What items do you need in a food truck?
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What items do you need in a food truck
kind of tools do food trucks need?
Food trucks are like mobile service stations, and everything you need to serve customers is, of course, essential equipment. The other things you'll need for your food truck will depend on the food you're making and, more importantly, how you'll prepare and cook it in the truck.
Ovens
Stoves, grills, and air flow
Gas range
Flat range
Induction
Smokers
Small-space ventilation
Microwaves
There are freezers and fridges.
Ice maker
Places to prepare food
What items do you need in a food truck
Food prep equipment
Knives
Knife sharpeners
Cooking tools
Bowls for mixing
Processors for food
Blenders
Mixers
Containers for storing things and shelves
Safety equipment
Gloves
Aprons
Kit for First Aid
Date Labels
Sani-buckets
Bar rags
Chemicals that can be used in food
Sheets for Chemical Safety
Sinks
What items do you need in a food truck
Sinks with sections
Disposal sinks
Sink for handwashing
Restaurant point of sale system
Kitchen Display System (KDS)
Serviceware
Table service essentials
Paper boats, plates, and clamshells
Utensils
Napkins
How much does food truck gear cost?
What items do you need in a food truck
Getting your new food truck set up with all the right tools can cost anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000. If you buy used equipment and put money into maintenance, you might be able to cut down on your overhead and equipment costs. Think about how you can finance your restaurant to keep your finances flexible.
Before Buying Restaurant Equipment, Things to Think About
Before you can sell lobster rolls all along the coast, you need to stock a truck with everything you need to make those buttery rolls and fresh-cut fries on the go. Think about making your dishes for a restaurant, and make a list of all the tools you'll need from start to finish.
Take your time when choosing and buying equipment for your food truck. Being careful now will save you time and effort in the long run because your equipment will help your business run smoothly. It's best to choose reliable, high-quality equipment that is easy to keep up.
1. Quality
Your kitchen equipment is one of the most expensive things you will buy. Keep in mind that your kitchen equipment is essential for your food truck to run and make money. Choose equipment that is of good quality and will last a long time. When buying expensive things like mixers, ovens, and knives, you might want to do some research. Use the same high standards for both new and used equipment to make sure your investment is a good one.
2. Space
Think about how much space you have in your food truck. This will help you decide what equipment to buy and where to put it. You won't be able to turn your food truck into a full industrial kitchen. Choose only the tools you need to make the food on your menu, and make sure that the ones you buy will work with your plan.
3. Planning Your Kitchen
Working in a kitchen that wasn't made for the food you cook there is frustrating, takes a lot of time, and can hurt the quality of your service and your profits. For food truck equipment, it's hard to plan a kitchen. You might want to talk to a kitchen planning consultant. They can help you set up the space so that it works well with your menu and service style. They could also give you good advice about getting only the kitchen tools you need for the space.
What items do you need in a food truck
4. How to Use and Clean
Equipment is only useful and long-lasting if it is easy to use and keep in good shape. Think about how easy the piece of equipment is to use, how well it does what it's supposed to do, and how you would clean it. Train your staff on how to clean and maintain equipment every day, every week, and every month to get the most use out of it. When food equipment has the NSF symbol, it means that it meets standards for food safety certification.
5. Suppliers
Like any other business, food trucks depend on the people who work with them. The relationship you have with a supplier of equipment is very important. In a lot of towns and cities, there are local restaurant supply stores that, for an annual membership fee, sell high-end equipment at prices close to wholesale. The best suppliers will be honest about the technology, engineering, and safety of the products they sell, and they will also offer installation, maintenance, and repair services.
Sourcing Restaurant Equipment
Finding the right equipment for a restaurant is half the battle. Once you have a full list and an idea of what your fully-stocked food truck will look like, you can start shopping. Local wholesalers for restaurants often have good deals, or you could buy from a reputable online store. You could also rent equipment until you have enough money to buy it.
Used and new equipment
It might always seem like the best choice to buy new equipment, but for some expensive but essential items, it might be better to buy them used. You could look for an oven or deep freezer that has been taken care of over the years and make a plan to keep it up. This will save you money right away and over the course of your business.
