40ft School Catering Unit

Impressed by our previous work on catering units and classrooms, the academy’s contractor contacted us for assistance on their project. Having researched top shipping container suppliers, they believed Lion Containers suited their project perfectly.

We worked closely with the school from the onset to provide a catering unit that served their needs. They were open to using either a 20ft or 40ft container, their only stipulation being that it would need to fit their equipment, which they would install onsite. Upon reviewing the request, we organised an initial meeting to discuss the best option(s) for them.

To start, we presented several container options to the school, factoring in aspects such as size, condition, and budget. Given their budget and requirements, we settled on a 40ft, new high-cube container that we would paint and line. A high-cube container would provide extra height to compensate for that reduced by the lining installed in the container.

Once we finalised the container size, we created a 2D drawing of the container. This drawing highlighted where the electrical points would be in relation the equipment they would be installing in the unit. Then, our fabrication team got to work.

Firstly, we modified the container shell. We created two apertures on the side of the container for serving hatches and another aperture on the rear side for a personnel door. The serving hatches were placed on gas struts to open as canopies when the container is in use. Serving hatches are a great option for catering units as they provide shelter from bad weather to customers being served.

For this project, we offered the academy a free upgrade from a standard steel personnel door to one with a vision panel. They liked the idea of being able to see the students around the container when not in use and opted for the upgraded door.

Then, we installed three-phase electrics suitable for hot and cold food equipment and lined the interior of the container. We fit the floors with vinyl, anti-slip flooring to ensure that the container was easy to clean and met the hygienic standards needed for a school catering unit.

Finally, we painted the exterior of the container with RAL6005 to match the academy’s colours and blend in onsite.

Once we completed the conversion, we arranged for the delivery and installation of the unit. The container had to be delivered during half term to adhere to health and safety regulations. Our team worked with this and seamlessly delivered the container, despite access limitations onsite.

The client was pleased with the final product, and the school catering unit has been a welcome addition onsite for staff and students.