Carry on, fast-foods fans

Dane Grace

Paul Davis understands the precariousness of trying to carry a large

take-out food order without spilling soda on himself.

It’s just such messy mishaps that inspired Davis, the president of

Easy Carry LLC., to invent the Easy Carry.

The device for packing food was named Foodservice Package of the

Year by Quality and Speed for Restaurant Success.

The Easy Carry is a fast-food-style cardboard drink carrier with

an extra-tall handle that can fit through the middle of a special

pizza box or tray to carry concession foods such as hot dogs, French

fries or hamburgers. While his invention doesn’t look particularly

exotic, it is different in that it can be held in one hand with

relative ease and stability, Davis said.

The device can carry drinks and food for a family of four in one

hand, Davis said.

The carrier was first used at Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa, Fla., in

2002.

Since then, Davis has been improving on the invention and has

added another tier to the design. He has tested its durability by

dumping four 36-ounce drinks into the carrier, putting four full

drinks into it and hanging it from a tree for six hours.

While the product can stand on its own, Davis said his

customer-service ethic has carried over from his ticket-selling

business, AAA Attractions in Newport Beach. His family has been in

the business since the 1960s, and he said his customer-first attitude

contributes to Easy Carry’s success.

“We’re here because we provide good service, and I took that motto

to this product,” Davis said.

It would seem the strategy is working, as the Pacific Coast League

and the International League 2005 seasons will offer customers the

Easy Carry. This could mean massive exposure for the carrier because

both leagues account for all of the minor-league baseball teams and

their huge fan base.

But the Easy Carry isn’t completely new to the Pacific Coast

League. In 2002, its All Star game in Oklahoma introduced fans to the

cardboard carrier. In negotiating the new agreement, the league’s

director of business and baseball operations, George King, said the

Easy Carry is an “excellent product” and a good business arrangement,

since the sides of the product can be easily branded with

advertisements.