frequently asked questions.

Customizing shipping containers for brand/event activations, mobile kitchens, bars, retail shops, and property development is not a sideline business. It’s what we do. Over the years, our team has landed on an efficient, proven process that delivers the fastest turnaround in the industry for our customers. BoxPop® is one of the only shipping container fabricators that can totally customize and deliver turnkey, design-build units in just six- to eight weeks after you give us the go. Even faster, expedited options are available for a premium.

Starting the process begins with a quote request. Share some details about your project, interior and exterior features you require, and BoxPop®’s in-house teams of designers will send you an estimated cost to make it happen.

If you like what you see, a BoxPop® team member and you work together to answer all your questions and further hone all the customizations you want to create your ideal space. Give us the go-ahead and construction of your outdoor bar, restaurant, pop-up shop, or event activation begins. Expect delivery and installation anywhere in North America to happen six to eight weeks later.

From concept to completion, BoxPop® delivers a full, turnkey design-build experience. When you partner with BoxPop®, you enjoy a single point of contact throughout the entire design, fabrication, and installation process.

BoxPop® outdoor bars, restaurants, restrooms, pop-up shops, tradeshow booths, event and fan activations come in a range of sizes and designs, all made to order. Standard high cube new (one-trip) containers measure 10’ x 8’, 20’ x 8’, and 40’ x 8’ with optional second-level floor space for customers looking to add staircases and rooftop lounge/seating areas. You can also join or stack units together for doublewide and/or multistory structures.

We do offer a lease-to-own option, but we do not currently offer direct, in-house financing. On a case-by-case basis, we work with customers and financial partners in the industry who can help tailor a financial option to meet your specific needs.

Kegerators. Wine coolers. Commercial-grades stoves. When you go with BoxPop® to help build and design your custom shipping container, you can add a staircase, an upper deck, wire them for big screen TVs, and sound systems.

With so many interior and exterior options, no two custom containers are ever priced exactly the same. But to help guide you, we’ve put together a basic spec sheet outlining various custom features and baseline prices for our modular units. Click here to see it.

Absolutely. We have a professional install network that can service the entire continental U.S.

Delivery and setup are considered an added service. So, if you need help, be sure to talk to your BoxPop® team member early in the design-build process so it can be factored into your price quote.

Incredibly easy. BoxPop® custom shipping containers are designed to be as turnkey as possible. In fact, we consider “ease-of-setup” to be one of our unique value propositions.

Other companies don’t do the level of customization that BoxPop® does. Once you coordinate all underground utility connections and foundation requirements (if needed), you can open shop immediately when your outdoor bar, restaurant, pop-up shop, or experiential activation arrives onsite. Just plug in the unit through a normal electrical disconnect on the outside of the container. Your install team can also quickly and easily make water or a sanitation connection for custom shipping container bars, restaurants, and restrooms with indoor plumbing.

This really depends on your chosen location. If planning to setup in a parking lot, no extra foundation considerations are usually required. In other cases, a solid concrete slab or concrete Sonotubes® tubes spaced every 8’ will suffice. When consulting with your BoxPop® team member, describe your chosen setup location and they’ll be happy to guide you.

Yes. The ability to pick up and move from location to location is one of the many beautiful things about shipping container bars, restaurants, pop-up retail shops, tradeshow booths, and event activations.

For starters, total flexibility in design. You can be your own contractor from start to finish, working one-on-one with a single-source contact to build the space of your dreams. In other words, custom shipping containers deliver the ability to customize every square inch of your business space to your exact needs.

With a custom shipping container-based business, you’re also never locked into a brick-and-mortar lease. You can also have the ability to pick up and move your container-based business, event activation container, or tradeshow/expo container easily from location to location.

Unlike modular structures, when you invest in a custom shipping container you’re starting with a solid steel structure—a huge advantage over a modular building.

Depending on the unit size you’ve selected, moving your custom container from one location to another, is simply a matter of loading it onto the back of a flatbed truck, tilt-back, or heavy-duty trailer that can then be towed by a large capacity pickup, SUV, or semi.

If you plan to move your custom shipping container often, inquire about fitting your unit with an optional hydraulic leg system ($12,000) to assist loading and offloading. The optional hydraulic leg system allows you to lift the container up so that a transport truck can drive in from under it.

Custom shipping containers can be sized or configured any way you desire. From single outdoor food and beverage service containers, multi-level tradeshow booths and brand activations to multi-use parks and entertainment district such Piazza Pod Park in Philadelphia and Houston’s LagoonFest Texas—the uses and fabrication possibilities are really only limited only by your imagination and budget.

Yes. BoxPop® delivers a full, one-year warranty on all electrical, plumbing, and structural components built into your custom shipping container. Added equipment such as coolers, stoves, etc. are covered under manufacturer warranty. But if something goes wrong with anything the BoxPop® team installed, we urge you to contact us first to see if we can help.

BoxPop® aims to keep every customer for life. We don’t limit our services or bail when something goes wrong.

BoxPop® customizes every shipping container to meet IBC 2021 building code requirements. We urge customers to do their homework and know the laws and building permit process governing outdoor bars, restaurants, or pop-up retail shops in their state and municipality before ordering a custom shipping container. Be sure you’ve been given the go-head to set up a container-based business in your area and, if necessary, have your permit in hand before taking delivery.

A very important question—especially for our food and beverage customers. BoxPop® uses only single-trip new containers, the best grade shipping container available. While these do cost a bit more, a shipping container that makes only one trip across the ocean begins its second life with very little rust (which can weaken structural integrity).

BoxPop® shipping containers are also certified to never have shipped containing any toxic goods. This ensures our customers are receiving a quality container with the least amount of damage and NO INTERIOR CONTAMINATION.

Yes. When the doors are securely shut and locked, everything inside the container sealed tight. One of the great benefits of custom shipping containers is the ability to close and completely and securely lock up your business at the end of a busy workday.

Absolutely. The BoxPop® team offers solar packages for our custom shipping containers that are individually tailored to the end-user’s energy use and goals.

Most customers who come to BoxPop® have done their homework and know exactly what they want and need for their outdoor restaurant or bar. We tailor every package to fit every customer’s individual needs but are also happy to advise on basic kitchen and bar components preferred by our many customers over the years.

Depending on your end use and location, the BoxPop® team can deliver a full, custom insulation system as well as full heating or cooling solutions to help maintain the climate for your workers inside. We utilize an insulation system that is built to match the corrugation of the container, which means you do not lose as much floor space as a typical wood/insulation solution.