Traditionally, most culinary entrepreneurs simply seek out a building to stock with their restaurant furniture and commercial equipment. More and more these days, though, restaurateurs are bucking tradition and thinking outside the box. This gave rise to shipping container restaurants. These usually small eateries are constructed with used shipping containers, which are typically seen on semi-trucks and barges. And while shipping container restaurants may seem strange, they actually offer various benefits.  

Shipping Container Restaurants Are Affordable
The quickly expanding popularity of repurposing shipping containers is closely related to their affordable cost. On any given day, America brings in much more than it exports, and this often leaves countless shipping containers sitting in shipyards and parking lots. These containers can be purchased relatively cheaply, are more affordable to build with than traditional means, and are even sold in pre-made restaurant pop-up styles for those who are interested.

Test Out the Local Market
Shipping container restaurants also provide the opportunity to test out a certain market. For owners who are looking to open stores in different areas, they can test out the local market inexpensively with a shipping container eatery before fully investing in a permanent home. With just a few pieces of restaurant furniture, a rented parking lot and a team of dedicated employees, testing out a market can be simpler than ever.

Restaurant Basically Markets Itself
Most restaurants have to advertise by offering freebies or showcasing images of friends having fun at the bar tables. While these tactics should never be overlooked, the simple fact is that a restaurant constructed of shipping containers handles a ton of the marketing on its own. Honestly, who wouldn’t be curious about the new nearby restaurant working out of a giant, repurporposed, rectangular piece of metal? The buzz alone should keep the cafe chairs and other restaurant furniture packed for a few months.

Mobility Can Pay Dividends
Taco Bell has opened its own shipping container restaurant, and like many others who jumped on the bandwagon, it sits immobile in a semi-permanent home. What many restaurateurs fail to realize, though, is that there are other options.

These shipping containers were created to move large amounts of material from place to place. That means that they’re capable of moving around, even after being converted into an eatery, if the plan is in the blueprints. This lets a restaurateur get all the benefits of a shipping container restaurant, such as affordability and market testing, and still get the advantage of essentially having a food truck.

Sustainability Attracts Millennials
Very recently, Millennials surpassed the baby boomers as the largest age cohort in America. This makes marketing to them essential, and one thing they put a lot of value into is sustainability. This begs the question, what are they going to think about a restaurant that repurposed a shipping container rather than letting it rust and potentially take up space in a landfill? Think about it.

Having a shipping container restaurant might seem a bit far-fetched to the owners of many eateries, but the idea is quickly picking up steam. It may take a bit of planning along with the purchase of some new restaurant furniture and cooking equipment, but having one of these unique eateries on hand can certainly make a concept stand out.