Best Equipment options for starting a Food Truck.
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Mobile food vendors have been around since the 50’s. Wheeled carts selling single menu items with a choice of a drink on the side. Nothing fancy or complex. Nowadays, mobile food vendors such as food trucks have exploded in popularity, complexity and competition. There are food truck festivals in the US that have over 100 food trucks on offer! And there’s a growing scene in Australia too, just have a look at some of The Food Truck Park’s events.
There is a lot to think about when starting a food truck business: permits and licenses, choosing the right vehicle, design, fuel, designing the interior, mobility, designing a menu, choosing electric or gas, size of truck, bench spaces, creating efficient work flow, and the most important factor; choosing the right equipment for your food truck. In this article, we will outline some important factors to consider when starting a food truck business and a list of equipment that we highly recommend.
In this article, we will outline some important factors to consider when starting a food truck business and a list of equipment that we highly recommend.
Food truck style and layout.
There is a wide range of food truck layouts and options depending on the type of food you serve and the size of your floor. Then you’ll need to design the exterior of your food truck, create a brand and develop a menu that’ll wow customers. Building a food truck business starts with the truck itself. Things you need to consider include: having a reinforced floor, understanding size of canopy, generator size, power supply, space and food on offer.
Starting a Food truck business
It’s easy to get carried away when starting a new venture, especially a food truck. But it’s important to focus on the important aspects of the business.
+ A simple operation is always the best option.
+ Don’t over offer on your menu.
+ Be unique.
+ Always serve with the highest quality ingredients and customer service
+ Build a brand that people love.
+ Use quality, reliable and easy to operate the equipment.
Food truck Set Up Cost
Here’s what it takes to set up a Food truck business in Australia:
+ The bulk of all food trucks were said to take 6 months or more to set up
+ Set-up costs ranged from $40,000 to $300,000 – with the average being $141,000
+ Annual turnover figures ranged from $72,000 to $1,000,000 – with the average being $299,000.
+ Staffing costs ranged from $30,000 to $155,000 – with the average being $83,000.
+ Other costs ranged from $10,000 to $350,000 – with the average being $82,000.
+ It takes on average 9 months to start making a profit.
+ A relatively small proportion of truck owners currently owned/operated a bricks & mortar business
If you want to learn more about the food truck industry, check out the 2016 Food Truck Study.
Food truck cooking equipment
In a high paced environment like food trucks, trusting your equipment is paramount. If you have problems or breakdowns, you have no business. It’s a fast paced environment and you need the power to back you up – shortcomings in equipment means you’ll lose revenue every service. You need to know that you have equipment that will stand up to the pressure, ready for a massive rush when it comes. With long hours, you need to make sure that your equipment is easy to operate and clean. The last thing you want to be doing is spending hours cleaning and servicing your equipment after every event.
Electric Fryer
Pitco SE14 SSTC
If you are planning on deep frying anything on your food truck, this is a great option. For High Production Electric frying, Pitco is #1. The SE14 model is a medium sized fryer with exceptional performance and reliability. This fryer will give you crisp fries, everytime, all day, everyday.
However, the Solstice electric (SE) fryer comes in numerous sizes to match different product frying applications. Using highly reliable fixed heating elements for precise temperature control, the fryer comes standard with a behind the door solid state thermostat with melt cycle and boil out modes. For additional timer capability with optional Computer control and the elastic time feature are available and can be used with our optional labor saving highly reliable basket lift system.
Key features:
+ 17kw Electric double basket Fryer
+ Safe Fixed Element Design
+ solid state control,
+ 24 ltr oil capacity
+ Castors option
Why it’s a great choice:
+ Pitco is the Largest manufacturer in the world for Commercial Fryers
+ Computer control options
+ Self filteration fryers -reduce oil consumption and costs.
+ 12 months parts and labor
Electric Griddle
Goldstein Electric Griddle GPEDB-36
Griddles are an essential item for every food truck. They can be used to cook almost anything, eggs, burgers or tacos – a true workhorse in the food truck world. Either mounted on a countertop, chef base, or freestanding, this griddle is perfect for high volume, fast-paced food trucks. Electric griddles also reduce heat within the canopy and fumes.
Goldstein is Australian made and has been manufacturing locally for over 100 years! We recommend them to almost all of our hospitality clients as they are built with exceptional quality, have amazing servicing and are very reliable. If you want an electric griddle that won’t let you down, this is the product to go with.
