4 Eye-Popping Portable Restrooms

Interested in Business?

Get Business articles, news and videos right in your inbox! Sign up now.

Business + Get Alerts

In a competitive market, it might take an extra punch of color, a different shape or maybe an advertising wrap for a portable restroom business to stand out. Price isn’t the only factor your customers consider. Sometimes, a visually appealing portable restroom is the ticket to greater profitability. 

Here’s a look at how a few manufacturers are creating unique portable restroom designs and wraps to help PROs leverage their businesses: 

1.     British invasion

Bright cherry red definitely stands out in a crowd. But add a few eye-catching decals and what you have is a portable restroom that looks more like an iconic London phone booth than a typical portable restroom. 

“It’s a unique way to compete on something other than price,” says Tom Gebka, owner of Piccadilly Concepts, an event restroom manufacturer. “We’ve had people from England who have mistaken it for a phone booth.” 

Gebka adds that female operators are especially interested in the Piccadilly products because of their appearance. 

“Female operators are more sensitive to appearance and the event industry,” he says. “Their perspective is a little different.” 

Besides the London phone booth theme, Piccadilly also offers plain red restrooms, which have been used in places such as Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during Badger football games. 

2.     Now you see me

It’s not just bright colors that get you noticed. Instead of standing out in a crowd, the folks at Nature Calls are doing just the opposite: blending in. By applying some serious camouflage — a trick inspired by the manufacturer’s experience in outdoor hunting — Nature Calls restrooms let portable restroom operators essentially hide the portable restroom even when its out in the open, which customers tend to appreciate.

Realism is the key to these restrooms, even down to the bark texture surface on the outside.

“Everything is built from the ground up in Kerrville, Texas, even the original tree that we make our molds from,” says Kurt Ludwigsen, general manager. “Our founder and lead designer developed his skills working for Hollywood productions to create replica and synthetic products that look and feel like the real thing.”

Ludwigsen says the restrooms are perfect for national parks, golf courses and other areas where blending in is important. He says the company has even received requests from homeowners to use the restrooms as a pool house in the backyard.

The polyurethane shell is completely free of right angles and straight lines, and the interior provides a roomy 6-foot, 10-inch insulated space. Besides portable restrooms, the company also owns and manufacturers Nature Blinds for the hunting industry.

“When it came time to turn our attention to portable restrooms, it was key that inside and out gave people the look and feel of never leaving nature,” he says. 

3.     Under wraps

Eye-popping design doesn’t have to start with the portable restroom construction. Sometimes, wraps make the greatest difference, adding a punch of color to an event and a few extra dollars in a portable restroom operator’s wallet. 

Jim Paar, president of wrap advertising firm PMG Outdoor, works with portable restroom operators to place intensely colorful ad campaigns throughout the country. His latest effort, a 20-city movie promotion for Paramount Pictures, was recently placed at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. 

“In their first day, the movie was No. 1 at the box office. That says a lot about portable restroom advertising,” Paar says. 

The campaign, which promotes the Johnny Knoxville movie “Bad Grandpa,” is only one example of how portable restrooms can become an ad medium. PMG Outdoor has also worked with companies such as Michelin and Harley-Davidson and then coordinated with portable restroom operators to place the ads at events. 

The wraps are placed on restrooms by PMG after an operator installs the restrooms for an event. Restroom operators then receive a payment from PMG for each restroom that was used for an advertisement. 

4.     She’s all that

Nothing stands out more than a female-centric pink portable restroom. The PortaJane restroom made by PortaJane is designed specifically for women, and has been making an appearance at festivals and events across the country.

In the past month alone, the manufacturer’s restrooms have appeared at the IronGirl Triathlon, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk/Run and the NASCAR Victory Lap Parade on the Las Vegas Strip, among other events. 

The pink-with-white trim restroom is manufactured in Twin Lakes, Wis., and includes amenities like a mounted mirror, vanity shelf and coat and handbag hangers. 

As an added bonus, a portion of the company’s revenue goes toward the fight against breast cancer. 

How does portable restroom appearance put more money in your pocket? Post a comment below.



Discussion

Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Comments are moderated before being posted.