Island Grill officially rolled out its mobile truck unit on Friday, kick-starting an island-wide, on-the-go catering service by the fast food company.

The mobile restaurant will start operations on the University of Technology’s Papine campus in the next two weeks, said Island Grill general manager Albert Bailey. This will be a temporary measure to pave way for the construction of a permanent store at the school.

“We plan to spend no more than four months at UTECH,” he said. “In the evenings, and on the weekend, the unit will primarily be used for catering functions around the country.”

The transportable unit will offer a smaller-sized version of the restaurant’s regular menu offerings to customers, particularly in those areas lacking a physical Island Grill store. Catered clients will be able to choose from a more customised menu, and the trucked restaurant will be manned by at least five workers.

By the end of the second year of operations, more mobile restaurants will be added to the Island Grill roster, said Bailey, largely to service areas such as Mandeville.

The mobile unit was revealed at a recent launch of the updated Island Grill commissary in Kingston, he product of an over $200 million investment by the company. The commissary provides for the prepping of produce and meat to be delivered to the restaurant’s branches, and also houses a centralised kitchen where the preparation of catered foods will take place.

“We need to do more centrally, we’re trying to take some of the busy work out of the stores,” said Island Grill CEO Thalia Lyn. “Island Grill is focusing on efficiency, and so this commissary will allow the restaurant teams to focus on providing service with ease, grace, and joy.”

Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony for the commissary and mobile fast-food unit, lauding both the initiative and the company’s commitment to local enterprise.

“Island grill is serious about business and doing it well,” she said. “The fact that they’re using local products means they are also producing jobs in the agriculture sector.”

The restaurant processed 130 tonnes of local farm produce last year, with the 13 000 square foot commissary handling 800 lbs of cabbage and 1,000 lbs of pumpkin daily. The facility is also where the seasoning and marinating of chicken to be served in Island Grill restaurants takes place, after which the processed food is then dispatched to Island Grill stores at 6 am each day.

The expansion of the commissary, which was first opened in December, has led to the creation of 32 new jobs in the company. The project is part of Island Grill’s long-term plans for growth and wider job-creation, said Chairman of the company Howard Mitchell.

The company plans to open 15 new restaurants over the next five years.

Lyn said Island Grill hopes to add another 5,000 square feet to the commissary building in the near future.