Key features:
+ 3 phase Electric 12mm Thick Mild Steel Griddle Plate
+ Front Grease Trough
+ Large Chute & Catcher
+ Table top or Floor models
+ Thermostat controls (Standard with Goldstein Electric Griddles).
+ Stainless steel body
Why it’s a great choice:
+ Australian Made
+ Over 100 Year Manufacturing in Australia
+ Built for tough Australian conditions
+ Great heat recovery
+ Easy to clean
+ 12 months parts and labor
Gas Griddle
Magikitch’n Griddle MKG-36
A heavy-duty gas griddle ready for anything It is also handy to be able to work without 240v power input. Gas gives you the freedom to run a completely mobile food truck without a generator. Depending on your location, gas is often cheaper to operate than electric.
For over 75 years this brand has not only stood the test of time but continues to measure up as one of the most recognizable food equipment brands. Chain-ready, chain-proven griddles and charbroilers. These pieces are often the backbone of kitchen operations and MagiKitch’n is the strongest link you can have in your chain. Equipment can be easily customized with optional grates, grids, and grease trough placement, MagiKitch’n allows you to customize your product to your needs like no other chain ready product.
Key features:
+ Gas Griddle Heavy Duty 25mm thick polished griddle plate
+ Side skirting fully welded around plate perimeter
+ Extra smooth 11 ga. skirt finish for ease of cleaning
+ Tapered splash back with no debris contour
welded to stop grease migration
+ Large 14ltr grease box with quick lift handle
+ Double walled and reinforced stainless steel sides
Why it’s a great choice:
+ World Leading Brand
+ Floor mounted, Chef Base mounted, or Bench top
+ 12 months Parts & Labor
+ Amazing heat recovery
+ Even grill cooking
Combi Oven
HOUNÖ Slim line Combi Oven – CPES1.06
Combi ovens are an advanced cooking machine that cooks food using steam, convection or a combination of both. This combi oven is your space-saving, multi-functional partner in the kitchen. Its state-of-the-art technology makes it easy to steam, roast, grill, fry, prove, bake and regenerate all kinds of food. The combination of hot air and steam ensures juicy and delicious results. In short, HOUNÖ Slim Line Visual Cooking is the solution to any culinary challenge. Throughout the years, HOUNÖ has grown from being a small manufacturer to supplying oven solutions to hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals, gas stations, food trucks and cruise ships.
Key features:
+ STEAM INJECTION, 6 tray
+ Combi smart touch display with automatic cleaning system
+ Gastronorm Capacity
+ Fully automatic wash system,
+ Cookbook with 500 Recipes (15 stages, 9 cooking modes)
+ Auto-reverse fan with 9 speeds,
+ Manual & automatic humidity pulsing
Why it’s a great choice:
+ World Leading Brand
+ 4 years Warranty
+ Even cooking back to front
+ Intelligent cooking
Pass-through dishwasher
Eswood ES32
Most food trucks serve takeaway food with disposable cutlery and containers. Cooking utensils are then cleaned at the end of the shift, generally off site. The most common practice is to have a preparation kitchen where you prepare all of the ingredients and food for the day’s service. This is where you will need a high quality, reliable dishwasher. The revised Eswood ES32 warewasher offers outstanding continuous performance within compact dimensions to satisfy the needs of today’s food truck pioneers. Pass-through dishwashers provide you with fast, easy washing for all kitchen utensils. Eswood is also a well established and renowned Australian brand with top quality customer service.
Key features:
+ 3 phase Passthrough Dishwasher
+ Economical & Efficient Performance
+ Ergonomically Designed, inline or corner Feed
+ Fully automatic operation with was cycle times 85, 115sec
+ Powerful wash system, built in Water Booster Heaters
+ Wash & Detergent feeds included
Why it’s a great choice:
+ Australian Made
+ Over 100 Year Manufacturing in Australia
+ Built for tough Australian conditions
+ Great heat recovery
+ Easy to clean
+ 12 months parts and labor
Next Steps
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us – we have a team of highly experienced hospitality professionals ready to answer any of your questions. We also love food trucks and we are always happy to have a chat about your new venture!
We hope we can help you embark on this incredible exciting food truck business. We hope that this article gave you some valuable information and insight.
Good luck on your new business venture!
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