There are over 24,000 active food truck businesses in the U.S. Whether you’re starting out or have been delivering food on the go for years, maintaining your truck is extremely important.
But what goes into regular food truck maintenance? And why is it so important?
That’s what we’ll be looking at today. In this article, we’re highlighting why regular maintenance matters for your food truck and tips on keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape.
Regular Maintenance Delivers More Food
The low-hanging fruit of regular food truck maintenance is that it keeps your operation going. The more you pay attention to how your truck is doing, the more time you can spend on the street selling your products.
Many people choose food trucks because it’s cheaper and slightly easier than owning a traditional storefront. The number of documents and regulations you have to work around is different than owning a store, but it’s still necessary.
Additionally, just as a traditional restaurant owner has to pay attention to their AC units or other machinery, a food truck owner needs to keep their eye on their truck.
After all, if your truck stops working, your entire business grinds to a halt.
Less Downtime Equals Greater Revenue
Things like checking your engines, keeping a tidy washing station, and maintaining a good power supply are just a few things you can do to keep your food truck in good shape.
Being on top of preventative maintenance benefits you in the long run. A Decisiv & Oakley study found that truck maintenance improved food trucks’ revenue by reducing downtime.
Unexpected downtime that comes from fixing lingering truck issues eats away at your productivity. You have less time to serve your customers, meaning your revenues will drop.
You also can’t afford to lose potential catering customers by having an unreliable truck. If you’re booked to cater a private event, make sure your truck is in good working order ahead of time so you don’t have any unfortunate surprises on the big day.
Food Truck Maintenance Tips
So what can you do to make sure your food truck is running at maximum efficiency? Because a food truck is essentially a mini-restaurant, you should ideally keep a truck maintenance checklist.
Here are some key points that you can include:
Check Your Battery
Your foodservice operation is quite reliant on your truck’s battery. Check to make sure it’s not running out of juice and replace it when it’s no longer operating reliably.
Watch Fluids
Check your truck’s transmission, brake, and power steering fluids throughout the year. Sometimes winter seasons can diminish their effectiveness.
Change Oil Regularly
Lubricating your engine with the right oil will prevent unwanted downtime. Always find time for oil changes to make sure you’re never hampered by breakdowns during your regular food service.
Check Filters
Oil, fuel, transmission, and air filters are common mechanisms that preserve your engine. Check these filters and change them according to manufacturer specifications to keep everything chugging along.
Watch Tire Pressure
Flat tires can ruin just about anyone’s day, especially food truck owners who are right in the middle of service. Be on top of your tire pressure to make sure you never have to fill up at inconvenient times. Keeping a close eye on your tires will also make you aware if one of them possibly has a slow leak and needs to be replaced.
Leverage Regular Food Truck Maintenance Today
A healthy food truck means more consistent service and greater revenues. Leverage regular maintenance to keep your food truck business profitable in the long run.
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