What Feeding 1500 Workers Taught Construction Leaders About Efficiency with Scott Kaplan

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Dec 2, 2025

Scott Kaplan, Founder of Jerry's Kitchen, shares insights from his journey of providing large-scale catering for construction sites. He discusses the challenge of feeding 1,500 workers in just 30 minutes and how technology enhances efficiency. Kaplan explains the importance of predictability in catering operations and how this focus has boosted productivity and morale on job sites. He also highlights the positive impact on local economies and the value of human-centric service in the age of app-driven food delivery.

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ANECDOTE

From Food Truck Struggle To Catering Pivot

Scott Kaplan started Jerry's Kitchen as a food truck after being laid off and pivoted to catering to find predictability and profit.
He drained savings and reinvented the business to focus on sales-driven catering rather than festival foot traffic.

INSIGHT

Mobile Catering As A System

Jerry's Kitchen treats mobile service as a turnkey catering system, not a single food truck at a window.
They deploy separate vehicles for cooking, packaging, and delivery to feed large crews quickly.

ADVICE

Design For Rapid Service

Do design your catering flow to minimize wait time and maximize workers' break utility.
Aim to serve meals within five minutes so crews keep 30 minutes of actual break time.

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In this episode of The ConTech Crew, the hosts Jeff Sample and Nathan Wood are joined by Scott Kaplan of Jerry's Kitchen, a mobile catering service that specializes in feeding large-scale construction projects, including data centers and remote job sites. Scott shares the journey of how Jerry's Kitchen evolved from a traditional food truck to a high-efficiency, mobile catering solution for industries that require food service at scale, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

With a unique focus on feeding construction crews efficiently and at scale, Jerry's Kitchen has become a game-changer for companies looking to keep their workforce nourished and productive. Scott talks about the challenges of feeding 1,500 people in 30 minutes and how they use technology to predict and plan their catering operations.

Key Takeaways

How Scott transitioned from a traditional food truck to providing large-scale, mobile catering solutions
Why predictability and efficiency are key in delivering high-quality meals for construction workers
The concept of a "micro niche" and how focusing on the construction industry led to success
How Jerry’s Kitchen helps boost productivity and morale on construction sites by providing nourishing, timely meals
The positive side effects of construction projects on local economies and communities

Timestamps

[00:43] - Introduction to Scott Kaplan and Jerry's Kitchen

[02:50] - Scott shares his background and how Jerry's Kitchen started

[04:47] - Transitioning from food truck to catering and the importance of efficiency

[08:51] - Focusing on large construction projects and the data center sector

[11:40] - Feeding 1,500 people in 30 minutes: logistics and planning

[15:52] - The importance of predictability in food service and construction

[17:40] - Parallel between food service and construction operations

[19:56] - How Jerry’s Kitchen improves employee culture and community impact

[27:25] - Scott discusses the impact of data centers on local economies and education

[31:17] - Scott's pitch: national presence and custom catering for construction sites

What Feeding 1500 Workers Taught Construction Leaders About Efficiency with Scott Kaplan

From Food Truck Struggle To Catering Pivot

Mobile Catering As A System

Design For Rapid Service

Key Takeaways

Timestamps

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