When it comes to keeping kitchen equipment running well, rules like keeping units clean and having them serviced regularly apply across all types of operators. Other advice, though, is especially important for specific operator segments to hear.
The appeal of operating a food truck is obvious. Compared to a traditional brick-and-mortar operation, food trucks have a lower cost of entry and offer much greater flexibility and variety. A truck can set up for lunch at one location, dinner at another, then spend the weekend at an event across town.
This flexibility, though, can also be the cause of the service issues, says Jared Holt, dispatcher with the Macon, Ga., branch of SAM Service.
Service technicians don’t know how long any of their repairs will take, Holt points out, so they can’t guarantee an arrival time other than the first appointment of the day. While not knowing when a repair will take place can be frustrating for traditional restaurants, it can be a genuine problem for servicing a food truck.
If a truck in need of service moves from one place to another, the technician may not get word about the truck’s new location. Without this information, says Holt, a tech could arrive at a truck’s supposed location, only to find the operator has moved to another spot. This can delay repairs and make everyone’s day worse.
To ensure a smooth repair, then, food truck operators should work, “to maintain close communication in terms of where they're going to be at what time,” Holt says.
The importance of when and where extends beyond the repair start times. It can also impact the overall plan for the service, adds Holt.
One unique aspect of food trucks is how event-driven they are. They regularly go where the customers are, whether that’s a street festival, a fundraiser for a school, or a party they’ve been hired to work. It’s hard for a truck to go to these places if equipment repair is underway, though, Holt says.
“I’ve seen cases where they’re scheduled to be at a certain event in the afternoon. We could be halfway into something when they’re trying to leave. That can cause a lot of friction and issues.”
When scheduling planned maintenance or a repair, then, food truck operators should let their service agency know any events they plan to attend. This can allow them to schedule service for a time that won’t interfere with the truck’s schedule.
Communication isn’t the only service issue that can arise with food trucks. Their unique operational style can sometimes be the source of problems, too.
At some point, most operators have a service call that the technician solves by simply flipping a switch or pushing a button. Holt spent years as an operator, so he knows “it’s not fun being on the side of that switch.”
For food trucks, that “switch” often involves the propane tanks that power hot side equipment. SAM technicians, he says, have been on plenty of foot truck calls that were solved with just a quick glance at those tanks.
“Sometimes somebody thinks they switched out a tank, but they didn’t and it’s just empty. Maybe the last person who disconnected a tank got busy and forgot to hook it back up,” Holt says.
To avoid such calls, Holt recommends operators do the obvious before calling for service: check the levels on the propane tank, make sure the hookups are secure, etc.
Food trucks can offer a low-cost entry into the foodservice market or an easy way for an operator to expand. By paying attention to some of their unique features — how they’re powered, how they’re scheduled — operators can build strong relationships with service agents that can help their trucks run smoothly for years to come.
