Fish fry in the winter, outdoors, anyone ever do this?

Here is the deal, I have the opportunity to serve lunch to a plant with 600 employees. They have three 30 min lunch breaks, one at 11, 11:30 and noon. I was brain storming and trying to think of a way to serve a large group of people like this with minimal prep and little product waste. I also have a limit of $6 per person, so product cost is a concern. I have a buddy that throws some big parties, and he feeds everyone easily with one of those outdoor propane turkey fryers, so that got me to thinking, how about a fish fry!
 
The menu will be simple, fried pollock, fries and coleslaw, that is it, no drinks or deserts. I will need to dry batter the fish to keep cost to a minimum. The slaw I will make myself in my mobile licensed kitchen, and the fries will be the standard frozen ones.
 
Now here is the question, have any of you done this outdoors in the winter? My concern is not me freezing my tail end off, but the grease recovery time along with just holding the proper temp of the grease to pull this off. I found this fryer, but do not know if it has enough BTU's if it is 20 degrees outside. http://www.northerntool.c...ct_200333977_200333977
 
If the above unit will work, my thinking is to incorporate two of these units into an open cart that I already have the plans to build along with the trailer which will hopefully increase recovery times and allow more efficient operation of the burners to heat the grease. 
 
Then my next question, I will need overhead cover for the cooking area (Health Department rules), so I figure a big umbrella with a sizable fire bottle on hand just in case? The fish will be dry battered outdoors along with frying them and the fries, and then taken immediately into the plant break room in covered pans on a cart. I figure I can pick up some of those restaurant table top heat lamps (used) to keep everything warm as we serve out of pans inside of the plant.
 
Any thoughts or advice? And yes, I am licensed to do this, paid big bucks for the license. If I can pull this off and keep everyone happy, there are three more plants that are available if I want them with sizable employee numbers. This should get me through the winter, and maybe beyond, while keeping my trailer in the garage and off of the icy and salt covered winter MI roads.
 
Mike
 
 

Just a suggestion if you are going to set up a kitchen  and if the plant accepts. ... I saw some used construction office/work trailers for sale at $1500.   One might be parked at the break room and set up as a kitchen.    ... So I think you could find these in your area.  Construction very slow and the rental companies need to move them (motivated sellers).

Ed, I really don't want to go that far as of yet, I already have a small mobile kitchen but it cannot handle the above kind of output needed to do the job right. I was offered a kitchen/cafeteria at a local hospital, no charge but I passed as it was a 7 day a week gig with minimal foot traffic. The hospital was a long/short term intensive care facility with roughly 70 employees. Maybe there was something there, but the place gave me an uneasy feeling if you know what I mean? And I did not see enough income potential to enable myself to hire proper employees. My gut told me it was a break even deal at best.
 
My thinking is to just get in and get out, feed the employees properly and get ready for the next gig. If I can make this mobile fryer deal work, along with bagging those other three or four plants during the week, I am golden.
 
And I am not stuck on fish, I just thought it was a cool idea that is rather cost and time efficient. I am open to any and all suggestions.
 
Mike

The first thing you learn in catering is, when doing a large feeding do what you know and your good at. I don't like the idea because fried fish doesn't hold well in chafing dishes or stryo containers. French fries don't hold real well either. You also have a the potential problem with weather. rain, snow, who the hell knows what. It would scare the hell out of me to offer a fish fry in the middle of winter, a menu I have never cooked for that size of a crowd..................Billyb

BillyB


The first thing you learn in catering is, when doing a large feeding do what you know and your good at. I don't like the idea because fried fish doesn't hold well in chafing dishes or stryo containers. French fries don't hold real well either. You also have a the potential problem with weather. rain, snow, who the hell knows what. It would scare the hell out of me to offer a fish fry in the middle of winter, a menu I have never cooked for that size of a crowd..................Billyb

 
What do you think then, another product? Like I said, I am not stuck on one idea, but like the idea of the fryers as they are easily portable and fast to cook. I wish I had a full blown restaurant kitchen to work out of, looking for doable ideas that would allow me to leave my trailer safely parked in my garage over the winter months. Open to any and all suggestions.
 
Mike

Mike, I would have Baby Back BBQ Ribs, Smoked sausage, Potato salad, and corn bread with honey butter..................The Rib would be smoked/cooked off ahead of time and finished on a Large BBQ grill. The sausage would be a Smoked Rope sausage that I would hit with a BBQ sauce and char/mark on the grill, then cut into 3 or 4 oz portions. The potato salad could be portion scooped in a 9x9 portioned stryo togo container along with the ribs, sausage and warm corn bread or muffin. The company will be looking for you to be efficient/fast and ready to get their employees feed with great food that they brag about and back to work without interruption. I know all about the not being able to cook everything, no oven and everything.  Later with the rest of the story.........................BillyB

Thanks Billy...
 
Yesterday I set up in my usual spot and had another employee from this plant stop by to grab a dog, and she was begging me serve lunch at the plant not knowing that I am planning to do just that. I ran the fish fry idea by her and she liked the idea. I was able to pick her brain a bit more by just asking what their favorite lunch is. She said the hot dog guy that no longer comes because he could not keep up out of his cart, the giant party subs from Subway that they no longer are able to get and sloppy joe sandwiches they did for a fund raiser once were the favorites.
 
From my conversation I gathered that they want the food freshly prepared that day and if it is supposed to be hot, it should be hot through all 3 lunch periods. Sandwiches or subs would be great, as long as they are freshly made. This group does not sound very picky other than on the price, as I said earlier $6 is max. I figure I can do a coney (chili) dog plate with fries and slaw for $5 and keep them happy and make the trip worth my while. Much easier than my fish fry idea. More research still needed.
 
Mike
 

At the plants I worked at, meat & 2 with tea were $6 to $7 & meat & 3 with tea was $8 to $9.   Salads (by weight) & sandwiches generally $4 to $6.
 
I think from what your above customer also indicated is they were only use to hot dogs & sandwiches from a cart.  ... You will blow them away with good plated lunches in addition to HD's & sandwiches.  You need to get a general head count for serving and planing to start.