All A Cart Helps Mobile Food Vendors Get Rolling
Business Profiles — By Melanie McIntyre on April 27, 2011 at 8:00 amAs we’ve reported, mobile food operations are a growing trend in Central Ohio. So it only seems appropriate to interview the man behind All A Cart Manufacturing, a business that has provided many local and international vendors with the equipment necessary to make their culinary concepts come to life since 1972.
All A Cart’s founder and president, Jeffrey Morris, has always had diverse entrepreneurial interests that have paved a circuitous career path.
Jeffrey Morris, founder of All A Cart Manufacturing
“I am a florist by trade and had a chain of of stores called Morris the Florist at the time,” he says. “We opened flower shops in Kroger grocery stores and needed merchandising equipment, so we manufactured refrigerated flower carts and called them Flowers A La Carte. We were also in the ice cream and restaurant business, as well as the ice cream novelty manufacturing business, so we took our products to the streets utilizing ice cream pushcarts, which we also manufactured. We were approached by many other companies to design and fabricate custom carts for their products, which we did, and All A Cart has been doing so ever since.”
Read on to learn what kind of assistance All A Cart customers can expect, how Morris thinks Columbus’s food truck scene compares to others across the country, and why he’s managed to stay in business for almost four decades.
The Metropreneur: Your company designs and manufactures mobile vending food trucks and carts, including electric hybrid carts, trailers, tricycles. What makes your mobile vending vehicles unique?
Jeffrey Morris: We build a wide variety of units and custom fabricate any type of vehicle to order. Most companies do not have the interest or ability to create such a diverse selection of products, but we can and do.
[M]: How does your company go about customizing a vehicle for a business? What kinds of things do you try to learn about a customer?
JM: Having started and operated dozens of different types of businesses over the years, I am familiar with most products and have a good idea about how best to present them, and design and build a unit that will work well for their particular application. I interview all customers extensively to learn as much as I can about their ideas and background, so as to equip them with the best piece of equipment to get the job done.
[M]: Are there things food truck/cart newbies often don’t consider?
JM: Yes. Most don’t realize all of the various mechanical systems required to operate a mobile food unit. They can be rather complex, and we help explain and train everyone on the proper use of our products, as well as what codes and regulations must be met and adhered to in order to operate safely and legally.
[M]: What else does All A Cart offer?
JM: A complete turnkey operation from start to finish. We can build anything from a simple hot dog cart to an entire restaurant to a completely portable building of any size that can be totally outfitted with any combination of equipment, delivered on wheels, and then placed on a foundation and become a permanent structure.
[M] Has business picked up in the last couple years thanks to the food truck/cart craze?
JM: We have always been busy over the years and provided all these products internationally. They just fluctuate depending on market demands.
[M]: All A Cart is based in Columbus, but is that where the majority of your customers are located?
JM: Our customers are located all over the globe, but the majority are in a 1,000-mile radius.
[M] Do you think the Columbus food truck/cart scene is catching up to those in other U.S. cities?
JM: Actually, Columbus is a very cart-friendly environment and has been ahead of the pack compared to many other areas of the country.
[M]: What are your predictions about the future of mobile food vendors locally and nationally?
JM: They have always been popular and will continue to be so.
[M]: Your business has been around for quite awhile. To what do you owe your success?
JM: A wide diversity of products and a willingness to listen and give people what they want.
[M]: Do you have any advice for a new business owner?
JM: Yes. If you have an idea, do it. That is the only way you will be able to determine if it’s viable.
To learn more about All A Cart, visit AllACart.com.
All photography by Adam Slane Photography.
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Melanie McIntyre is The Metropreneur’s Editorial Director. Upon earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University in 2004, she became a staff writer for a business and legal newspaper in Columbus. During her tenure there, she wrote more than 500 stories about finance and real estate and development in Central Ohio. Since leaving the paper in 2008, Melanie has worked on a freelance basis for several local entities, including Columbus Underground, where she has been a featured writer since April 2009. She also writes about fashion and style at Thoroughly Modern Melly. She lives in Columbus’s Short North and enjoys reading, running, and sarcasm. |
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4 Comments
When we first started our Japanese crepe cart business, we went to Jeff to help modify our hot dog cart into a crepe cart. He basically told us all the main concerns that the health department and the city of Columbus would have and he helped us fix everything before our first inspection. It was great to talk to someone like Jeff before we began our mobile food venture because we received a lot of insight on what responsibilities came along with being a fully functional, legitimate food cart vendor. It also showed us that we needed to really be serious if we were going to do this because it was not cheap to start up.
I totally agree with Jeff’s ending statement, “If you have an idea, do it. That is the only way you will be able to determine if it’s viable”. He’s completely right! The great thing about the mobile food business is since your overhead is so low, It gives you the CONFIDENCE to try out your ideas, know matter how crazy they may sound :-) I like to look at it this way, there’s really NO WAY you could lose, or not be successful in mobile food. If for some reason something doesn’t workout, you simply add or change your menu. You could even rent or sale your cart/truck. There’s endless things you can try and do to ensure success in a mobile food business.
I hear All A Cart and ECDI may have a program in the future where people could rent a cart/truck. A lot of mobile vendors feel this would be a wonderful idea. This would help give people the opportunity to get started, or even expand their current business. We can’t wait until this happens. You can sign us up for one :-)
Hi Carla, WE RENT AND LEASE MOBILE FOOD TRUCKS AND CARTS!
I am a mobile food truck consultant. We also build and design throughout the US. I think it is a great idea for new Mobile Truck Vendors to rent a cart/truck.
This business is very demanding and tough! For the person who is new to the Food Truck Business renting makes financial sense to learn whether this business is for you without spending thousands of dollars on a truck.
We have been building Food Trucks for over 15 years and many of our Trucks have won the Vendy Awards in New York City! WE DO LEASE AND RENT TRUCKS!!!
LAURA BURRELL
CUSTOM FOOD CARTS AND TRUCKS
267-738-1656
When I decided to open Earth’s Crust Pizza cart, I bought an old hot dog cart off of ebay- it was built in the 80′s and nowhere near up to date with today’s health codes. We were so excited to hear that there was a food cart manufacturer here in Columbus! So we brought the cart down to Jeff’s workshop- he was incredibly knowledgeable on all the codes and regulations. In the end my partner and I decided to upgrade the cart ourselves for cheaper (it helps when your business partner is an electrician, plumber, and carpenter!) But Jeff was helpful in telling us what we needed to do and where to get started. It’s good to have someone knowledgeable and experienced in this town- it can only help the mobile foods industry grow.