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Downe House is a Berkshire boarding school which seeks to create a strong sense of community among its students, parents and teachers. A big part of this is the packed calendar of sport fixtures and events which take place across its sprawling 110-acre campus, and which serve as excellent opportunities for the school community to come together. Downe House came to us needing a catering outlet with the flexibility and versatility of a trailer but with enough capacity to serve large crowds on busier days.

We were delighted to deliver their custom-converted Airstream-style trailer and to see first-hand their reactions as we unveiled the finished product.

What was the process?

Downe House contacted Mobile Retail after looking through our website, asking if we could provide a catering outlet to trade from their sports pitches on PE days and during matches on weekends. As they were seeking an eye-catching and impressive conversion in keeping with the school’s reputation, we suggested our Airstream-style trailer, which features a rounded retro style modelled on the classic American caravan.

We worked up a brief with Events and Services Manager Ben Sanders and then our production and design team got to work. We matched the colouring of the trailer to the school’s sports kit and added in their logo for a fully on-brand aesthetic. 

At the front of the trailer, we installed two Cafitesse Excellence Touch self-serve coffee machines capable of serving 360 hot drinks per hour so it didn’t always need to be staffed, allowing students and parents to serve themselves when they needed refreshments. For busier events, this spacious model is big enough to accommodate a number of staff to complement the self-service offering.

How will the mobile catering trailer be used?

Key to the success of this conversion are its mobility and versatility. It can easily be relocated by a towing car or van and can even be pushed shorter distances by hand. Despite being spacious and able to serve more than 500 cappuccinos per hour, the Airstream-style trailer is still small enough to be positioned in locations throughout the Downe House campus.

Deputy Head Matthew Godfrey said: “Downe House is a really busy school. We have lots of big events going on for the duration of the year and this unit is going to be invaluable to us. We have a wonderful playing fields facility here but limited buildings from which to serve refreshments. It just means we can use different venues, we can move the unit around and I think it’s an eye-catching and exciting thing to have around. People are going to enjoy going over to it and seeing what refreshments and drinks are available.”

The Mobile Retail verdict

The Downe House project was a brilliant one to get involved in. We love to meet and exceed the expectations of customers who expect the best, and to see their faces when it comes to handover.

Rus Field (pictured above, right), General Manager for Mobile Retail, said: “We pride ourselves on being anything mobile, anywhere and this Airstream-style trailer hits the mark perfectly. It can be pushed if needs be but it can also be hooked up to a van or a car, pulled along and set up at a different location on the Downe House campus according to their needs on the day. They can have multiple people trading from the unit, dealing with large crowds of people, and offering self-serve coffee to students, parents and teachers whilst also giving a hot food offering without such a long wait. 

“It’s a stand-out product from us, it looks really nice and I’m very proud of it.”

To find out more about the Airstream-style trailer, hit the button below or watch the video above.