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 University of La Verne, 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 son to preschool, she found another use – our kid could keep his binky, book, and snack on the tray in his car seat – giving her 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