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Food trucks tend to have a bad rep when it comes to food safety. Any business that works in food service needs to be vigilant and follow proper protocols. When you own a mobile restaurant business, the safety and health of your employees and your customers should be a top priority.

Keep reading to learn the best safety practices for your food truck. 

1. Properly Train Your Employees 

Your employees should be trained in proper food handling and how to operate the equipment in a food truck. In some states, food service employees must pass a food handler’s course and acquire a permit. These courses teach workers about proper sanitation, food handling and storage, and preventing the spread of food-borne disease. 

The FDA provides a handbook for retail food protection. It helps food service workers to learn essential employee health and hygiene matters. Your employees probably won’t seek out this information on their own, so it’s your job as their employer to stay on top of things.

2. Tell Sick Employees to Stay Home 

If an employee shows up to work sick, you should send them home. The same goes for if they get sick at work. Sick workers can infect food or contaminate the equipment they are working with.  

Additionally, sick workers cannot focus completely, making them prone to accidents or other hazards. This is a big red flag for health inspectors. If the health department finds out sick employees were handling and distributing food, you can face major fines and/or a shutdown.

3. Prepare for Emergencies

Any number of accidents can happen on a food truck. During a lunch-hour rush, it’s easy for someone to misplace a knife or stick a hand where they shouldn’t.

Burns are a typical injury for food truck workers. Have the proper tools to handle hot cookware and never leave hot equipment unattended. Make sure there you have both first aid kit and fire extinguisher in reach.

Physical harm isn’t the only potential emergency to plan for. You should have emergency safety protocols printed in a binder and kept in a secure place in the truck. Make sure all of the employees know the procedure for things like power outages, robberies, car accidents, and more.

4. Perform Regular Inspections 

Schedule times to inspect your truck, and regularly review a health and safety checklist that is specific for food truck owners. Take note of any hazards or potential dangers during your walkthrough. Here are some signs to look for:

• Ensure containers are separated, and there is no cross-contamination between foods (potential allergens, raw, and cooked foods) 
• Check refrigerator and freezer temperatures to make sure food is kept at a safe temperature
• Food containers and storage bins are labeled properly 
• Cleaning supplies are stored away from food products 
• Employees are aware of proper hand washing, cleaning, food preparation, and serving techniques
• The ventilation system is clean and up-to-date 

Having a regular walkthrough gives you the chance to identify problems before they become serious, as well as ensure your employees are aware of your expectations. Consider doing surprise inspections, so you can observe employee behavior when they haven’t had time to do anything differently.

Tips for Keeping Your Food Truck Safe

Food truck safety means having employees that are properly trained and certified in food handling. They should know what to do in the event of an emergency and how to find help. You can encourage safe practices by performing regular inspections and making sure no one is sick on the job.

For more tips on how to run a safe food truck, take a look at the rest of our blog.

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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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.

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

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

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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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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.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were over 2.5 million US worksite injuries in a single year in 2017. That translates into three employees injured at work per every 100 full-time workers in this country. As a food truck or food trailer employer, you too are legally required to compensate for medical expenses if an employee is injured while working in one of your vehicles.

In this post, you can learn about your responsibilities as an employer if there is an injury on your truck during work hours.

Workers’ Compensation Defined

Workers’ compensation guarantees that workers hurt on the job will receive payment to help cover their medical expenses. These laws exist in every US state so that employees won’t need to sue their company to help with medical reimbursements.

There are currently more than 140 million US workers covered by workers’ compensation insurance. The total cost for workers’ comp insurance to US businesses is well over $90 billion.

Workers’ compensation only concerns injuries that happen within the employer’s property. This property includes your food truck. In most states, under workers’ compensation statutes, businesses must secure a workers’ compensation insurance policy before they can start doing business.

These type of state regulations were first passed in 1902. By 1949, every US state had approved their own versions of workers’ compensation laws to protect their own employees.

Each state has their own version of workers’ compensation laws. That’s why you’ll find that these laws vary from state to state. There are also special compensation laws for employees in specific industries such as the railway industry or federal government workers.

Workers’ Comp Process Explained

Although all US states have their own individual workers’ compensation regulations, most workers’ comp claim procedures contain include some of these common steps:

Prevention

Prevention will be your best way to protect workers from injuries ever occurring in the first place. Create your own emergency response plan that spells out the importance of workplace safety and how to reduce risks.

