Kitchens To Go built by Carlin

The kitchen is a main hub in many facilities — hospitals, public schools, colleges, universities, correctional institutions and more. These large-scale commercial kitchens must withstand the wear and tear of daily use and need to undergo routine maintenance and repair without completely shutting down. Kitchens To Go built by Carlin (KTG), has figured out a solution to this problem by delivering fully modular, mobile, factory-built kitchens that can as easily roll out as they rolled in, minimizing downtime and allowing customers to maintain or expand their existing operations.

KTG’s 100 percent recyclable and reusable scalable kitchen configurations also address the issue of energy consumption. “Kitchens consume a great deal of energy,” says Ralph Goldbeck, AIA, partner in the Kitchens To Go built by Carlin enterprise. “We’re starting to work green-friendly features into our kitchens such as variable speed motors for exhaust hoods, Energy Star-rated appliances and water saving devices. We realize in this market there is a huge opportunity to not only save energy, but to save our customers money.”

Two are better as one

Goldbeck partnered with Steve Rubin, founder of KTG, and Fred Stowell in 2004 to roll Carlin Manufacturing and KTG into one. Before establishing KTG, Rubin was CEO of Culinary Enterprises, an off-premise catering and special events organization. Culinary Enterprises owned a mobile kitchen, which was designed and built by Carlin Manufacturing.

“Carlin Manufacturing started in 1981 in Fresno, California,” recounts Goldbeck. “It formed to provide mobile kitchen facilities for special events and disaster relief situations. As it continued to grow we started providing interim facilities that were primarily mobile.”

The concept for KTG formalized in 1989 when Carlin Manufacturing began to offer kitchen units for its customers to rent or lease for temporary service. As the idea evolved and began to grow, Fred Stowell came on board as a partner, adding an engineering and manufacturing background to the mix. With 20 years of experience as a licensed architect, Goldbeck brought design experience to the partnership.

With clear synergy and the desire to serve customers with more solutions, Carlin Manufacturing and KTG merged in 2004. United, the companies serve a growing customer base, including major corporations like Starbucks, government agencies and institutions such as the U.S. Naval Academy, colleges and universities, including Harvard Business School, disaster relief agencies, major hospitals, hotels and sports venues around the world. “Today we operate throughout North America and we serve customers in 24 countries,” says Goldbeck.

Ready to go and ready to keep pace

KTG offers a high-volume, high-tech, scalable solution that can meet the needs of kitchens across markets. “Typically the interim kitchen is much nicer and more efficient than the existing facility,” says Goldbeck.

KTG’s kitchens are put to the test and expected to produce and deliver the routine volume. In March 2013, KTG performed a kitchen rollout at the U.S. Naval Academy, King Hall, while the outdated existing galley underwent repairs. “We had to provide a galley that could feed 4,500 midshipmen three meals a day — that’s approximately 14,000 meals a day out of this temporary galley,” notes Goldbeck.

KTG, working with the Barton Malow Company, installed a 38,000-square-foot interim galley complex, which was erected in less than 78 days.

From open, clear-span space for dining right down to dry storage, refrigeration, dishwashing and cooking stations, KTG is integrated in all aspects of site development. “By engineering all of the details of the project, we help control the costs and schedule, ensuring that our projects come in on time and on budget,” says Goldbeck.

Timelines are particularly important in the case of KTG’s disaster relief work. With roots in this service area, KTG still delivers mobile kitchens for the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, helping to feed to victims of hurricanes, earthquakes and other tragedies. “We also then turn around the facility to feed the disaster relief workers while the rebuilding effort continues,” adds Goldbeck.

A project partner

By getting involved in the project process early on, KTG has found a niche in large-scale modular solutions. “There really isn’t anyone out there doing projects of this size and scope,” says Goldbeck. “We have a very consultative sales process where early on we become part of the project team. We work with facility managers, architects, engineers and general contractors to weave our solutions into the overall project goals.”

While KTG specializes in interim kitchens and removable sites, the company has also made a name in rapid turnaround permanent facilities. “We’re working on a national program for Starbucks,” says Goldbeck. “All of their stores must be LEED certified so we have scaled up to meet this need, partnering with USGBC as a chapter member to learn more about LEED, and we are able to manufacture and assemble a Starbucks store on-site in just 10 days.”

The KTG team will attend the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo for the first time this year. Goldbeck says he’s excited to learn more about the green industry and find new opportunities for KTG’s reusable, energy-efficient solutions. “We would like to gain more visibility within the green industry,” he says. “I’ve seen the shift toward green building in my years as an architect and now with KTG. Building codes are being rewritten and energy saving measures are no longer an option, but the standard.”

As Kitchens To Go built by Carlin, finds a home for its modular kitchens in the green building industry, the company continues to deliver a high-performance, rapid-turnaround solution that is ready to go and ready to work as hard as the original facility it is replacing.