Foldout restaurant has solar power, will travel

There’s nothing original about canned food—except when it’s the restaurant that comes in a can. Sitting in Montreal’s old shipping port, the Müvbox is a standard shipping container that’s 8ft deep and 20ft long. The wonder moment comes when it is miraculously turned from a container into a ‘chic fast food’ restaurant in 90 seconds at the touch of a button. Müvbox features a fully functional kitchen with enough space for four members of staff and a wood-fired pizza oven. The walls of the container collapse to create a covered patio with enough room to serve 28 people, half of whom can be seated at small bistro tables. The concept has some laudable eco features, too: the structure is a reused container and little construction is needed to install it. Müvbox’s floor is made from recycled tires and its roof contains solar panels to provide up to 40% of required energy. And it’s easily shipped by land or sea. The food is mostly local, too, serving lobster rolls, seafood pizza and other local lobster dishes. Müvbox wasn’t developed as a one-off restaurant: it’s a business concept that can be used the world over. The price of the unit comes in at USD 150,000, and the basic design can be tailored to other business’s needs. (Related: In Malaysia, shipping containers pop up as budget hotel rooms — Pop-up nightclub — Shop-in-a-box.) Spotted by: Daniel Jusseaume