Top 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Running a Mobile Kitchen

Top 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Running a Mobile Kitchen

When you are running a mobile kitchen, there are a lot of details that you need to take care of to ensure things go smoothly. If you fail to plan properly, you could end up costing yourself time and money. You could also lose customers if you make mistakes frequently. To give yourself the best chance for success, keep in mind the top six mistakes to avoid when running a mobile kitchen.

1. Not Being Prepared

When you are running a mobile kitchen, you must make sure that you rigorously prepare to have every single thing you need for the entire day before you leave. If you forget something, you could be set up miles away from anywhere where you can buy a replacement. This will cost you a lot of time and money if you have to close up shop to go get what you need.

2. Not Having Enough Change

It is always best to bring more change than you think you will need. The last thing you want is to have to turn customers away because you can’t make change for them. Make sure to bring along lots of lower-denomination bills to begin your day.

3. Thinking You Don’t Need a Credit Card Machine

Even though there are still people who carry cash that you need to make change for, you will be shooting yourself in the foot if you do not have a credit card machine you can use with your mobile food business. There are many people out there that rarely have cash on them, and they will simply go somewhere else if you can’t swipe their card.

4. Not Having a Good Workflow

It is very important to organize things carefully inside your mobile kitchen to ensure that things run smoothly. If you constantly have to retrace your steps to fill one order, you will not get the orders out fast enough to make customers happy. Getting the customers in and out fast by preparing their meals quickly starts by setting up a smooth workflow.

5. Good Refrigeration

The last thing you want is to make someone sick by serving them contaminated food that has not been properly refrigerated. Always make sure to check your refrigeration units every morning and throughout the day to practice proper food safety in your mobile kitchen.

6. Hot Holding

You will make your life a lot easier in your mobile kitchen if you outfit it with some hot holding units. Instead of having to heat up everything each time a customer places an order, you can keep your ingredients heated to the desired temperature and ready to go in your hot holding units.

If you follow these six tips, you will set yourself up for success with your mobile food business. Make sure to always keep these six things in mind whenever you are setting up or updating your mobile kitchen. With thoughtful planning, you will become a cooking dynamo with a successful business that customers rave about.