These response plans can address various accident types that might occur and how to respond to them. You should also keep emergency contact information on file for each of your workers.

Coach your workers and supervisors on how to identify worksite hazards. Post 911 emergency contact information inside your vehicles for your employees to use if the need arises.

Act Immediately

Once you know there is an injured employee on your food truck, transfer the injured worker to a safe place. Direct your other workers to evacuate the dangerous area as well.

A fast response will reduce the severity of your worker’s injury. Your swift movement might also reduce how much the injury ends up costing your company.

Administer first aid to the injured worker. Always keep first aid supplies accessible on the vehicle at all times, and make sure your workers know where they are. If the injured food truck employee needs attention beyond any basic first aid, call an emergency medical crew to the site immediately.

Collect the Facts and Other Evidence

Evidence will play a central role in how the workers’ comp claim process evolves. Write down the important details about the injury incident that occurred. Take your own pictures of the equipment or area where the injury took place.

If there was a witness that saw the accident, collect their testimony as well. Collected updates periodically after the injury and keep them filed. These updates might be useful if your worker later notes delayed onset injuries.

All injuries should be documented even if your workers say that they feel fine. They may feel fine in the present moment, but later on, they might get medical attention if their condition changes. This documentation will also be important if they decide to file a workers’ compensation insurance claim at a later date.

Receive Your Employee’s Notification

If your employee was injured while you were away, ask them to submit a description of their sustained injury in writing. Some state workers’ comp statutes will have statutory deadlines for injured workers to inform their employer that they were injured.

When your employee notifies you about their accident, be sure the notification includes these following details:

1. Accident time, date, and location
2. How the accident took place
3. Any other individual or witness involved at the accident site
4. The extent of their injuries
5. Status of any medical care they’ve received to date for their injuries

They will also need to have these details if they eventually decide to file a workers’ compensation claim.

Submitting a Workers’ Comp Claim

You can work together with your injured employee to file their workers’ comp claim with your business’s insurance provider. Your insurance provider might ask their own workers’ compensation physician to exam the injured worker. Another workers’ comp procedure includes mailing copies of the claim to workers’ compensation board of the state where the accident occurred.

When your insurance company and the workers’ compensation board are done reviewing the claim, they’ll contact the injured worker. They let the worker know if their claim is approved and what amount of reimbursement they will receive.

It will be in your own best interest to keep an open channel of communication between you and your injured worker. You should also be sure to maintain contact with the injured worker’s physician, claims adjuster, and insurance agent. This constant contact can help speed up the claims process, and allow the injured worker to receive the funds they need to pay for their treatments.

What Happens Next: Possible Outcomes

A worker can reopen their workers’ comp claim after it has been finalized if they believe they have good reason to request more compensation. If additional compensation is denied and your worker decides to sue, be helpful and transmit any pertinent information you might have to their attorneys or claims adjuster.

Being Prepared for an Injured Food Truck Employee

The ideal way to protect your workers and your business is to draft written documentation in advance that spells out your workers’ comp claim protocols. This documentation might also provide helpful guidance to your workers on your return-to-work policy. Give this information to all existing and new workers.

Keep your vehicles stocked with current first aid supplies in case someone is injured at work. If a workers’ comp claim is filed, stay helpful and cooperative as you and your employee navigate the process. Keep your cool and you can help protect your company from additional liability.

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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You finally have accomplished your dream of owning your own business, a food truck. You researched ways to start a food truck business, did a ton of work to get it going, and now you’re the happy owner of your own mobile business. 

But food trucks are not immune to problems. A myriad of things can go wrong in the blink of an eye. Knowing what can go wrong will help you know how to handle a food truck emergency.

What Could Go Wrong on a Food Truck?

The same things that happen to a traditional restaurant could happen to a food truck. So to avoid emergencies, you need to imagine them first. Research restaurant emergencies, and then picture them on your truck. Check out these potential food truck emergencies, and then take a look at the solutions provided below.

Power Emergency

A power outage spells trouble for a traditional restaurant. Food will spoil without adequate refrigeration. 

The same goes for a food truck. If this happens, you will find yourself with compromised products. According to the FDA, you have four hours before refrigerated food spoils if you do not open the refrigerator.

Inadequate Change

Not having the appropriate change for a customer qualifies as an emergency that will negatively affect your business. When a customer gives you a twenty-dollar bill, you need to have adequate change or you will immediately gain a reputation of inefficiency and inexperience. 

