As mentioned in the previous post, we are selling the Beast. Let me give you the sales pitch right off the mark, we’ll ask questions and deal with the soppy sentimental stuff later.
Update: Sold to a loving new home.
Call: 07581 243548 Write: mail@thejabberwocky.co.uk
The Van
The Beast is a long wheelbase, high sided 1986 VW LT31 with 12 months MOT. It has a straight six 2.4 non turbo-diesel engine which was fully rebuilt in 2014. The new engine has done less than 5000 miles. Alongside the new engine we have also done the following major replacements:
- Reconditioned prop shaft
- New springs and shocks front, new springs back
- Fully rewired
- New battery 2014
- New exhaust 2017
Plus any number of replacements to minor wear and tear. It comes fresh from a 12 month MOT, and viewings at our Leamington HQ are very welcome. Read on…
The Kitchen
- 2 fitted stainless steel counters
- 3 built in dry well bain maries for chaffing burners or tea lights
- 190cm zombie-proof steel hatch with custom gas springs
- 20l burco-dean tea urn (LPG)
- 5 burner Zanussi hob (LPG)
- Stainless steel pot wash sink
- 30cm Parry griddle (LPG)
- 3 x built in bain marie (from small to large)
- 2 x caged work lights
- Baumatic larder fridge (190cm x 50cm)
- Handiwash hand sink (with mains adapter)
- Hand towel dispenser
- 2 x waste water bottles and pipes
- 1 x large external menu board
- 1 x large external overhead board
- 1 x long internal framed black board
- Built in electrical system with 2 sets of sockets (1 x 2 gang, 1 x 3 gang). 10m of exterior cable and 16amp plug
- Gas cupboard with high pressure regulator and piping
- Colour change LED lights on underside of hatch
- Hatch support (only needed in very high winds)
- Fire blanket
- Heavy duty catering-standard non-slip flooring
All gas equipment and pipe work is certified gas safe until July 2017
All electrical items carry a current PAT until September 2017
We have a 5* hygiene rating on this van. This covers the business as well as the van, but it is a good indication that you will be able to achieve the same rating.
The Sale
Big enough to do £4000/day at the right festival, but small enough to be able to attend a hipster street food event. You can masterfully straddle the line between all types of outdoor hot food, including the tasty, tasty wedding market. The kitchen is big enough for two servers and the work flow filters customers neatly past the giant menu board, which is custom made and very much included.
We are selling the Beast because after the birth of our son, we need slightly more security than a characterful old monster of his kind can provide. We have bought ourselves an ambulance, and have converted that into a replacement. Having said that, the Beast has been remarkably reliable since the new engine in 2014. He trundles along happily, mile after mile, and always gets us where we are going.
As you can see from the particulars, we are selling the Beast, not the business. We will be removing the Jabberwocky branding and leaving behind something for you to stamp your own identity on. Although if you want it, we will include the zombie fancy dress.
The van comes with everything you need to start trading tomorrow, just add your chosen food and a pair of tongs. It’s got both a grill and a hob, meaning you can cook all kinds of food in there, and three built in bain maries for hot-holding anything else.
The Technicalities
It would be remiss of me, being all about teaching new folks starting out and making street food safer, to not remind everyone considering this van that you need to know what you are letting yourself in for. A van is a big financial commitment, but it absolutely knocks the socks off gazebo trading. If you would like any further information I would strongly recommend starting a street food business initially and buying a second hand street food van directly afterwards.
The Beast is over thirty years old, and like any 30 year old van, it has seen a fair bit of action and has the scars to prove it. There is a bit of rust, there are some idiosyncrasies, and if you lust after speed then you will be bitterly disappointed. We have kept a fairly detailed record of his exploits with us, and you are welcome to explore this: we would recommend the entire blog to date. He has had an adventurous few years.
The Sentimental Part
Man we’re gonna miss the big guy. I mean he even has his own twitter feed. He has always been the third member of the Jabberwocky, faithfully doing his very best to get us everywhere we have needed to go. It will be weird seeing him serving someone else’s food, maybe called something different, but this is business, and sometimes you have to let go. We hope that he will bring his new owner happiness, transportation and good money.
The Buyer
As this van is ready to go and comes with as much picking-of-our-brains as you can manage on the day and a copy of the book (if you want it), you could easily be a first time street food starter. Although I would probably recommend having tried a gazebo setup first. He can be modified to fit every single cuisine apart from anything excessively smoky or fatty, as there is no extraction. We think that £10,000 is a fair price, based in what we’ve spent and what we know he can do. We welcome anyone who would like to come and visit for a viewing: we are in Leamington Spa, conveniently located about an hour away from everywhere.
Call us: 07581 243548 Email: mail@thejabberwocky.co.uk
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