This year The Big Coffee and the University of Hull are proud to announce a new and exciting project, to be rolled out at the University: “Street Food Vibes”.
We have been working together in this local strategic partnership to deliver a range of handcrafted, quirky, and beautifully branded street food vans and trailers to be used across the University of Hull sports facility and wider campus.
Steve Curtis and the team identified a requirement for quality food offerings around the University, focusing on their world-class sporting facilities.
Today’s students and visiting guests have grown to both expect and appreciate tasty street food, with an emphasis on variety and quality. Sustainability will be integral to the project from the very beginning; this will employ technologies such as solar power – not forgetting compostable cups and packaging within the various handcrafted units on offer.
Kate Howman, Retail Catering Manager at the University of Hull, said: “This is a really exciting new project that will involve three to four new street food services and we can’t wait to see this turn from a concept into reality.”
The University has gained a reputation for hosting world-class sports fixtures; these include international netball, wheelchair rugby and squash, as well as high-profile boxing events. It is our intention to provide food offerings worthy of these events; there will be flexibility in the type of food on offer and acknowledgment of the need for sustainability. The F&B vans and trailers will also be utilised across the campus, offering students a modern, fun twist on the Street Food phenomenon that has taken the UK by storm over the past decade.
We have taken the decision to create a cohesive brand for the University, to offer real impact and an instantly recognisable name: “Street Food Vibes”.
This new brand was created from scratch by our designers; it has a contemporary feel, with the intention of appealing to the students – providing an Instagram shot & talking point. Used together, the multiple units can create a Street Food Village or Festival, whilst still having flexibility of use individually at various events when the need arises.
Kate Howman: “When used together, the multiple units will be like a street food village which will be great when we have sporting events. But they can be separated too and used for general student events across campus.”
To provide the necessary impact, we have handcrafted 4 brand new, funky street food serveries. These include:
- Citroen retro reproduction HY van – Full mobile street food kitchen, featuring fryers and grills
- Multi-purpose Catering Pod – serving barista coffee and hot / cold snacks
- Fully branded Modular counter unit – it can be wheeled into position anywhere or added to any of the other units for extra impact and functionality
- Large traditional Street Food trailer – multi-use
From the outset, the brief was to achieve maximum flexibility across the campus, with a range of equipment available to drop into each unit, depending on the event or type of Street Food being served. Each Street Food unit can be used at various positions across the campus or together to form a Street Food Village or festival.
We asked Kate what she was most excited about with the rollout of the Street Food Vibes project, and she commented “Sustainability is at the heart of the project as well, with compostable cups and packaging used. Other eco-friendly initiatives like recycled pallet woods and solar panels will be introduced into some of the trailers.”
The project was launched in September during Freshers Week, bringing students and sporting fans a modern approach to dining, with more food options than ever before. The opening weekend for the food and coffee trailers was met with huge success, in the first two days the University made sales of £12,000 and served over 500 students.
Take a look at this video to see how the first two days went for the University.
Rob Dixon, Director of The Big Coffee commented “This exciting new project went live in September 2023, the whole team from Big Coffee and Mobile Retail can be very proud of what has been achieved with this turnkey project. It has been a pleasure being involved from concept to delivery of these street food and beverage units. My personal favourite is the electric Citroen style van, the crispy chicken being served at the fresher’s week celebration was out of this world.”
Moving forward we hope to add to the project with more innovative street food trailers, watch this space.
Get in touch to see how we can help your business stand out from the crowd. Email info@thebigcoffee.com or give our friendly team a call on 01482 655020 to get the ball rolling!