Inconsistent Taste

You are a great cook, and you can make amazing food. But then your customers begin to complain: the food doesn’t have the same zing it did before. It’s bland or too salty. 

Inconsistent taste can detract from customer experience and give you a reputation that you’ll not recover from quickly.  

Physical Harm

The same kitchen accidents that happen in a traditional kitchen can easily happen in a food truck. In fact, the small quarters make accidents even more likely.

A knife slips, grease splatters, a kitchen fire breaks out, or an employee slips on a slick floor. All of these could shut a truck down indefinitely. 

Robbery and Theft

Whenever you run a business, you’re at risk for robbery.

Food trucks make an easy target, especially if you’re servicing customers late at night. Many food trucks run late-night hours for bar patrons looking for a bite to eat on their way home or concertgoers who need a late-night snack. In some cases, you’re a sitting duck in a darkened area, waiting for someone to hold you up. 

Dwindling Business

You may have had a booming success at the start when curious individuals patronized you. But now you’re noticing no return customers, and business as a whole is dwindling.

This truly is a food truck emergency because you need revenue to run your truck. And you cannot pay yourself, your bills, or your employees if you do not have customers, no matter how well you manage your money.

How to Respond to a Food Truck Emergency

Knowing your potential emergencies is the first step to the solution. Planning for such emergencies is the next step. 

Have Backup Power

Most food trucks have the option to use a generator or hook up to electrical shore power, when available. Invest early on in a reliable generator that will run your entire truck. Make sure to have both your shore power cable and back up generator fuel available.

You’ll also want to test your generator regularly so you can fire it right up when you really do need it. 

Keep Cash on Hand and Go Digital

Make the plan to never run out of change by having an adequate amount of cash on hand. Go to the bank daily, and keep a fixed amount of cash in your drawer every day. 

However, don’t keep too much cash in your vehicle in case of a robbery. Make a bank deposit daily. This way, if a robber does target your business, you will lose only a small amount of your overall profits. 

Also, invest in a credit card reader. Even a simple set up like a Square will help make your business less like a neighborhood lemonade stand and more like a corner diner. 

Scout Out a Location

The right location will deter would-be thieves and potentially boost your client numbers as well. Look for a well-lit area with a roaming police force nearby. You can help feed the boys in blue and keep your business safe at the same time.

Stay Consistent to Stay Tasty

Once you develop your secret recipes, write them down. Then make sure you’re using the same brand of ingredients whenever you cook. Keeping the same brand and following the recipe’s precise details will ensure a consistent product every day. This will boost your reputation as a great food truck with consistently tasty food.

Plan on tasting your food every day to make sure the quality stays the same. If you are the cook, it’s important to make sure you haven’t missed something. And if someone else is cooking, you need to make sure that your cooks are not fudging the recipe.  

Post and Practice Emergency Procedures

Have a plan for physical emergencies, and practice a dry run of that plan. Keep your safety protocols posted in the truck for all employees, like making sure burners or gas lines are turned off. 

Plan staff emergency training, even if your business consists of just you and your family. Make sure everyone knows what to do if there is a fire in the truck or if another physical emergency occurs. 

Keep a fire extinguisher handy and current. Write a note on your calendar or set a reminder in your phone for close to the expiration date to make sure you never have an old extinguisher. 

It is also essential to keep a well-stocked first aid kit, with the essentials to address kitchen related accidents, like burns or cuts.

To avoid kitchen emergencies, consider the flow of your kitchen. A small space can lead to more accidents, so having a set work pattern and a smooth flow will help you avoid problems and also increase your efficiency. 

Know Your Market

To fight dwindling business, research your potential customer. Understand who you serve at your location, and make sure you have food your potential customers will be interested in eating.

Know your community and park in an area where you’ll have a good customer base.

There are lots of strategies you can implement to grow your food truck business. 

Stay Fresh

To keep your customers coming and avoid declining clientele, make your food, your packaging, your service, or your delivery unique. Ask yourself: “What will make my business stand apart from the others?” 

Prepare for the Worst

By understanding possible food truck emergency you may face, you can plan solutions that will help you avoid a disaster.

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 How to Respond When You Face a Food Truck Emergency appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Food trucks are one of the fastest developing establishments in the foodservice industry. In 2015 alone, food truck businesses across America yielded more than $850 million in revenue, with a growth of $140 million expected by 2020.

But more food trucks cruising American streets isn’t all good news.

