About / History & Leadership

Company History & Leadership

A rewarding journey of experience & partnership

Kitchens To Go by Mobile Modular — formerly Kitchens To Go built by Carlin

we keep you cooking!

The Kitchens To Go built by Carlin business was developed through the combination of executives with deep history within the foodservice facility industry. The foundation of the company dates back several decades beginning with Kevin Carlin, an entrepreneur who was seeking to improve his California-based catering business. Mr. Carlin desired to prepare fresh, quality food on location; however, existing methods and equipment did not make this strategy feasible. Subsequently, Mr. Carlin built his first mobile unit in 1980 and founded a business known for many years as Carlin Mobile Kitchens in 1981.

In the mid-1980’s, Mr. Carlin was joined by Ralph Goldbeck, a rising expert in foodservice facility architecture. Over Carlin’s history, the business produced mobile kitchens, relocatable buildings, and specialty foodservice vehicles for a wide array of clients around the globe. In 1989, Carlin Manufacturing was sold by Kevin Carlin to frozen yogurt company TCBY Enterprises, Inc., and in 1993, Mr. Goldbeck was named CEO/President of Carlin Manufacturing. In 1997 TCBY Enterprises, Inc. implemented a restructuring plan and Mr. Goldbeck purchased Carlin Manufacturing, Inc. to re-establish the business as an independent company.

In 1999, Steve Rubin, the former CEO of Culinary Enterprises, formed Kitchens To Go offering mobile kitchen units for short and long-term lease. Fred Stowell joined Kitchens To Go in 1999 as a partner and brought middle market company leadership, engineering and legal expertise to the growing enterprise.

In 2004, a formalized business partnership was formed between Kitchens To Go and Carlin Manufacturing to provide a fully integrated foodservice offering to the marketplace and, in 2008, GRS Holding, LLC was formed to bring Kitchens To Go and Carlin Manufacturing under a single ownership group owned equally by Mr. Rubin, Mr. Stowell, and Mr. Goldbeck and established the name Kitchens To Go built by Carlin.

Carlin Manufacturing celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2011 and unveiled a new commercial kitchen concept known as “Bolt-On®”; a pre-constructed, code-compliant modular kitchen. The company received a 2012 Kitchen Innovation Award from the National Restaurant Association for it’s “Bolt-On® Kitchen”.

July 2020, Kitchens To Go® introduced PopMarts™ to address challenges brought on by the pandemic. PopMarts™ are 20’ containerized units that can be placed in strategic locations to create outposts to engage new traffic patterns, pull customers away from more dense locations, or capitalize on newly underutilized real estate. A turnkey, low footprint, relocatable foodservice solution to assist with de-densification efforts, speed of grab-and-go service, and frictionless retail experiences, PopMarts™ by Kitchens To Go® was recognized by the Fast Company editors with a Fast Company 2021 World-Changing Ideas award.

Kitchens To Go built by Carlin was acquired by Mobile Modular Management Corporation (Mobile Modular); a division of McGrath RentCorp on April 1, 2021 and officially changed its name to Kitchens To Go by Mobile Modular.

Mobile Modular is a leading provider of modular buildings and is a division of McGrath RentCorp, a public company, traded on the NASDAQ Exchange. Mobile Modular provides both temporary and permanent space for a wide variety of uses, including classrooms, mobile offices, sales offices, storage containers, and complexes.

Kitchens To Go has a client list that includes major corporations, disaster relief agencies, hospitals, universities, hotels, governmental agencies and sports venues from coast to coast and throughout the world. The company’s product line encompasses a fully integrated offering of solutions to address both interim and permanent foodservice facility needs including mobile kitchens, modular kitchens, containerized kitchens, dining facilities, serving facilities, toilet and locker rooms, cold and dry storage, drive-through, and walk-up quick serve restaurants.

Kitchens To Go maintains its global headquarters in Naperville, Illinois, which also provides support to the Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast Account Executives. A 30,000 sq ft. Renovation Center is located in Etna Green, Indiana.

carlin manufacturing | our legacy brand

Driven by passion for perfection

Founded in 1981, Carlin Manufacturing helped create the current commercial mobile kitchen marketplace. Carlin originated the commercial mobile kitchen concept and is responsible for over 700 mobile kitchens in service around the world. We are proud of our client list ranging from the most popular fast-food brands to the most elegant catered affairs; from agencies serving thousands of victims of natural disasters to professionals fighting forest fires; from search and rescue crews working in remote terrains to movie crews providing foodservice for film shoots.

Steven Hatch, MBA

director

Mr. Hatch is a Class B General Contractor and owned two construction companies from 2004 – 2015; specializing in both residential and commercial construction. Steven joined Mobile Modular Management Corporation in February 2015 as a Production Manager and quickly moved into branch leadership taking over as Inventory Center Manager in June 2015. In July of 2019, Steven became the Director of Northern CA for Mobile Modular and in April 2021 was asked to lead the newly acquired Kitchens To Go operation and team.

Steven has a Bachelor’s of Science in Economics from Brigham Young University and Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from St, Mary’s University, Moraga CA. He is bilingual; fluent in Spanish.

Mr. Hatch is a loving husband and father of four and an active lay minister for Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Bishop, youth leader, seminary teacher, nursey worker) and completed missionary service in Mexico City from 1995-1997.

The Kitchens To Go team is comprised of seasoned industry professionals. Each project is unique and requires a high degree of planning, preparation, and organization. Our team creates customized solutions formulated on what options will best serve the client.

Amy Lewis, mba

Business Development

Mike Blumenshine

Engineering Manager

kari franz

Sales Manager

tracey gray

Purchasing Manager

julie jones

Business Manager

BRETT KALINOWSKI

INVENTORY & OPERATIONS MANAGER

SUZANNE LE ROUX

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE—MIDWEST & SOUTH REGIONS

sam prosperi

Account Executive—West Region

Jeff Medeiros

Account Executive - East Region