For nearly three decades, Phil Hyatt struggled to find dedicated commercial kitchen space to base his catering operations with Carson City BBQ from. While he said the majority of his catering is done fresh on-site, he still must have a reliable, hygienic and licensed prep and cleanup space.
To meet these requirements, he first used Grandma Hatties. Following its closure, he’s ping-ponged between a handful of other locations that have allowed him to use their spaces such as Butler Meats or Villa Basque Deli.
But now, he says that issue has come to an end — not just for himself, but for the other mobile and cottage food businesses in the area as well.
Hyatt is transforming a 6,200-square-foot building on Fairview into a 300-person event center and commercial kitchen commissary called The Depot.
While Hyatt will use the kitchen as a base for his own catering operations, the primary goal of the facility is to provide a shared workspace for local food trucks, artisan bakers, and start-up caterers.
Hyatt said these entrepreneurs often face challenges finding legal and accessible commercial kitchen space to operate and grow their businesses.
The Depot will feature 20 feet of ventilation hoods, refrigeration, prep sinks, and outdoor RV dumps for food trucks to manage gray and black water.
Hyatt said that as a born and raised Carson City resident, he has been helping others for much of his life, and he envisions the space as an incubator. To those with small food businesses, Hyatt said: “I’m here to help. I will help you get licensed. I will help you do what you want to do. I will help you be successful.”
The main area of The Depot will function as a community event hall. It is structured to host a variety of gatherings, including weddings, corporate picnics, local networking meetings, and youth concerts.
“We’ll be able to configure the space or any number of different events,” he said.
Plans aren’t finalized yet since Hyatt said the main focus right now is on getting their permitting figured out through the city. Getting the building up and running has been a full project in and of itself — the site’s entire sewer system was improperly installed, for example, and needed a complete rebuild.
Hyatt discusses his vision during a tour of the in-progress building construction.
But, eventually, people will be able to get their hands on some of their award-winning barbecue — just not as a restaurant.
“I’ve always been a caterer, I’ve never been a restaurateur,” Hyatt said. “I’ve never wanted a restaurant, and I’m never going to have a restaurant.”
Instead, what Hyatt prefers for his own business is the same thing he’s looking for in the future tenants who wish to utilize the space: the nontraditional.
Despite the fact that, until now, his intentions with The Depot’s have only traveled word-of-mouth, Hyatt said he’s already been contacted by a number of local makers and vendors, ranging from cottage sourdough and jam makers to established food truck owners.
They’re all looking for the same thing Hyatt struggled to find for decades: a reliable and affordable space to jumpstart their own businesses.
Having struggled for so long to find adequate commercial kitchens to rent for his own business, Hyatt said he understands that the massive upfront cost of building a kitchen—what he said is often a quarter of a million dollars—prevents many talented locals from starting their own operations. So for him, it’s not about the money.
“My catering business is doing great; in just the last two weeks I’ve fed over 2,800 people,” Hyatt said. “I’m going to be keeping it affordable simply because: I don’t need the money; I just want it to be easy. I don’t want anybody to tell me ‘you’ve got to move or change this or do that.’”
Hyatt said that because of this freedom, he has the ability to be a little experimental with the future of The Depot. This might look like renting the space for traditional event center uses such as hosting meetings or conferences, or as a base for a new year-round Food Truck Fridays event where attendees can utilize the adjoining climate-controlled event hall while eating or listening to live music.
He said he’s also been interested in the more off-beat suggestions he’s heard, such as a pop-up breakfast diner to a temporary all-ages concert venue, and everything in between.
“We’re open to any ideas,” Hyatt said. “If it’s Food Truck Fridays, having a concert or having a dance competition, kids playing rap music, whatever the heck it is; I don’t care, I’m in.”
The building has already undergone infrastructure upgrades, including a 1,500-gallon grease interceptor, new plumbing, and an independent heating and cooling system for the kitchen.
Now, all that Hyatt says they’re waiting on is the final stamps of approval from the city so they can move forward.
“As soon as we get our permitting done, we could be up and running in three months,” he said. “We’re just waiting on that.”
Those interested in starting up to date on The Depot’s progress — or those who are interested in becoming future tenants — can visit carsoncitybbq.com for more information.
