Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash 

The food truck industry has surprisingly grown by 7.9% from 2019 to 2020. This might seem surprising, considering the hard hit that COVID-19 dealt the restaurant industry, but food trucks are a whole different game. The fact that they can easily accommodate social distancing protocols may be one factor contributing to their popularity.

With that in mind, food truck safety has never been a more pressing or important issue. What can you do to keep yourself and your customers safe?

Keep reading to find out!

1. Fighting the Weather

Food trucks and bad weather are a combination no business owner or customer wants to see, but it’s a cold (and wet) reality. Food trucks receive exposure to even more of mother nature’s bounty than permanent structures. This can include strong gusts, hail, snow, heavy rain, and even lightning.

As the owner of a business that will be significantly impacted by adverse weather, you should always be up to date on the latest forecast.

Some excellent resources for weather include:

• Farmer’s Almanac
• Weather Underground
• The Weather Channel

If your local area sees heavy snow in winter, make sure to winterize your truck. Even if your local weather isn’t severe during the colder months, you’re not off the hook. If you plan to travel to colder climes for winter festivals you’ll still need to do some winterizing research. Not planning in advance could cost you a lot of time and money in repairs until your business is ready to reopen.

2. Make Sure to Legally Cover Yourself

If you plan to feed protesters, law enforcement, employees on strike, or “permanent replacements,” make sure you have covered yourself—legally, and otherwise.

Feeding protesters is a form of activism. It could even be considered a promotion of human rights—though it can open you to legal problems and risk personal safety. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement that escalated throughout 2020 saw several food truck operators get arrested while distributing meals.

Of course, it’s entirely up to your own discretion to decide how much risk you are willing to take, and what causes you are willing to support with your food truck activism. Just remember: any time you take a risk, there could be unintended or unforeseen consequences.

3. Keep Clear of Risky Driving

Just because everyone loves food trucks doesn’t mean that you don’t need to be safe on the road. Last year, over 40,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes.

As a larger vehicle that has less capability to react quickly in a sticky traffic situation, you carry more risk. Not to mention your livelihood is wrapped up in the integrity of your vehicle.

Identify blind spots, get to know the dimensions of your vehicle intimately, know where and when you can set up, and get proper permits and licenses.

4. Kitchen Risks in a Truck

While your food truck is first and foremost a vehicle, everyone also knows you’ll have to struggle with all the same issues any kitchen does.

Keeping proper food truck safety standards regarding the quality and integrity of your food is a given.

However, safety precautions for normal kitchens should also be assessed. Things such as smoke inhalation, preventing cuts and burns in a small space, and identifying slip-and-fall zones, should all be priorities. Add to that heat-stroke and cold-weather exposure risks. You have a lot to think about as far as safety is concerned.

Make sure to have first-aid kits at the ready and a plan for putting out electrical or oil fires.

Food Truck Safety: On the Go

Be sure that food truck safety for you and your customers is number one. All the success in the world can’t protect you from being unprepared for the whole realm of food truck hazards.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

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The post Should I Stay Or Should I Go: 4 Food Truck Safety Tips appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Photo: foodiesfeed / Freepik

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, food trucks are having a huge moment. They make great, affordable food, and it’s easy to social distance when you’re outside! But you may be wondering how they keep themselves clean and follow the health code. 

Just like restaurant owners, food truck owners have to maintain standards. There are several food truck laws pertaining to their cleanliness and maintenance, and food trucks are regularly checked by a health inspector, just like restaurants.

Ease your mind by reading on to find out what you can expect as a food truck owner. 

State-Specific Health Code

Much of what health inspectors check for in a food truck varies from state to state. However, there are a few things that are required in most, if not every, state. These include:

• An up-to-date food handling license
• Visibly clean surface (a no-brainer!)
• No food in the “danger zone” temperature range
• Records of food purchases
• Alcohol license (if applicable)
• All food products are more than six inches off the ground

These are general guidelines, and some states are more strict than others. However, these are all signs that a food truck is being run in a compliant and sanitary way.

Regular Inspections 

Health inspectors generally arrive once or twice a year. They are impartial, and work for the state government. Therefore, a health inspector cannot be bought or bribed, and you can trust they’re giving an honest rating. 

Health inspectors also perform inspections if a business has received a significant number of complaints. If a business performs badly on an inspection, they’ll also run a follow-up to make sure the mistakes were mended. These inspections are often random and unscheduled. 

Food Manager Certification

Again, the requirements vary from state to state, but nearly every state requires a food service license. Foodservice licenses and food manager certifications just verify that you are allowed to serve food. It is the bare minimum of starting a food-centered business. 

This license is often accompanied by a ServSafe certification, which shows you know the proper food handling methods and won’t give your customers salmonella or food poisoning. Some states also have separate food truck permits that are different from the permits required to run a brick-and-mortar restaurant. 

Other Permits and Licenses

In addition to food handling certifications, food truck operators must have a business license and driver’s license. The food truck must also be registered as a commercial vehicle and needs commercial license plates. The process of acquiring these varies from state to state, but the requirement is ubiquitous across the nation.

Ease Your Mind When Serving from a Truck

Though they are lower-tech and more trendy than other restaurants, food trucks must meet a high standard. Any food truck owner worth their salt will know their state’s health code front and back. You want your customers to rest assured that the food you’re serving is safe and compliant. 

