We recently dropped this one off in Sedona, Arizona. It’s a 16-foot donut and coffee truck, built ground up at our Woodland Park, Colorado shop and trailered down to AZ. Here’s what went into it and a few notes on why we made the calls we did.
The donut and coffee combo is a layout we get asked about a lot. The honest answer is yes, both fit comfortably in 16 feet, but only if you plan the workflow carefully. Espresso prep on one side, a donut display and finishing station on the other, shared cold storage in the middle. Two people can work the truck during a morning rush without stepping on each other, which is the real test for any short build.
The build
- Length: 16 feet
- Concept: Donuts and coffee
- Built in: Woodland Park, Colorado
- Delivered to: Sedona, Arizona
- Build time: 6 to 8 weeks from approved design
Everything was designed and assembled in our shop. The customer sent over the menu and target morning volume, we worked the layout out together on our interactive builder, and from approved design to keys in hand it ran the usual 6 to 8 weeks.
Equipment
Kitchen and service
- Espresso machine
- Under-counter merchandiser refrigerator (donut display)
- Standup full-size refrigerator
- Standalone freezer
- Hand wash sink (separate from the prep sink, which Coconino County health code requires)
- Three-compartment sink
Water and sanitation
- 30-gallon fresh water tank, mounted under the truck for easy refills
- 40-gallon grey water tank, also under-mounted
- 8-gallon water heater
Power
- 12 kW Cummins generator (diesel, around 68 dB at full load, which is quiet enough to run through service without becoming the loudest thing on the lot)
Service area
- 5-foot service window with awning door, self-closing doors, bug screen
Build and finish
- Powder-coated steel cooking wall
- Shiplap on the rest of the interior
- Aluminum diamond plate floor
- LED lighting, inside and out
Notes on the choices we made
A few things on this one that are worth mentioning if you’re planning a similar truck.
The 30 and 40 gallon tank ratio
A morning of donut frying plus continuous espresso pulls plus handwashing every few minutes burns through water faster than people expect. The 40-gallon grey tank gives the operator room to discharge what comes off the three-compartment sink and the fryer cleanup without needing to stop and dump mid-shift. The 30-gallon fresh tank is what we landed on after working through the actual usage numbers. Both tanks sit under the truck, so they don’t eat into any interior workspace.
Steel where it gets hot, shiplap where it doesn’t
The cooking wall takes the most abuse, so it gets powder-coated steel. Easy to clean, won’t warp or scorch from a fryer parked next to it. Everything else is shiplap, which is unusual for a food truck but works really well for a coffee and donut concept. It looks like a small café inside, not a kitchen, and that vibe carries through every time the service window opens.
Why a 12 kW generator, not smaller
People underspec their generators all the time. This one runs the espresso machine, both refrigerators, the freezer, the water heater, lighting, and a full margin of headroom for whatever else the operator adds later. A smaller generator would technically cover what’s on board today, but it leaves no room for the equipment most owners add within the first year. We’d rather oversize once than retrofit later.
Sedona is at 4,500 feet
Worth flagging for anyone running an espresso machine in Sedona or anywhere on the Mogollon Rim: water boils about 5 degrees Celsius cooler than it does at sea level. Most modern commercial machines compensate fine, but if the operator notices shots running long or pulling under-extracted in the first week, the grind probably needs to come down a touch. Not a build issue, just an altitude tuning note.
Coconino County health code, baked in
All the basics that Coconino County asks for on mobile food units are part of the build by default: separate hand wash sink, three-compartment sink, water heater sized appropriately, and a layout the inspector can sign off on without redos. For anyone else looking to operate in Sedona or the wider Coconino County area, your starting point is the County Environmental Health office, and special event applications need to be in at least 10 business days before the event.
Planning a similar build?
If you’re thinking about a donut, coffee, or dual-concept truck for Arizona or Colorado, we can usually have a quote in your inbox within 24 hours. Use the interactive builder to spec your layout and get a price, or send us a message directly. Most truck builds start around $55K, trailers around $40K, and turnaround is 6 to 8 weeks from approved design.
We deliver across Arizona and the Front Range. See our Sedona service area page for more about Coconino County builds, or browse other Arizona cities we deliver to.