In the past, we have sold used restaurant equipment and even a few used espresso carts, but only after we have completely overhauled them.  Recently we were given a used espressocart created by what was then an unknown manufacturer.  It turns out, this cart could not possibly have fallen into better hands, for it was created by Espresso Outfitters around1998-1990.  At the time the company was under different ownership and was a new start up.  Brian Millar, the current owner came into the company to work in the shop shortlythereafter but did not pinpoint who created this, yet noticed it's wing supports were the same as the ones he built for Cafe Darte back then, this prompted us to get in touch with ToddMillar, the past owner "who happens to be his brother", and described the details about this cart and the fact it was built so well and quite worthy of a restore. Todd explained for thatparticular line, it was modeled after another manufacturers cart, yet loosely, he used real plywood for it's base construction, beefed up the hardware added a welded steel base frame and added additional styling to separate this one from the competitor.  This particular cart was built originally for Cafe Darte, back when they used to resell espresso carts, and henever followed where this one went to afterwards.  Well it turns out it ended up being placed at a hospital lobby in Seattle, the business that ran it sold it to another person whocontinued to use it up until earlier this year.  Last year he had a plumber redo the plumbing within it.  When we received it, it was clear that this was a diamond in the rough, the staffthat operated it did a very poor job at cleaning it which did not fare well at all for presentation, both for them and the company that built it not to mention sanitation, this cart was built tohandle what it went through regardless.  As you see from the photo, it is cleaning up nicely, and cleaning is the only real chore to get this one back in shape.

This cart is a prime example of why using quality materials, rock solid construction methods, and not cutting corners really pays off.  We are restoring a nearly 2 decade old espresso cartand putting it back in service and doing so not only cost effectively, we are doing so with ease and are proud to show this as a testimonial for Espresso Outfitters quality and of course, we have made significant strides forward since as well.

The restoration process will take a very short time, ETA around a week from September 21, 2008.

Here are the highlights on this one:

Welded steel base frame
1/2" thick removable Plexiglas sneeze guard
Counter - 63 1/4" X 35 1/4"
Extensions (2)  - 23" X 35 1/4"
Additional pull out cutting boards on each extension
Solid Oak Trim
Fully laminated exterior, laminated interior "we will paint the underside of the interior counter"
Birch Plywood base construction
Shurflo pump and accumulator installed in 2007
Everpure water filter installed 1/23/07
Insinkerator Instant hot water heater installed in 2007
Sterling Stainless Steel hand sink
50 amp, 220v sub panel providing 1, 220v and 8, 110v outlets
Front/side access panel
Storage/cash drawer
Storage section below drawer with adjustable shelf
Solid brass piano hinges

We are open to offers for this one, we are more concerned it gets to a good home rather then trying to charge top dollar due to the unique nature of this particular cart.  Also, since the industry standard today is having the stationary hand sinks 12" underneath the bottom of the counter, this one is at 10 1/2", so we will have to help you through getting past that stipulation by explaining to the department heads why we left that in tact, otherwise we will have to relocate the hand sink to the top of the counter.  Local pick
up is fine, we can also crate and ship it out just as we do our other cart lines.

Update, September 30th
We got a little side tracked on this project, ie. playing rescue IT for a local business owner and helping him upgrade his facility, we do that on occassion between regular projects, ie. there is a reason Espresso Outfitters is not hard to find on the web and our local network is well taken care of since we never have a need to outsource any of those elements.  That, and we are putting in extra TLC into this cart due to it's unique nature.

Shown is the operators side of the cart, with stage one cleaning addressed, there will be 3 in total, for now, simply washing it down will suffice, we have areas that need to be filled and painted  where some of the laminate chipped off.

You can't see it in the photo, but there are some interior cracks within the interior of the refrigerator compartment, those will be painted over, regardless of the fact that a refrigerator will cover up those areas.  Lucky, one of the shop cats inspects that area for us. :)

Unfortunately, the owner didn't believe in cleaning the outdated waste tank, so it stained the floor in the plumbing section.  We'll paint that area for a quick and dirty fix, and as mentioned before, this gets a modern waste tank.

All of the plumbing lines and fittings will be replaced, routed and tied down better, the water filter will need to be relocated to allow for the larger 7 gallon waste tank.  The drain assembly will be replaced with a new one, they don't design the finish of the drain assemblies to last 20 years obviously, be it, it's still quite functional regardless.

The side access panel area also needs some filler and paint on the lower section and you can see, we have to fill in and paint several holes.  Not sure if the plumber was having a problem trying to find the best spot for the gear or what, but it doesn't make it look pretty, that will get moved one last time to a much more appropriate configuration.  That area will be able to house 2, 5 gallon fresh water tanks.  We don't use what is called an instahot system these days, we use regular 2.5 gallon water heaters, but since that as well as the pump, filter and accumulator are quite new, we are going to use them.  Along the plumbing, there is a huge difference between a residential plumber and what those of us that have been in this undustry over the long hall design and impliment into these.  What we are doing in this area is case in point and should be noted, for it's delivering the life blood to your espresso cart and is taken very seriously.

The next step here, filling in and painting where needed, yes, we have pock marks/dents/scratches to deal with as well that refuse to show in the photo's, and what we looked forward to from the beginning, refinishing the oak trim, for this is an element that doesn't get as much request from us, shown in the Standard espresso cart line because people are worried about durability for that option, which can be extended to any cart or kiosk. Along the latter, we push the envelope finish wise by handcrafting each detail to extreme levels, it makes the wood have a deep prism effect, where you actually are looking into the wood rather then it simply being covered over with a high gloss.  A little tip for those that are following this section to get tips upon refurbishing  their own carts, especially if they are made from a company that has been doing this from the very beginning, you can take a sample of laminate to your local hardware/paint store and have them match it with some latex paint.  You end up with all together too much extra paint, it is a really nice shortcut though, especially if you are wanting to match more closely the current color, which tends to change slightly over time, in this case nearly two decades, but not as much as you would think, this is why using real laminate, not melamine shows just one of it's superior traits.