Starting your first food truck? We have plenty of advice for both fledgling and experienced food truck owners on our blog. Venture confidently into the world of mobile food service with us!

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post Staying Legal: How Food Truck Owners Follow Food Safety and Health Code appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Working on a food truck can be fun. There is so much camaraderie between employees because of the tight quarters, and the fast-paced environment keeps everyone on their toes.

However, the things that make working on a food truck fun are the same things that can make the job dangerous. There are a number of common food truck injuries that can happen to workers such as burns, cuts, slips and falls, smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent most of the injuries and to keep everyone safe, happy and healthy. Read on to learn about potential dangers to food truck workers and how to keep them from causing harm.

1. Burns

One of the most common restaurant injuries is burns. Because of the limited space inside a food truck, and the large percentage of open cooking space, food truck workers are even more susceptible to them. Some burns are minor, but some can be very severe.

In order to prevent burn accidents in your food truck, there are steps you can take. First, avoid overcrowding on range tops and keep those pot handles turned in. Employees should not wear loose clothing or flammable fabrics. 

2. Cuts

Cuts are also very common in the foodservice industry due to the heavy presence of sharp knives, and it is one more emergency that can happen on board. Other cutting equipment such as slicers and graters can also cause painful cuts and puncture wounds.

To keep food truck employees safe from cuts, be sure to provide proper storage spaces for all sharp objects so they are never left out on counters when not in use. Provide knives that are the appropriate size for the work. Keep them sharp so they are easy to use without extra pressure. 

3. Slips and Falls

Slips and falls can happen anywhere but in a small, hard-to-maneuver space like a food truck, they are even more likely. These types of accidents can be compounded by someone putting their hand on a hot stove to catch themselves or hitting their head on the way down. It’s better to prevent these sorts of food truck injuries before they occur.

Spills should be cleaned up immediately no matter how long the line outside becomes. Safety is your number one priority. Non-slip matting on the floors will help with traction, but keeping the main aisle clear at all times will help workers to avoid falls even more. 

4. Car Accidents

Most of the time your food truck will be parked, but don’t forget that it is also a motor vehicle and a large one at that. Blind spots can be a problem so installing large back-up mirrors can help you to prevent accidents. All passengers should be seated and should wear a seatbelt while the food truck is in motion.

Prevent Food Truck Injuries

There are many food truck injuries that can occur in a lively food truck atmosphere, but avoiding them is a goal all workers should have. The majority of food truck injuries are avoidable with proper vigilance and prevention, so take the steps necessary to keep you and other food truck staff members safe.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash

The vast majority of residential fires in the United States occur when people are cooking.

From 2014-2016, this lead to an estimated $463 million in property loss annually.

This risk can transfer over to food truck owners, too. If you have a food truck, one of the most important things you can learn is how to put out a fire. The faster you act, the less you’ll lose since you can quickly and safely put out the fire.

Keep reading to find out how to put out a food truck kitchen fire so you can save yourself and your business.

1. Identify the Source

The first thing you need to do is identify the source of the fire.

This will determine what steps you need to take to put out the fire.

Most importantly, you need to know if it’s a grease fire. Grease fires can be extremely dangerous and will spread if you throw water on them.

2. Cut Off Oxygen

No matter what type of fire you’re dealing with, it needs oxygen to burn.

That’s why the first thing you should do is cut off as much oxygen as possible.

If the fire is in an oven or microwave, close the door. This will help cut off oxygen from the fire and it will often go out quickly on its own. This will also help prevent the fire from spreading beyond that appliance.

Fires in pans on the stove can be cut off from oxygen by placing the lid on the pan. Be sure to use an oven mitt and move quickly but carefully in and out of the flames.

An open fire may be smothered with a damp towel or apron. Be sure to place the damp cloth quickly onto the flames and leave it there as long as it doesn’t catch on fire.

Avoid smacking the fire with dry cloths because that can add oxygen to it and spread the fire further.

3. Remove Fuel

The next step you should take is to remove whatever is fueling the fire, if possible.

In many cases, that means turning off the gas to the stove.

If it’s not safe to remove a fuel source, you’ll want to move onto the next step.

4. Use Your Fire Extinguisher

Your food truck should be equipped with a fire extinguisher.

When you can’t easily remove the oxygen or fuel source from the flames, it’s time to pull this out.

The most important thing to remember when using a fire extinguisher is to aim the spray at the base of the fire rather than the flames themselves.

You can also have your food truck equipped with a fire suppression system, which will automatically turn on if the heat of your cooking area exceeds a certain temperature.

5. Call the Fire Department

When all else fails or when the fire is getting out of control, it’s time to bail and call the fire department.

Stay as far away from your truck as possible while waiting for help to arrive and keep others at a safe distance as well.

What to Do After a Food Truck Kitchen Fire

Now you know how to deal with a food truck kitchen fire so you can limit the amount of damage and loss you suffer if it happens to you.

As you can see, it requires fast but calm actions, so preparation is essential.

After you’ve dealt with a fire, you may be wondering what the next step is. Once you’ve replaced any necessary parts and made your repairs, it’s time to get back to business.

Check out some food truck marketing tips to get your business back on track.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post 5 Crucial Steps for Dealing with a Food Truck Kitchen Fire appeared first on Custom Concessions.