A few years ago, many people throughout the world began to look into tiny homes, selling off most of their possessions and moving into a mortgage-free space that was big enough for their needs. This mindset probably spread to the foodservice industry, where intrepid restaurateurs have started using smaller facilities to enable their dreams of serving homemade dishes. While food trucks have been in style for some time now, some have taken this ingenuity a step further, using diner-shaped shipping containers to house their kitchens. 

Most would imagine there’s simply not enough room to operate in a shipping container since they’re always narrow. Shipping containers may be more spacious on the inside than they appear on the outside, however.  For instance, a 20-foot container that’s half as wide would be much larger than a food truck. In fact, the length of a storage container is enough to house three or four people. A system of sections and hand-offs will eliminate most other issues, like any restaurant. Beyond the space itself, the economic positioning of necessary tools is essential. This means eliminating any tools like decorations that aren’t essential to the kitchen’s operation. Most of it is making sure you have plenty of space between any hot surfaces and things that can catch fire. 

Ventilation is probably handled the same as a food truck. When researching successful shipping container restaurants for ideas–a good idea if you haven’t–you’ll notice that all of them have a wide-open front. It’s a window for the service counter, yes, but it’s also a wide-open space for the heat and smoke to escape. You’ll also have other vents throughout the container, but the most important one will be directly above the cooking surface.

PVC wall panels complete the decor, giving you a slick, even surface that appears seamless to your customers. While visually pleasing, vinyl wall panels are also practical for restaurants, due to their easy-to-clean surface, heat/warping resistance, and lifetime durability.  Add waterproofing to this list of benefits, and all you’ll need is the food and the customers.