Something we love about the mobile bar community here at Roll To is the never-ending creativity and innovation when it comes to bar builds.
Each owner brings together their unique interests and life experiences to create a mobile business that is always original and always distinct.
That mindset is certainly embodied by Debey Grimes with her company, TukTuk YumYum.
After observing firsthand the taxi drivers and trade vehicles whizzing through the streets of Southeast Asia, Debey was inspired to design a vehicle that was practical but could also make you smile.
She knew a tuk-tuk would be just what she needed.
Designed and built in conjunction with her partner, Debey has combined Asian street culture with European hardware, then sprinkled a little American sugar on top to create a whimsical mobile bar fit for any occasion.
The Piaggio Ape, imported from Italy and used as a base, has been retrofitted to serve FroYo, dozens of toppings, fresh fruit and nuts, baked goods, Italian sodas, and all manner of sweet treats.
Dressed up, the vehicle also makes for a beautiful beverage station at cocktail hour and is perfect for an intimate wedding drinks service.
We caught up with Debey to hear more about her journey, how she’s making event catering a whole lot sweeter, and the mighty goals she has for her mini mobile bar.
Hey Debey, thank you for taking the time to speak with us about your unique mobile bar! First up, what’s your background and who or what inspired you to start your own mobile business?
"We go where the fun is!
I started my business to connect with my community and in our first year alone, 2022, we connected with over 3000 people.
We are a dessert catering business serving Frozen Yogurt, yummy baked goodies, and delicious drinks from a Piaggio Ape tuk-tuk.
Traveling in Southeast Asia, I fell in love with the idea of using a tuk-tuk to mobilize a business, and TukTuk YumYum was born!"
Amazing - I love that mixture of cultures! Once you had decided to take that step, what was the process like buying and building your mobile bar?
"We built out the food truck ourselves using my partner’s vehicle building background and my design skills.
We built a one-of-a-kind lithium battery system to power most of our events.
We’re always finding ways to improve as new discoveries are made and we strive to be working at the cutting edge of technology with our business!
The build was fun and we spent a summer changing our Piaggio Ape into the Sweet Treat mobile.
We used local vendors when available and did all of the work ourselves which we’re super proud of."
"We used local vendors when available and did all of the work ourselves which we’re super proud of"
Perfect! It’s always great to know that you’re doing good for the planet whilst satisfying your sweet tooth! What have you enjoyed most about running the business? Do you have any favorite milestones or steps of the journey so far?
"In our first year of business, we were able to meet over 3000 people in-person!
It was fantastic to be celebrating with our community and we have loved that side of the industry.
Working as a family, we get to share more time together and arrange our days to include fun on and off the "clock", haha!
At private events, we want our client’s day to shine and we work closely with them to make a custom menu that is a perfect reflection of who they are."
What has been your biggest challenge in launching and running your mobile bar business?
"Seasonality due to our region does make having a mobile catering business a challenge.
We’ve found the most important thing is to offer regular updates on our availability to help set expectations for our customers.
Being in business for our first year, we were grateful to our community in the Northern Nevada/Lake Tahoe region for their understanding and amazing support."
"At private events, we want our client’s day to shine and we work closely with them to make a custom menu that is a perfect reflection of who they are."
What are your upcoming plans for the business and what are you most looking forward to this year?
"This next year we have opened up a lot more dates for private events and we’re looking forward to finding time to celebrate with people at their milestone celebrations.
We’ve also signed up to participate in some weekly events to help customers come find us and see what we have to offer.
Send us your event details and I'm sure that we can make your event catering extra special!"
Awesome! We appreciate you providing an insight into such a cool mobile bar and wishing you luck with the continued growth, thanks Debey!
TukTuk YumYum attend community events from May through October and are available for private catering of all types year round.
FroYo on the go!
Offering custom packages for weddings, employee appreciation days, activations, birthday parties and more, there really is something sweet available for everyone.
Check out the TukTuk YumYum Roll To profile page for more information and to submit your event details!