The frigid cold winter is still hitting most of the United States with snow storm after snow storm, but as we enter February the nice, warm Spring weather is right around the corner. Outdoor, social distant dining will soon be back in full swing and now is the perfect time to get your food truck operation up and ready for the spring surge. Here are some tips to make sure your food truck is ready to go!

Plan Equipment Repairs & Upgrades Now

Cold weather causes the majority of people to stay inside in the heat, and the hibernation is the perfect downtime needed to check up on your equipment and get any maintenance / repairs or even equipment upgrades out of the way. Getting your equipment taken care of now during the slow food truck season will ensure that you are good to meet the heavy demand that comes with the beautiful spring weather that’s coming.

Deep Clean Your Operation

Along with the equipment maintenance and repairs, the slow season is the perfect time to do a full, deep cleaning of your food truck. Wipe down all of your counters and equipment, and then use a food-safe disinfectant to deep clean everything including the walls and ceiling. Make sure to wipe down the exhaust hood and ducts to remove all dust, debris, and grease. Move aside equipment so that you can deep clean hard to reach places that you normally wouldn’t be able to access, and empty and clean your refrigerator and other equipment interiors. 

Check Equipment Coils

Your refrigeration and other cooling items have coils that are used to regulate temperature, and these often tend to collect dust and debris so make sure to clean these as well. If the coil of your refrigerator, freezer, ice machine, etc. has a dirty condenser coil it can cause efficiency problems, which in turn causes the compressor to work over time and will eventually lead to damaged equipment. Using a plastic brush and vacuum will help keep the coil clean and ensure the longevity of your equipment through many busy seasons to come. 

Check Exhaust Hood

Your food truck’s exhaust system is crucial to ensure your mobile kitchen’s ability to function. Not only does the exhaust fan pull out the hot air, making it more comfortable to work in your food truck, but it also pulls out grease, dirt, and other debris from inside the truck. Clean the exhaust hood and ducts to prevent any grease and other debris build ups, and clean or change out grease filters. The time right before spring busy season is a great time to call in a certified technician to review your exhaust hood system and perform any maintenance and / or repairs that may need to be done ahead of the busy spring season.

With the winter coming to an end and everyone itching to get outside to practice safe social distancing, there’s no doubt that this upcoming Spring / Summer season will be one of the busiest yet. By preparing ahead of time you can prepare to be ready to push your food truck to it’s limits and feel rest assured that it will be good to go. HoodMart provides our customers with a wide range of exhaust hood systems - from Compensating (Short Cycle) to Perforated Supply Plenum PSP - as well as all exhaust hood accessories such as no weld Grease Duct, hood filters, canopy hood lights, and curbs. If you still have questions regarding the purchase of your hood system, please feel free to contact one of our experts today by calling us at 1.800.715.1014 or by contacting us through our live chat system.