Key Takeaways
- Vanderlande, Kmart and Richard Crookes Constructions booked three food trucks for a site lunch in Moorebank, Sydney, on Thursday 1 October 2026.
- 400 workers, two serves each: 800 serves, all handed out in under two hours.
- Three menus running at once: Birdman fried chicken, Abu snack packs, and American BBQ brisket and pulled pork with Belgian fries.
- Enquiry on a Thursday afternoon, locked in by Friday afternoon. Drinks for all 400 included.
- The three companies shared the cost, so we sent three separate invoices.
The Client
Vanderlande, part of Toyota Automated Logistics, builds the automated systems that move stock and parcels through big warehouses. Their team was working on a project in Moorebank, in Sydney's south west, alongside Kmart and the builder, Richard Crookes Constructions.
Lots of people from lots of different crews, all on one site. Someone wanted to say thanks to all of them at once.
A Brief That Grew
It started small. The first enquiry came through our cuisines page on a Thursday afternoon: about 300 people, a one hour lunch, and a few menus they liked the look of. Jay rang back that day and we suggested two trucks.
Then the builder heard about it. By that evening the plan had become 400 people and three trucks, with the cost shared between the companies on site. They also had a smart idea. Rather than send everyone to lunch at once, they'd keep each crew on its normal break and spread service across a longer window.
We talked it through on the phone the next morning and settled on two serves per person, capped at 800, with drinks thrown in. It was locked in that Friday afternoon, roughly 24 hours after the first enquiry.
Three Trucks, Three Menus
With three trucks on site, people actually had a choice. Here's what we ran:
- Birdman: fried chicken burgers and fries.
- Abu Snack Packs: beef and chicken snack packs, all halal.
- American BBQ: smoked brisket and pulled pork, served with Belgian fries out of our Nillas truck.
That last one was the client's call. Our first suggestion was Nillas loaded fries on their own, and they asked if we could bring the American BBQ in instead. So we ran the BBQ menu out of the Nillas truck and they got both.
We also set up a self serve drinks station with 400 cans and 400 bottles of water. The only thing we asked the site for was a table.
On the Day
All three trucks pulled up side by side and the crews came through on their usual breaks. That staggered start made a huge difference. Instead of one giant queue at noon there was a steady stream, every truck stayed busy, and the food went straight from the grill to the hand.
Every truck kept a tally of each serve at the window, and we checked the three counts against each other as we went. That's how we keep a two serves per person package honest for everyone.
All 800 serves were done in under two hours. Across three trucks that's about one meal every nine seconds. It's the kind of pace we plan for on any construction site catering job, because a lunch break is short and the afternoon's work won't wait.
One Lunch, Three Invoices
When a few companies share a site, they'll often want to share the bill too. That's no problem. We sent three separate invoices, one each for Vanderlande, Kmart and Richard Crookes, and a single 25% deposit locked in the date.
It's a small thing, but it means nobody has to chase anyone else for their share afterwards.
The Result
400 workers fed, 800 serves out, and everything wrapped up in under two hours. The day went really well, and every crew got a proper lunch without giving up their break to stand in a line.
Planning something similar? Have a look at our staff appreciation catering page, our food trucks in Liverpool and Moorebank page, or see how we fed a crew of 220 in an hour in our John Holland case study.