H.B. couple hope to work catering magic with classic bus

A Huntington Beach couple are looking to put a new spin on mobile food service.

Last weekend, husband and wife Matt and Sarah Harrison debuted their catering service, Monarch Social, in which they use a customized double-decker bus as a mobile kitchen.

“It’s almost like a mobile restaurant,” Sarah Harrison said. “We want to do catering and want to have this dynamic that allows people to go where they want to do and have the experience you can have at a restaurant.”

It’s not like a conventional food truck that parks at a curb. The Harrisons see their bus as an event centerpiece.

“We could do pull-up streetside service if that was something a customer was interested in,” Sarah Harrison said. “But we were thinking more about highlighting the culinary aspect and really focusing on special events.”

The double-decker bus is a 1984 Leyland Olympian that originally was a school bus in Scotland. The bottom level is a fully furnished professional kitchen. The centerpiece is a wood-fired stone oven that Matt Harrison says can be used to create flatbread dishes, slow-roasted meats, roasted vegetables and baked desserts.

The second floor is planned as an intimate dining area that can seat about 15 people. The bus also has a foldout awning for people to sit under.

The Harrisons, both 31, have worked in the hospitality industry for years for companies such as the Cohn and Hillstone restaurant groups. The Dallas natives had done some catering for family and friends but wanted to expand the service to the masses.

“It’s about bringing people together, and what better way to do that than with food and drinks?” Sarah Harrison said.

She will be in charge of cooking the meals, while Matt Harrison will be behind the wheel on the right-hand side of the 20,000-pound bus.

“It doesn’t go very fast and it tops out at 50 mph,” he said. “It’s in great shape mechanically and handles really easy. You don’t realize you’re driving a big machine because of the way it handles.”

He admitted, however, that the bus got a few dings and scratches as he was learning to drive it around Southern California.

The catering service will be available anywhere in Orange County, and the Harrisons said they plan to expand to San Diego and Los Angeles counties.

They also plan to offer pop-up dining events and to invite aspiring chefs from Southern California to use the mobile kitchen.

“You can do something really amazing with your cooking and bringing people together in any atmosphere,” Sarah Harrison said. “It doesn’t have to be a brick and mortar or a food truck. There’s a lot of different avenues. For these young up-and-coming chefs, who don’t necessarily have those opportunities to come and work to feature their food, [the bus] could be their place where they can do that.”

For more information, visit monarch-social.com.