This rapidly growing type of foodservice comes with dangers such as fire hazards, especially for inexperienced operators. With accidents involving cooking appliances and chemicals also posing significant threats, there’s a need for caution when operating a food truck business. This is why it is especially important to do your safety homework if you are a new food truck owner.

So, how can you ensure safety on your food truck?

To get you started, here are 7 safety tips for food truck operation:

1. Install an Automatic Fire Suppression System

Whether you’re using electrical or gas cooking appliances, fire breakouts are always a risk. And with most food truck fires involving cooking equipment, many municipalities have made the installation of an automatic fire suppression system mandatory. Even if your municipality doesn’t, you’re better off installing one just to be safe!

This type of fire suppression system automatically releases fire-suppressing chemicals in case of fire break out. They also come with a manual switch, which you can use to cut off electricity or fuel supply to food truck appliances used for cooking in case things get dicey.

For optimal performance and safety, have your fire suppression system installed by the professionals when your food truck is being built. And since—like any other system—fire suppression systems can become unresponsive or faulty, you’ll need to schedule biannual inspections by a professional. If you can’t locate an inspector in your area, ask the system’s manufacturer to refer you to a certified distributor for routine maintenance and inspection.

2. Ensure Optimal Ventilation

A good ventilation system is the heart of every food truck business, as it keeps your kitchen free of smoke, excess steam, dust, and other debris. It also prevents the accumulation of oil droplets, which can result in greasy kitchen surfaces.

Grease, smoke, dust, steam and other debris can become safety hazards when left unchecked. Greasy surfaces can be slippery, and this can cause all kinds of accidents. Dust particles, steam, and debris can contaminate food, causing health hazards.

That’s why you need to keep your vent system in optimal condition through routine inspection and maintenance. Not only do you need to inspect the various parts for damages, but also clean them on a regular basis. The parts to pay attention to here are the food truck vent hood, exhaust fan, hood filters, grease containment system and ductwork.

Hood filters are particularly prone to wear and tear, and you need to keep an eye on them for any signs of damage. If you can’t repair them, it might be time for a replacement. Besides that, you also need to keep your exhaust fan belts in good working condition. You might want to keep a spare fan belt on hand in case of problems, as they break easily.

Also, be on the lookout for frayed wiring on your fan and motor. Ensure the upblast exhaust fan remains balanced throughout. Also, keep the bearings in optimal condition. If your fan is mounted on your truck’s roof, it’ll be vulnerable to flying debris and harsh weather conditions. As such, you’ll need to keep checking it frequently for damages.

3. Buy Portable Fire Extinguishers for Back Up

Particularly buy class K fire extinguishers. These are specifically designed to put out fires involving fats, oils, and grease. Such fires burn at high temperatures and might be hard to put out with a truck fire extinguisher of any other type. But for all other fires—electrical, paper, plastic, wood—you can use ABC extinguishers.

Keep in mind that class K fires extinguishers will work best if you use them after activating your inbuilt hood suppression system.

4. Inspect your Exhaust System for Grease Build Up

The NFPA Fire Code requires food truck owners to perform quarterly inspections of systems used in high-volume operations. For systems used in medium-volume operations, the NPFA stipulates semi-annual inspections.

In addition to these demands, the regulatory body also calls for monthly inspections for exhaust systems that serve cooking equipment that uses solid fuel. So if you’re using charcoal/wood-burning ovens or food warmer burners, you’ll need a certified inspector to take a look at your exhaust system monthly.

5. Don’t Overlook Staff Training

Staff training is important if you want to keep your food truck on the streets. Employee training will not only help you pass health inspections but also prevent fire and occupational hazards.

As such, you need to ensure that every member of your crew takes food truck safety training. There are free courses online you can use to teach your workforce the right way to handle food, equipment, and emergencies. But if you’re not a DIY enthusiast, you can outsource to an expert for a small fee.

6. Don’t Let Sick Employees Report to Work

In case a member of your staff gets sick, let them get well before resuming work. Letting sick employees prepare food is wrong for several reasons. First, they can contaminate food, especially if their symptoms include coughing, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.

Second, a sick person is likely to be less focused when operating cooking equipment, and this can result in accidents. Also, if health inspectors find out that you’re letting sick employees prepare food, they can shut down your business.

7. Perform Self-Inspections

Twice every month, take a walk through your mobile kitchen, noting down any safety concerns. This will allow you to identify potential safety concerns early enough so you can devise an appropriate course of action before the situation develops into something more serious.

