Selecting the Right Equipment for Your Food Truck
Of course, you need the best possible equipment for your food truck if you want your business to be anywhere close to successful. There’s a lot of competition out there and you do not wish to fall short merely because you did not have the right equipment. Let’s take a look, then, at how we can effectively procure the best possible equipment for that food truck of ours.
You want to select just the right kind of equipment you need
. For instance, the kind of equipment that will be needed to make certain dishes will differ from those used in making others. You have to go right down into the details of making the dishes you are going to be offering your customers, in an attempt to list the tools and supplies you will need to make them. Thus, you will find that you might need small things like prep bowls, tin foil, and spatulas. In the beginning, you might be planning to start small but you need to make provisions in that ‘business plan’ of yours for all the additional equipment you will be needing in due course of time, when you will be looking to expand that menu of yours. Additional equipment will mean additional cost and you will have to ensure that you are properly budgeted.
The standard equipment. Of course, you are, in all probability, looking to ‘specialize’ in serving certain items to people who are not all that common, and that is why we have discussed in the point earlier on the importance of going through the making process so you don’t miss any invaluable piece of equipment you will be needing to prepare your foods. But that apart, there is a lot of equipment you will need that is really quite ‘standard’ when it comes to all those food trucks out there. Let us take a look at them so we can understand just what we need to be well prepared before we start that food truck business of ours.
Plumbing System
Compartment sink for dishes
Hand Sink
Drain Boards
Grease Tap
Disposal System
Water Heater
Freshwater Tank
Greywater Tank
Exhaust Hood
Fan Motor
Interior Lighting
Electrical Outlets
Fire Suppression System and Sprinklers
Awning or Ordering Window
Glass or screen for ordering window
Interior covering for walls or ceilings
Non-slip flooring
Generator
Air conditioning and heating
Storage for utensils, tools, paper products, and cleaning supplies
Storage for food and ingredients
Refrigeration System
Freezer Space
Stoves, Grills, and Fryers
Warmer and/or cooler
Food-safe prep space
Of course, this is quite a comprehensive list but there might be a thing or two you might need in addition to these items. Make sure that you are well stocked; the last thing you want is to not be prepared. In fact, you will find that many of the food trucks that are readily available for purchase out there will come with most of this equipment already and you will find that you only have to install some of the equipment in the list above that it does not come loaded with.
Now that you are well stocked, you think you are ready to start the process of vending food out there to those hungry mouths that will keep coming back to you for more? Well, not quite. Just like in the case of any other business out there, marketing plays a big role and we have to ensure that we do not fall short when it comes to just the right set of marketing tactics to take that business of yours to the next level. Even if you have the best possible menu and trained people working for you, you will find that you have fallen short if you do not cover the basics like getting a sound location for your food truck business. Let’s take a look at the next Section, which will show us just how we can effectively do so!