at the time. Griolladh purchased 2 catering trailers from Reward Catering that has allowed them to expand their locations in an affordable way.
Reward Catering’s best seller is the iconic american style stainless steel airstream trailer which was a perfect choice for Griolladh. The unit based in Dundrum Town Centre is half covered in precise, yellow paint finish while the second one based in Moyville is a complete paint finish. Two of the units are eye-catching and cannot be omitted by people passing by!
The Baths at Clontarf is another client that bought a unit from Reward Catering. Initially the airstream trailer was purchased to complement the kitchen and was placed on the restaurant’s lovely patio. The trailer was also great during Covid-19 restrictions as the restaurant was able to continue serving customers outdoors.
Benefits of having a food truck during the pandemic and beyond
Another client of Reward Catering is Insomnia, a renowned Irish coffee shop chain. Insomnia has decided to go mobile with the bespoke airstream trailers. The bold red units definitely grab the attention of commuters. Insomnia noticed the potential mobile units bring and now are able to expand their locations even further. Catering trailers are more affordable than the traditional coffee business model and bring other benefits like the ability to trade at events and in numerous sites. Food trucks are also a form of free mobile advertising as the logo naturally gets more exposure when units move from location to location.
Jump Juice is another client of Reward Catering that went mobile with their food truck. Their first trailer is based in the Food Fare at Howth Castle and serves smoothies and juices. Catering units allow companies to access markets that would otherwise be unavailable.
Kish and Fish, another client of Reward Catering is a Howth based seafood wholesaler and retailer. The family uses the airstream trailer to serve their own fresh catch and gourmet coffee. A catering unit is an inexpensive way to expand their business offerings and it made perfect sense to place it in West Pier of Howth where people come to relax and unwind.
Scoop Parlour has also purchased an iconic airstream trailer from the company. The unit is fully customised and allows for storing ice cream and essential equipment. Currently they are based in Monkstown right behind Diarmuid Gavin Shop.
Experiential Advertising and Events
Reward Catering’s units have also been used for different projects. The company has fully implemented a brand activation for Bank of Ireland for their ‘Begin’ campaign in 2020. This project entailed serving breakfast to 1,500 employees across their head offices on Baggot Street, Mespil Road and Burlington Street.
Vodafone also rented a unit from Reward Catering to run their ‘Vodafone Juice Bar’ Campaign in order to increase brand exposure.
Further uses for trailers
Other common uses of food trucks among Reward Catering’s customers include running a catering company and hosting events like parties and weddings. Other cases include hotels availing of trailers to extend their hotel offerings. Many hotels possess extra outdoor space that can be used for weddings and parties. In these cases bespoke trailers are a perfect fit thanks to their elegant appearance and flexibility. Hotels often use catering units to serve warm gourmet meals and function as prosecco bars. Reward’s sister company V Street Food also manufactures custom Food trucks in Dublin.
Other institutions that avail of mobile kitchens are colleges and universities as well as corporations. For instance the company has supplied units to DCU that use the unit to feed their students and staff. Another client, DocuSign inserted their unit into their office to also serve warm food and coffees to their employees.
Why do companies choose Reward Catering?
1. The company has accumulated a good reputation among clients including Insomnia, Jump Juice, Bewley’s Ireland, Bank of Ireland, Vodafone and more (link to our clients page?).
2. Their best seller airstreamers are iconic and popular worldwide and are attractive to passers-by.
3. The company manages their projects from start to finish, including taking care of the interior and exterior as well as supplying and fitting of equipment.
4. The trailers can be custom designed to meet the needs of customers. The units come in various sizes to cater for different requirements.
Would you like to learn more about the world of food trucks and mobile catering? Make sure to visit Reward Catering’s blog and follow them on social media.
