KETCHit - The Story
My neighbor Jason and I liked to go on road trips to Vegas or Arizona, and we would always eat in the car during our drive. Jason, women’s basketball coach for a local university, was used to this – he had a 40-minute commute to work, so he was always taking his meals to go.
One day, he stops by on the way to work and says, “Mike, I got an idea – let’s make a food tray that holds whatever we eat while we’re in the car.”
So I started making crude prototypes out of plastic trash bags and nylon aprons you’d find at barbershops. Frustrated that I was still balancing my lunch on my lap, I needed inspiration. I wheeled into a burger place for lunch – and remembered how much I liked their disposable cardboard food trays. If only it could be worn!
I finished my burger and saved the tray – later attaching it to a nylon apron, secured by Velcro, and snapped behind my neck. It fit so well in my truck, that I actually drove back over the next day for another burger and fries. As I pulled away with my order, held in my makeshift tray-apron fastened around my neck, I realized that I didn’t have to lean over to eat to keep from spilling on my shirt or clothes.
I pulled over, called Jason, and showed him on video how I could eat in the car without hunching over, saving my neck and back. This called for two more sets to be made and tested on the road – on another trip to Arizona.
Later, when my wife was taking our kid to preschool, she found another use – our kid could keep binky, book, and snack on the tray while in the car seat – giving my wife the peace of mind that she wasn’t going to have to pull over to retrieve any of the above.
For all you dashboard diners, I hope the KETCHit tray gives you miles of use ahead. And to you parents, hope this makes those car trips just a little bit easier on you.
Thanks,
Mike and Jason