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Catering to Flexibility: Lakeside Custom Solutions

Flexibility carries a heavy importance in the foodservice industry, and without it, operations can be dysfunctional and ultimately affect diners’ experiences. To be able to have flexible service that can shift with the various dynamics of each day can be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful operation. Having equipment that allows for flexibility is a sure way to provide your team with the tools they need to work around unforeseen situations. There are some things that can be controlled, but situations arise that were not planned. Being comfortable changing plans and being flexible to the different needs of each day offers great possibilities for an operation. 

At Lakeside, we strive to offer flexible equipment for you and your team to be able to provide dining services amongst all circumstances. Sometimes a standard product is able to stand up to the task at hand, while other times a custom solution needs to be built to offer the ideal solution. Lakeside has worked with foodservice operators in a wide array of industries, one being the catering industry. Lakeside was able to help design, craft, and build a custom cart for a New York based company that offers business meeting and conferences spaces, paired with catering services, for businesses to rent in major metropolitan centers. With offering an all-inclusive experience of technological equipment needed and meal catering, they had a specific need for their new foodservice cart. Below, we will go over how this custom solution was designed and how it allowed for the ultimate flexibility. 

custom catering cart

Background:

This New York company needed flexible carts to move catering supplies from central kitchens to the meeting rooms in their venue’s spaces. The carts needed to accommodate food carriers, chafing dishes, full sized pans, carafes, and supplies all while being able to transport smoothly over thresholds and through elevators and doorways. Lakeside’s design team saw this as a great opportunity to design a custom cart to fit their exact needs, ultimately to allow them to have flexible service. Our engineering and design teams were able to build a custom full cart setup that could be modified on the go based on the number of people being served, what food was being served, and whether the food was heated or served cold. Being able to adapt on the fly is crucial for a successful flexible operation. 

catering pans

The Custom Cart: 

The stainless steel cart was built with ledges to hold full size sheet pans or snap in shelves. When shelves were removed, the space could be filled with insulated food or beverage carriers. The top was able to store additional catering supplies with upward facing ledges on three sides holding items in place to avoid any accidents. The guests being served weren’t the only ones to be considered in this design process, our design team also wanted to make sure this cart offered ease of use for the operator. Ergonomic handles were built onto this cart to ensure proper pushing angle to reduce the possibility of straining and injury. Beneath these handles, three removable storage bins were mounted to hold carafes and other supplies. Staggered casters, opposite of the handle, were added to help maneuver the cart over thresholds, once again ensuring the maneuvering of the cart was easy for the operator. All of these features combined allowed this company to deliver flexibility and improve operational efficiency while catering to their rental groups. 

custom catering cart for conference center

Ready for Anything: 

It can be hard to spot the equipment in your own organization that is holding operations up. Start by taking a look at the single taskers: equipment that doesn’t adapt to a variety of uses. Solutions that deliver flexibility will also improve the efficiency of your organization to all-in-all offer better service to customers. While Lakeside has a vast selection of standard products, we offer you the opportunity to customize a cart, or allow us to help you design the exact cart for your needs like we did with this New York company. Talk with a Lakeside cart expert today