Hot beverage preparation and dispensing cart

A portable cabinet for supporting and facilitating the operation of hot beverage preparation appliances and for dispensing hot beverages, comprising:

• a rectangular frame mounted on a plurality of wheels, two parallel end panels on said frame forming the sides of the cabinet, a rectangular front panel on said frame forming the front of the cabinet and a rear panel on said frame forming the rear of the cabinet, said rear panel being parallel with said front panel and including means forming openings in said rear panel for access to the interior of the cabinet, a counter top on said frame including first and second horizontal surfaces at different levels relative to said frame for supporting hot beverage preparation appliances thereon, said first surface defining a recess within a portion of said second surface, said second surface extending to the front and sides of the cabinet and including a ridge at the level of said second surface which extends around said first surface along the front and sides of the cabinet for preventing liquids on said first surface within said recess from flowing over the front and sides of the cabinet, said second surface extending to the rear of the cabinet,
• said first surface including a first hot beverage preparation station thereon for supporting a hot beverage preparation appliance thereon and said second surface including a second hot beverage preparation station thereon for supporting another hot beverage preparation appliance,
• a sink on said counter top recessed into said first surface and a water faucet on said sink,
• a first holding tank which is of food grade on said frame for receiving and storing clean, potable water for use in hot beverage preparation, water supply means within said cabinet for supplying potable water from said first holding tank to said first and second hot beverage preparation stations and said water faucet on said sink, said water supply means further including an inlet conduit which is of food grade for delivering clean water from a source outside the cabinet to fill said first holding tank, first sensor means for sensing the level of water in said first holding tank and fill cutoff means responsive to said first sensor means for interrupting the flow of water through said inlet conduit when said first holding tank is full to prevent overflow of said first holding tank,
• power supply means on said frame for receiving electric power from a source external to the cabinet and for distributing electric power to a plurality of locations in the cabinet including said first and second hot beverage preparation stations,
• power cutoff means associated with said power supply means and responsive to said first sensor means for interrupting the power to at least one of said first and second hot beverage preparation stations when said first holding tank is substantially empty thereby preventing damage resulting from operation without water to a hot beverage preparation appliance supported on said at least one of said first and second hot beverage preparation stations,
• a waste water system on said frame for receiving and storing for external disposal waste water generated during the preparation and dispensing of hot beverages, including a second holding tank on said frame for receiving and storing waste water, second sensor means for sensing the level of water in said second holding tank, a drain in said sink, a sink waste conduit for moving liquids from said drain to said second holding tank and overflow means for directing waste water into said sink when said second holding tank is full,
• indicator means on said back panel responsive to said first and second sensor means for indicating the approximate levels of liquid in said first and second holding tanks,
• alarm means responsive to said first and second sensor means for producing an audible alarm when said first holding tank is empty and when said second holding tank is full,
• alarm reset means on said back panel for deactivating the audible alarm of said alarm means when activated in response to one of said first and second sensor means, said alarm reset means further including means for reactivating the audible alarm of said alarm means after a selected time interval,
• canopy means extending over said counter top supported on said frame by a plurality of vertical members, said canopy means including light fixtures within said canopy means extending over said counter top, said light fixtures being connected to said power supply means whereby said counter top is illuminated, a plurality of cup dispensers supported on said canopy means, said canopy means including means forming a plurality of dispenser openings therein through which cups are dispensed, said cup dispensers being oriented horizontally such that empty cups disposed therein in nested fashion are in the form of horizontal columns, and said dispenser openings being at the rear of said canopy means corresponding to the rear side of the cabinet.