6. Pricing
When making a budget for food truck equipment, put quality at the top of the list based on how important each piece of equipment is to your process. If you're making pastry, a dough sheeter might be your most expensive best friend. The most important equipment needs to be of the highest quality, which often means spending the most money on it. However, this investment usually pays off in the end. Buying used equipment could save you money up front, but it could end up costing you more in repairs and maintenance in the long run.
7. Getting a loan or renting
If this article makes you worry about how you'll pay for all the nice equipment for your food truck, financing or leasing equipment can be a good way to start your business and take on less risk until you're sure the business model will work.
Ultimate Checklist of Equipment for a Food Truck
1. Ovens
Even though not every kitchen has an oven, many restaurant business models depend on good commercial ovens. As you think about what to buy for your food truck, you might wonder if it's best to keep an oven that could get up to 400°F in there. If it gets hot where you live in the summer, you might want to bake things in a commissary kitchen.
Ovens are not only hot, but they are also big and heavy, which makes them hard to move around in a food truck. Obviously, if you need an oven in your truck for your business, you'll have to figure out how to make it work.
Powerful fans in commercial convection ovens move heat around the food so it cooks quickly and evenly. Convection ovens are great for baking and roasting. Combination ovens use both steam and circulating heat to bake bread, steam food, or roast meat. Wood-fired ovens and pizza ovens can be used for many different things, but you'd only need one for a very specific product.
What items do you need in a food truck
2. Stoves, grills, and air flow
Whether or not to bring a heat source on the road is an important decision for your food truck's list of things to bring. Think about what kind of food you'll be making and how you can make the best kitchen for yourself or other cooks.
Gas range
Your first choice for a portable heat source is probably a butane stove, and gas is a good way to cook food. It's easy to use, flexible, and dependable. A flat range might be better for some kinds of cooking, and induction might be more eco-friendly, but a gas range is a good investment.
Flat range
Flat ranges are environmentally friendly because they use very little electricity and can run for a long time. They are also great for cooking certain kinds of food, like finishing burritos and sandwiches or making eggs, pancakes, and bacon.
Induction
Induction burners heat a surface by making an electromagnetic current. The best way to move heat is through magnetic metals, which can be used to heat glass or other surfaces. Induction is a green, flexible, space-saving, and inexpensive way to power food truck equipment.
Smokers
Meats and vegetables are smoked by putting them in a smoker for a long time and cooking them over low heat. Some food trucks are only for smokers or BBQ pits, and their equipment is often made just for them.
Small-space ventilation
Gas or electric ranges and ovens that make a lot of heat or steam need good ventilation, and putting a commercial system into a food truck is a hard but necessary step. Make sure to plan for ventilation and sprinklers in your budget if you have gas stoves or deep fryers.
Think about how big your kitchen is and make sure your ventilation system is strong enough to keep smoke and hot air out of the space you or your cooks have to work in. Ventilation is very important for keeping a kitchen safe.
3. Microwaves
Microwaves are important kitchen tools that can cook some foods in a fraction of the time it takes to cook other foods. They can also help keep a food truck safe and save money.
What items do you need in a food truck
4. There are freezers and fridges.
Food trucks can't do without these huge machines. An important part of your food truck equipment list is making sure you have enough room for all the refrigeration and freezing you'll need to keep food at the right temperature.
Ice maker
If you want to serve drinks from anything other than a bottle, you need an ice maker in your food truck. Smoothies and iced coffee, for example, both need ice.
5. Places to prepare food
The counters and cooking surfaces in a professional kitchen are made of stainless steel. They are easy to clean and make sure you don't transfer too much heat at key points in the cooking process. Wood surfaces are cheap and can be refinished. Concrete countertops are durable, and granite is cooler than even stainless steel. Each has its own pros and cons, but for most operations, stainless steel works just fine. What items do you need in a food truck
6. Food prep equipment
All the small appliances, utensils, mixing bowls, and microplanes you need for your production process should be kept in your food truck. You don't want to be in a hurry and not have a piece of equipment you need.
