Off the Grid, a placemaking platform that is leading the evolution of food experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area, announces the debut of its Cubert Cold Prep—a compact mobile kitchen and retail space equipped with everything needed to store, prep, and serve food in a structure that offers the perks of a permanent shelter without the physical constraints.
The first Cubert Cold Prep units will debut to the public at Off the Grid’s annual Fort Mason Center Market this March 2018 offering participating food and beverage entrepreneurs the freedom to just “show up and serve.” Cubert Cold Prep vendors benefit from a compact mobile food unit that is maintained, permitted, and transported by Off the Grid. Businesses can express interest in a station at the Off the Grid Fort Mason Center by applying here. Additional units will be available to rent and buy in mid-2018.
With its sturdy and portable design, Cubert Cold Prep makes it possible for food and beverage entrepreneurs to operate their business out of a functional, secure space that has the flexibility of a temporary structure. Each unit carries its own operating permit (occupants are responsible for local health permitting only), is customizable, and has the ability to stand as an independent unit at locations including public plazas, parks, courtyards, sidewalks, and more.
As reported in the New York Times, “Jon Feldman, Stumptown’s vice president in charge of wholesale accounts, sees potential for growth at sites where specialty coffee couldn’t go before. ‘It’s hard to do what we do from any old place: power and water requirements, space constraints,’ he said. ‘With Cubert you can open a small coffee outlet in the middle of a field, for, say, a music festival.’”
Shaped like a cube with motorized retractable side panels, the durable steel and aluminum frame of the Cubert sports polycarbonate walls, which can be illuminated from the inside. A modest 64 square feet upon delivery, Cuberts have the capacity to expand their footprint to an eye-catching 576 square feet when fully deployed, offering a shaded area for guests to gather with a visible branded marquee rising above the sightline. Cubert’s proprietary app offers business owners the convenience of opening and closing the shelter with ease.
Inside, the Cubert Cold Prep feels like a compact, efficient kitchen equipped with professional grade stainless steel countertops, running water, electricity, and refrigeration. After service, vendors have the ability to store their knives, chairs, and other equipment inside the Cubert.
“I’ve worked with mobile food creators since launching Off the Grid in 2010,” says Founder Matt Cohen of his company that is known for empowering people and businesses to transform space into authentic experiences. “Every year, our goal is to create a more comfortable and affordable work environment for our partners while giving them what they need to produce quality meals. Cubert was born out of a need to address a lot of the ongoing challenges vendors encounter with temporary shelters. This is a solution for those who need more functionality and convenience than a pop-up tent and folding table, and whose business isn’t a fit for a food truck.”
“As a new mobile food business, I’m coordinating transportation of my food, equipment, ice, and everything else I need for a daily pop-up,” says Elizabeth Miranda of Postrique, a churro concept incubated through an Off the Grid educational training program known as Instrucktional. “I like the idea of the Cubert because it frees my time to focus on the quality of my churros instead of load-in and break-down of my business every day.”
Cubert Cold Prep will debut this March 2018 at Off the Grid’s annual Fort Mason Center market. Interested businesses can apply at cubert.com/contact for fifteen available spots. This highly customizable offering is also available for sponsorship or purchase by brands interested in showcasing their products and services at, and outside of, the Fort Mason Center Market. Additional Cubert Cold Prep units will be available as of mid-2018 to rent (starting at $500 per day for Off the Grid’s Fort Mason Center Market) and buy (starting at $65,000). Please inquire via cubert.com for more information.
About Cubert
The original Cubert debuted in 2014 as a customizable mobile pop-up venue that lifts, flips and flies open instantly shifting and shaping itself to suit any environment. The structure is designed to operate as a mobile kitchen without wheels, as a stage, or as a pop-up retail space. With the debut of Cubert Cold Prep, business owners have a solution for a stable, compact, secure mobile food unit that is maintained and transported by Off the Grid.
About Off the Grid
Founded by Matt Cohen in San Francisco in 2010, Off the Grid is a placemaking platform that empowers people and businesses to create authentic experiences. Off the Grid unlocks the value of space through curated food and event design services, offering innovative public and private event production and scalable employee dining experiences.
Credited with reviving and keeping street food alive in San Francisco, Off the Grid sets the stage for discovery with public markets in 15 Bay Area locations including over 60 events routinely serving more than 100,000 people weekly. Off the Grid also offers turn-key event production and scaleable corporate dining services.
Follow Off the Grid by visiting www.offthegrid.com and following them on Twitter: @OTGSF, Instagram: @OffTheGridSF, Facebook: @OffTheGridSF.