This means inspecting all your equipment for faults as well as performing self-health inspections. But for the latter, you’ll need health inspection forms so you know exactly what you’re looking for. You can download these from your health department’s website, or borrow some from your health inspector.

Where Can I Get the Best Food Truck Equipment?

Let’s face it: even with these safety tips, it can be hard to run a safe mobile kitchen without high-quality equipment. Faulty food truck equipment can cause accidents, and also put you in trouble with health inspectors.

Looking to upgrade to sleeker wheels? Custom Concessions has you covered. It doesn’t matter what type of truck you need. We have the expertise to fit it with the kitchen and operating equipment you need, with your preferred interior design.

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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If you’re a food truck owner, you probably already know it can get as hot as 130°F inside a food truck on the most sweltering of summer days. And that can be dangerous for workers and food alike. 

What you need are strategies to keep your workers cool and your food safety on point. If that’s something you didn’t consider when googling “how to open a food truck,” don’t worry. These summer food truck tips and tricks will keep you in compliance with food safety regulations and protect your workers from heat stroke and dehydration.

1. The Shade Is Your Friend

When you’re already slinging food on a flat-top, the summer sun beating down on your food truck is the last thing you need.

If you can, park in a shady area. You might even consider installing an awning. That will keep your customers more comfortable and allow them to read your menu more easily. It will also cut down on the sun blazing its way into your truck or reflecting off the sidewalk or pavement.

2. Ditch Heat-Producing Appliances When Possible

The oven and refrigerator are a necessary evil. But if there’s anything you’re not using, power it down whenever you can. Even the lights can produce extra heat you don’t need. This will also cut down on your operating costs.

3. Stay Hydrated

Protect yourself and your workers from the summer heat. As a food truck owner, you are responsible for your employees’ safety. Make sure you and your workers drink plenty of water throughout the day. Have water available in a dispenser where employees can refill their water bottles. If you have to, set a timer to remind people it’s time to take a hydration break.

4. Dress Appropriately

If you have a uniform, make sure it’s summer-friendly. Focus on light, breathable fabrics and discourage too many accessories. 

You can also buy mesh cooling towels or keep a wet rag draped around your neck.

5. Get a Breeze Going

Depending on the design of your food truck, you might be able to open doors on one or both sides of the truck to get a cross-breeze going. 

Whether you own a small food truck or a large one, consider investing in some solar-powered fans. They’ll give you some relief without having another appliance to keep on and pay for.

6. Know the Symptoms of Heatstroke

The signs of heatstroke include:

• Red, hot and dry skin
• Lack of sweating
• Cramps and muscle weakness
• Dizziness or feeling lightheaded
• Nausea or vomiting
• Severe headache
• Rapid heartbeat
• Shallow but rapid breathing 
• Confusion, disorientation or difficulty standing or walking
• Seizures
• Unconsciousness 

If you or any of your employees or customers exhibit these symptoms, call 911 immediately. 

7. Keep the Fridge Maintained

An improperly maintained refrigerator is a disaster waiting to happen. Contact a certified mechanic to put together an inspection and maintenance plan. If your fridge goes out in the middle of a hot, busy day, you are likely to lose out on a lot of business.

8. Keep the Refrigerator Door Closed

Opening and closing the fridge door too much lowers the temperature. Consolidate steps by getting everything you might need out as long as it’s safe to do so. And at all other times, keep that door closed!

9. Upgrade Your Storage Containers

Porous containers like cardboard and styrofoam don’t let food cool as quickly when the humidity gets up. They can also promote mold growth. Upgrading your containers can save you a lot of money and headache in the long run. Use metal or polycarbonate storage containers—like Lexan—whenever possible.

10. Upgrade Your Food Truck

If your truck is older or if you’re having trouble keeping the one you have cool, a food truck purchase may be in your future. When operating a food truck business, your truck is your lifeline to a successful and profitable business. The investment is well worth it.

Just keep the tips above in mind when researching which kind of truck you’re going to buy. Things like where the doors are located can affect your decision. 

More Help for the Food Truck Owner

The food truck business involves a lot of special logistics that a brick-and-mortar restauranteur doesn’t have to think about.

Don’t go it alone. Whether you’re a new or seasoned food truck owner, we’re here to help!

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 Common Summer Strategies for the Food Truck Owner appeared first on Custom Concessions.