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Shipping Containers for Restaurants

If you’re looking for a different type of building for your restaurant or franchise, consider the many advantages of building a restaurant or coffee shop out of shipping containers. Learn more about shipping container restaurant planning and design below. 

Sustainable-Shipping-Cargo-Container

Why Use Shipping Containers for a Restaurant or Coffee Shop?

A restaurant can’t just be about good food. Dining is an experience that people want to delight in, which includes the restaurant design and even what it’s made of. Using shipping containers for a restaurant build is a great way to stand out from the crowd and give customers a real destination. Whether it’s a single shipping container for a micro coffee shop or a whole fortress of them for an entertaining and dining oasis, shipping containers could be the best choice for your next restaurant build.

Shipping Container Basics

Using shipping containers is a green building practice. Shipping containers sit unused across the United States. Building with them gives them a secondary purpose and reuses tons of steel without the need for reprocessing. Shipping containers also come in standard sizes which makes designing with them as easy as snapping Legos together. A structural engineer can take care of the overall design and safety of the structure while adding functionality and originality. At PSE Consulting Engineers, we even offer construction management to help keep your project on track.

Advantages of a Shipping Container Restaurant

  • Shipping Containers Are Durable. Shipping containers are made of steel, which can withstand heavy rains, snow, winds, and other natural events. Steel is also non-combustible, meaning it will not burn in the event of a building fire. A shipping container restaurant is sure to stick around for a long time.
  • Shipping Containers Are Sturdy. The shape, size, and design of a shipping container make it self-supporting. Additional supports, beams, or other structural elements do not necessarily need to be added to the design when building a restaurant with shipping containers. This can eliminate the need for additional labor and materials.
  • Shipping Containers Are Cutting Edge. Building with shipping containers means you have freedom over your design. Build outward with horizontal containers, or create a multi-floor restaurant or dining hall with vertical containers. You can leave the structure raw to show the engineering and architecture of the containers, or you can finish the interior and exterior with conventional finishes to give any appearance you wish. Shipping container designs stand out no matter how you design it!

Shipping Container Restaurant Design Examples

  • Taco Bell: PSE Consulting Engineers was brought on to a shipping container project for a Taco Bell franchise in Michigan. We were able to work with Rad Lab Architecture & Taco Bells Concept Design Team to complete the project. Even as a fast food restaurant, this Taco Bell stands out and has become a fun destination for customers.
  • The Box Garden at Legacy Hall: As an attachment to the Legacy Hall in Plano, Texas, the Box Garden is an entertaining and eating retreat for a fun and stylish evening. Containers are stacked into a perimeter building with an open entertaining space in the middle. Restaurants and bars fill each container, offering carry-away food and drinks.

Call PSE Consulting Today to discuss the design of your Shipping Container Restaurant

PSE Consulting Engineers has the experience and knowledge to get your shipping container restaurant engineered with efficiency. Whether you want something industrial and modern or a traditional building with a green twist, shipping containers can be the material of choice for your next restaurant, retail or coffee shop build. Call PSE Consulting Engineers today.