Two early-stage Tucson food-business concepts: a downtown courtyard ecosystem (food trucks, bar and retail, container farm) and Towable Restaurant Supply Co., a supplier of concept-equipped food trailers. Both are in development; prices shown are planned base prices.
Portfolio at a glance
| Downtown Courtyard Ecosystem | Towable Restaurant Supply Co. | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Multi-use food destination on one downtown lot | B2B supplier of fully equipped food trailers |
| Customer | Visitors, food-truck vendors, wholesale buyers | First-time food entrepreneurs, restaurant operators, fleet investors |
| Revenue | Truck lease fees, bar and retail sales, events, farm produce | Equipped trailer sales, custom build-outs, equipment, permit help |
| Stage | Concept and design review | Business plan complete (June 2026); pre-launch |
| Plan status | Concept | Draft |
Concept 1: Downtown Courtyard Ecosystem
A single commercial lot on the edge of downtown Tucson, combining three revenue lines that feed each other.
The three pillars
- Food-truck courtyard: a multi-vendor courtyard with existing trucks, trailers and seating.
- Bar and retail shop in the historic building, with the commercial kitchen.
- Container farm growing microgreens, living herbs, specialty greens and edible flowers for on-site use and nearby buyers.
Container zone design
- One shared L-shaped footprint: combination of 40 ft containers and 20 ft containers.
- The inner corner of the L is reserved for optional stairs and/or a small greenhouse.
- Permanent, stucco-finished exterior, with a bold mural or color treatment planned, subject to design approval.
Programming ideas
- Culinary and ag-tech events: farm tours, cooking workshops, chef throwdowns.
- Beverage and cultural pairings, night markets, mural walks, live music.
Later-phase options (not in the core plan)
- Wholesale produce supply to neighboring restaurants and butchers.
- Moving the kitchen into a dedicated container to free building space for retail.
- “Eco Canopy” add-ons: greenhouse, desert shade trees, wicking beds, composting.
Concept 2: Towable Restaurant Supply Co.
A Tucson-based business that sources trailer shells, outfits them with code-compliant commercial kitchens matched to a specific food concept, and sells them as turnkey units. The company is the supplier behind the operators; it does not run food trailers itself.
Model: Source → Build → Sell
- Source shells from auctions (including government surplus), resale sites, existing operators, and new-shell manufacturers.
- Build with NSF-certified cooking, refrigeration, hood and fire suppression, plumbing, electrical and LP gas, to Pima County and City of Tucson code.
- Sell through social media build videos, marketplace listings, SBA and SCORE referrals, and financing partners.
Differentiators: inventory on hand instead of a 12 to 20 week build wait; equipment pre-matched to a menu; built to Pima County and City of Tucson health and fire code standards; buyers obtain their own operating permits.
Concept catalog (base build, 16 to 18 ft trailer)
| # | Concept | Base price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smash Burger & American | $42,000 |
| 2 | Birria & Mexican Street Food | $40,000 |
| 3 | Nashville Hot Chicken | $46,000 |
| 4 | Korean BBQ Fusion | $43,000 |
| 5 | Craft & Artisan Pizza | $50,000 |
| 6 | Plant-Based / Vegan | $38,000 |
| 7 | Shaved Ice, Elote & Desserts | $32,000 |
| 8 | Loaded Fries & Potato Bar | $38,000 |
| 9 | Breakfast & All-Day Brunch | $40,000 |
| 10 | Specialty Coffee & Beverages | $44,000 |
| 11 | Street Tacos & Taqueria | $39,000 |
| 12 | Gourmet Hot Dogs (Sonoran) | $36,000 |
Premium builds run $44,000 to $72,000.
Build process: each unit takes 17 to 29 days to build. Every unit goes through a QC checklist and ships with a written Seller’s Disclosure.