Knives
Knives are an important part of cooking and preparing food, and a good chef and their knife move as one. Invest in a set of knives and learn how to keep them sharp for safety and efficiency in the kitchen. To keep your investment in good shape, you'll also need a sharpening stone.
Knife sharpeners
Quality cutting boards make a big difference in the way you prepare food. Restaurants like to use boards with lips or grooves around the edge to keep liquid on the board or with handles to make them easier to move. Make sure to buy a variety of colors, like red for meat, blue for fish, green for vegetables, and yellow for chicken.
Cooking tools
Most likely, the pots and pans you use will depend on what you like and what you need, but you should try to get good ones that will be good for your food truck. Pots and pans are important, valuable tools that last a long time if they are cared for properly. What items do you need in a food truck
Bowls for mixing
Mixing bowls can be made of plastic, stainless steel, ceramic, or glass. Each of these materials has pros and cons. Choose what works for your food truck's list of equipment.
Processors for food
A food processor is a good investment because it helps you make soups and sauces and chop or mince food evenly.
Blenders
What items do you need in a food truck
Quality blenders are an important piece of equipment for some businesses, like smoothie shops and juice bars. Commercial blenders can be expensive, but they do their job well.
Mixers
Stand mixers and hand mixers save bakeries and some other businesses a lot of time and may be a must-have for your food truck or commissary kitchen.
Containers for storing things and shelves
Safe and organized storage is always a must, and the costs can add up quickly. Don't forget to plan for storage both in terms of space and money.
Etc.
This one, "the rest," is likely the most important. All the spoons, whisks, rolling pins, spatulas, piping bags, silicone pads, and anything else you'll need to get your food truck ready to go. The little things add up, so it's important to plan and budget for them. Also, buy extras of small pieces that are easy to lose.
7. Safety equipment
All restaurants must follow rules about food safety and have certain items on hand. Restaurant supply services offer a wide range of things that restaurants need on a regular basis, including, but not limited to:
Gloves
Aprons
Kit for First Aid
Date Labels
Sani-buckets
Bar rags
Chemicals that can be used in food
Sheets for Chemical Safety
8. Sinks
In kitchens, sinks can only be used by one person at a time, so you'll probably have to find room for two or three in your food truck's design.
Sinks with sections
Commonly used ways to meet food safety standards for washing and sanitizing are sinks with three sections: wash, rinse, and sanitize.
Disposal sinks
Sinks for trash are for liquid waste or water that has been used for washing.
Sinks for handwashing
In a kitchen, employees must have their own sinks to wash their hands.
9. Restaurant point of sale system
The restaurant point of sale system uses technology to solve many of the problems that used to make it hard to run a food truck or a restaurant. Importantly, they also give you a way to add inventory management and online orders to the normal POS workflow. They do all of this while keeping track of sales and how well your menu is doing.
POS Comparison Tool for Food Trucks
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POS Comparison Tool for Food Trucks
Food Truck POS Comparison Tool is a free tool that lets you compare and research point-of-sale systems in one Excel spreadsheet or an editable PDF.
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10. Kitchen Display System (KDS)
You might have a romantic idea of shouting orders to your fry cook in a clever shorthand, but a kitchen display system that works with your food truck's point-of-sale system will make service much more smooth, efficient, and quiet. What items do you need in a food truck
11. Serviceware
Whether you're running a food truck or a restaurant, the serviceware you choose is a big part of the look and feel of your brand. Choose things that fit your style and are also good for your business model.
Table service essentials
Even though this isn't usually a problem for food trucks, you might have to set up a few tables. Think about plates and utensils that will last, as well as salt and pepper shakers and condiment trays.
Paper boats, plates, and clamshells
The real choice here is one of cost, and it's a very important one for food trucks and other restaurants that rely heavily on takeout. Service wear for on-the-go is expensive, and eco-friendly service wear is even more expensive, but it looks great for your brand.
Napkins or Linen
Linen might be a bit...fancy for a food truck, but it's important to have paper or cloth napkins for your customers and plan for them in your budget.