Christopher is really taking this bull by the horns, the bull in question being the ‘mobile cake cart’ concept that came up the other day in our monthly staff brainstorming session. This is typically nothing more than an opportunity for us to sample our own wares – in other words, sit around in the cafe having coffee and cake, without any customers around. It’s pretty rare for someone to put forward an idea that’s more developed than, “Yum, this spearmint chocolate is to die for.” Or, “Pass the pistachio macaroons.”
Anyway, Becky put forward the cake cart idea, seemingly in a moment of passing whimsy, and we all sort of nodded it off as something we might consider in the future (but probably won’t). All except Christopher, that is, who evidently has taken it to heart. He came in this morning with a whole plan drawn up for converting his ute into what he believes to be a viable mobile cake service.
Now, while I may be no expert on custom ute tray fabrication, Melbourne cafes are within my area of expertise, and I’m here to tell you that… Christopher might actually be onto something. That’s on the proviso that it meets regulations, which aren’t exactly Christopher’s strong point (he’s notorious for not rinsing out the jug after frothing milk). There’s also the elephant in the room, which is the question of who’s going to foot the bill for the ute modifications.
According to Christopher, we might be able to use an old half canopy his tradie cousin is offloading, although I’m sceptical that it would be sufficient coverage for a mobile cafe. Christopher keeps correcting me, saying that it’s a cake cart, not a mobile cafe, by which I understand it to be essentially an open-air affair for literally flogging cakes off the back of a ute. Personally, I think it needs a touch more sophistication – like, it needs to serve coffee, for starters. But it’s hard to see how such a setup could fit in a half canopy.