ROKA Werk GmbH once again provides proof that mobile catering systems are the solution when it comes to implementing expansion in the food industry in an agile, dynamic manner and in record time. The market leader for mobile gastronomy systems in Germany currently enables with its modular QUB® container system the fast start-up of a freestanding unit for FIVE GUYS Germany at the US Air Base Ramstein. The assembly of the finished, semi-mobile store has now been completed.

Jörg Gilcher, Germany Head of FIVE GUYS about the site opening: "We have been in talks with Base for over four years to develop this site, but there is simply no space available in the mall's food court. After the first successful site implementation with the QUB® system at Fashion Outlet Zweibrücken, we proposed this solution to Base and immediately received a space on the site as a result."

The base is like its own city on the military range, with an estimated 50,000 Americans living permanently and 10,000 Americans living remotely. FIVE GUYS is the most popular Better Burger brand in the United States. "We're obviously proud to be able to make this location a reality and provide a little bit of home for the servicemen and women stationed there," Gilcher adds.

Fresher than fresh

The delivery time for the QUB® containers is just 12 weeks. The version for the Ramstein location consists of a compound of eight containers, which are in no way inferior to a regular FIVE GUYS store. The facility contains innovative storage and production areas as well as a guest room that provides the perfect FIVE GUYS feeling.

"The project is all about the advantage of flexible space utilization," says Volker Beck, managing owner at ROKA, adding, "But on-site production is also becoming a bigger issue to relieve distribution chains. At FIVE GUYS, it's international standard anyway to wash the potatoes on site, cut them by hand, and then deep-fry them in high-quality peanut oil. The patties for the burgers are made from 100% fresh beef and are hand formed on site daily. Everything is prepared fresh for the guest, only after they have ordered. That's where we simply score with our experience in implementing smart production chains in mobile and semi-mobile solutions."

The QUB® conainer system is completely manufactured at the ROKA plant in Merenberg, Germany, from the first power cable to the last floor tile. The eight modules stand as a compound in the huge factory hall during the removal. For delivery they were separated, packed and loaded. With nine semitrailers, they then went to the air base. In the following nine days of assembly, ROKA not only took over the assembly on site, but also the coordination with the contractors of FIVE GUYS, who supply their own devices and equipment, such as the cash register system, until the completion. At the end of the assembly phase, ROKA handed over a fully functional store that had hardly any construction time on site and avoided the long-term building up of space.

After the installation, FIVE GUYS Germany immediately starts with the employee training, for which they take 10 days to ensure an internationally consistent quality for the trade.

Interim solution or long-term freestander

The eight QUB® containers add up to an area of 240 square meters, with one container measuring 12 meters long and 2.50 meters wide. Three of the containers were planned and glazed as pure customer rooms. The entire space has a high-tech ventilation system that ensures heat recovery. An additional outdoor veranda extends the QUB® system and provides space for outdoor seating with sunshades. Ramstein Air Base has a mixture of German and American building codes. However, ROKA was able to handle this sometimes challenging mixture well with its more than 50 years of international corporate experience.

This is the second time that FIVE GUYS Germany has opened up a new location with the QUB® solution. Since November 2021, there has already been a Take-Away Solutionwhich is in mobile use on areas of outlet malls as a "slow traveler".

Beck on the advantages of the mobile and semi-mobile solutions: "Here we prove once again that the promised flexibility of our solutions works. The QUB® containers have been developed for operation over decades. At Ramstein Air Base, there is a lease agreement that allows for long-term use - which is why they were planned with a spacious guest area inside and out. Even if you move to another location, you have a one-time investment in a branch here."

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