Top Tools for Food Trucks: Our Checklist
Running a food truck is incredibly rewarding. Because you’re not tied to a single geographic location, you’ll be able to move to where the crowds are thickest. Being able to move around also means that no single workday is the same as another. If you’re somebody who doesn’t want to stick to a single place but also seeks the financial benefits of owning your own business, a food truck is perfect for you.
If this sounds like the perfect opportunity for you, the next step is to purchase your truck and secure the necessary equipment to keep your business running day-to-day. Choosing the right tools can be tricky thanks to the complexity of running a food business on wheels and the vast number of options out there.
In this article, we’ll simplify the art of buying the right gear for your truck. Keep reading to learn about some key tools you need to own for your food truck.
Emergency Maintenance Tools
Operating a mobile food business gives you a great deal of flexibility but also comes with its own set of maintenance challenges, making it crucial to secure a full set of repair equipment from a provider like WB Tools. Being prepared for accidents or malfunctions is essential for keeping your food truck business running smoothly.
Among the most important tools you need to keep handy are wrenches, which you can use to loosen and tighten bolts when conducting repairs. We suggest owning a variety of wrenches, including ratchet, combination and adjustable wrenches. Some other essential food truck equipment includes pry bars, tyre jacks, multimeters, spanners, screwdrivers, and even some good, old-fashioned duct tape.
Of course, the best tools for your food truck will be dependent on the size of your vehicle and the scope of your in-built kitchen facilities. So be sure to consider your vehicle’s unique maintenance requirements when creating your emergency toolbox.
Accidents and malfunctions can happen at any time when you’re operating a food truck. In order to prevent disruptions to your business, make sure to have the necessary repair tools with you at all times.
Grease Traps
Oil is a necessary ingredient in many dishes. Because of this, your food truck will probably generate plenty of grease as a waste material over the course of daily operations. This grease can accumulate in your pipes, eventually leading to blockages. Over time, this will affect the performance of essential kitchen equipment like ovens and fryers and also present a fire hazard since oil is flammable.
To nip these potential problems in the bud, you need to invest in a high-quality grease trap. This device, as the name suggests, separates grease from water when it’s poured down the drain. A properly functioning grease trap will collect most of the oil generated when you cook, allowing you to dispose of it properly later on. Besides being incredibly helpful, grease traps are usually required by law in Australia.
Keep in mind that it’s not enough to simply own a grease trap. Proper grease trap maintenance is essential if you want to extend the life of your unit and avoid issues like bad odours and temporary shutdowns. You should regularly scrape off the bits of food and oil that accumulate in your device and use hot water, a degreaser and a brush to clean it out. It’s also important to schedule regular professional servicing to keep your grease trap in tip-top shape at all times.
Reliable Refrigerators
High-quality fridges are essential equipment for any food truck operator. You will probably need to own at least two refrigerators, one for solid food, and one for drinks. Depending on the specific dishes you serve, you may need even more. Some of the most common refrigerator types used by the top food truck businesses in Australia include salad preparation and worktop refrigerators.
When you’re on the move, it’s vital to make sure that your refrigerators are always hooked up to a source of power. A fridge switching off for a few hours can cause the food inside to spill, leading to significant losses and a messy clean-up job. Make sure you have enough refrigeration units to store your perishable goods and that they’re always connected to electricity.
Power Generators
Food trucks rely on several key electronic tools to produce and sell food, including deep fryers, microwave ovens and refrigerators. When you’re on the road, having access to a reliable source of power is crucial. This is where generators come in. A power generator will ensure that all your devices and appliances can function as they should.
Keep in mind that not all generators are created equal. Different models can vary in terms of power output, portability, fuel type and servicing needs. Before committing to a purchase, you should first determine what your needs are and perform a careful audit of the options on the market.
Commercial Kitchen Equipment
Of course, no food truck is complete without a set of high-quality cooking equipment. The exact tools you need to acquire depend on the sort of food you serve, but some staples include deep fryers, ovens and electric stovetops. As with any complex equipment, it’s essential to regularly perform maintenance work on your cooking appliances to keep them working longer.
Aside from large cooking appliances, it’s also important to have a sufficient number of utensils like spatulas, ladles and kitchen knives. Make sure to keep spares on hand in case some of your utensils break.
And then there’s maintenance tools for your kitchen appliances. We’re talking about heavy-duty grill scrapers, hoses to siphon water or oil when cleaning your deep fryer, and cleaning supplies like steel wool, window cleaning tools for bain maries, microfibre cloths, and anything else you may need. Here, we recommend looking into wholesale commercial kitchen suppliers to see if you can grab all these essentials in bulk.
By stocking your food truck with the right kitchen equipment, you can ensure it runs like a well-oiled machine.
Secure these Essential Tools for your Food Truck Business
Going into the food truck business can be both lucrative and incredibly exciting. To succeed, however, you’ll need to secure some essential equipment, including power generators and cooking appliances.
In this piece, we’ve gone over some important things you need to start a food truck venture. Purchase these essential items today to keep your food truck running smoothly.