Making of The Mac Shack Continued
Earlier this week we posted about developing a food truck concept, breathing life into an old business and watching the concept take off. At this point, the truck made it's way into the shop for repairs! It took D&S Truck and Trailer several days of chasing down unnecessary electrical wiring and switches within the truck to eliminate the battery issue. They finished the job with a box full of wires to show us, that had accumulated over years of different people working on the truck. Once the truck was restored to proper working condition, we washed it off and began sanding all of the paint that was currently on the truck to prepare it for rebranding.
The exterior was the biggest and most time consuming aspect of the project. We soon discovered the finish on the outside of the truck was uneven, so we elected to paint the truck and apply the logos in decal form. After several days of sanding, a coat of primer was applied, followed by the supreme cheese yellow base coat. With just this basic paint it already looked like a brand new truck!
After the painting was completed, we added wood paneling to the exterior to give the truck a "shack-like" appearance. Next, we went over the wood panels with a stain to give it a nice, weather-beaten look, and sealed it with a clear gloss topcoat.
The interior of the truck was in need of some minor work; namely the cabinet hardware was stripped off in order to make room for the wood paneling that would cover it. A new shelf for the serving window was built, and the hood cover was cleaned and painted to give it refreshed look.
At this point, it was finally time to drive the truck over to one of our sponsors in Land O' Lakes: Local Wraps. They had created some beautiful vinyl logo decals for us based on our favorite design, to add to the exterior of the truck. Local Wraps prepped the truck's surface with alcohol, and applied the vinyl decal.
Always the team to get the impossible accomplished, we finished up at Local Wraps with only 3 hours before it's debut service! We returned the truck to it's owner and Mac Shack was a giant hit at the Lakeland Food Truck Rally at Munn Park in Lakeland, a large rally we host on the second Thursday each month.
We were thrilled to note that the rebranded Mac Shack truck far surpassed the sales accomplishments of the truck in it's former life (with it's original menu and branding) when compared to all of their previous appearances at that same event. We at Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally are here to help you achieve the most possible success with your mobile food truck business. Whether you're brand new to the market, just have questions, or find yourself floundering, be sure to reach out to us today regarding our business consulting services.
\\*\\* Update\\*\\* 3/10/16
During this build we were not able to complete the exterior aesthetics of the Mac Shack for it's debut rally showing. We have since updated the paintwork to the front of the food truck to give it a real shack like look. The completed truck will be appearing at the Lakeland Food Truck Rally today, make sure you stop by and check the Mac Shack out!
