What Mobile Food Vending Equipment Might I Need?

In the food business, the choice of mobile food vending equipment can mean the difference between success and failure. You have to tread the fine line between getting too much unnecessary equipment and not getting enough or the right kind of equipment. These are very easy mistakes to make when starting out.

One of the first and most important things to do before you buy any equipment is to find out the rules and regulations in your state and county in regards to health and safety and equipment regulations.

You don't want to buy an expensive item only to find that it doesn't meet the requirements. Some regulations regarding mobile food vending equipment are obvious and logical, such as floors must be made of non-slip materials. There are plenty of others, however, that a normal person would not even think of.

Once you know what you are going to be selling and the regulations, you then need to choose your equipment. Depending on what you are selling, you have to first choose between a cart, trailer or truck. In some instances the nature of your business will of course decide this for you. Another consideration as to what you buy and how much you spend is where and when you are going to be operating your business.

The great advantage of the mobile food business is that you can choose whether to work only part-time at fairs and events, or whether to make it a full-time occupation. The mobile food vending equipment you need will depend on this.

The cheapest option is to sell pre-cooked and pre-packaged food and drinks. This requires very little equipment at all, apart from cool storage units to keep the food in before selling. The next step up is selling a single or limited menu such as just hot dogs or burgers and fries. We have all seen hot dog carts around town, and these can vary from small hand-pushed carts to larger trailer-types. A small cart or trailer with a grill and a deep fat fryer may also be sufficient for burgers and fries.

If, however, you want to sell cold food such as sandwiches, cakes, pastries, and deli, then you may need a larger trailer or truck. Sandwiches in particular will need many choices for fillings and will need to be prepared by hand on the spot. This means you will need plenty of cool storage and preparation surfaces, but no cooking facilities, except maybe a microwave for heating up some of the pastries and a toaster for sandwiches.

At the other extreme, you may want to do a large selection of meals or foods that need a larger range of mobile food vending equipment so as to cater to different cooking methods, such as grilling, roasting, char broiling, or frying. In this case you will need to make sure you have all the equipment you need, as well as adequate storage and preparation surfaces.

You will also need sinks for food washing and separate ones for hand washing, fridges and storage areas for other goods, and cooking equipment such as pans or utensils and adequate garbage disposal.