Winterizing Your Food Trucks, Trailers and Other Mobile Vessels -a quick guide

It’s been a good while since we’ve posted to the ole blog, and for that we apologize, but life has been busy, and certain things fell off the radar  -I think we can all attest that it has been a whirlwind of events these last couple years causing us all to kind of reprioritize some things. 

All in all, life moves forward and we can only continue to do our best and put the best of what we’ve got out there!

As I sit here trying to figure out what *goods* we could put out there for a) a handy resource and b) SEO - which is annoying, but if we want to do this work we have to go along with it! It dawned on us that winter is just about here and we all could use a good (and quick!)  refresher on winterization for food trucks, trailers and other mobile businesses, because remember

“Regular Care Stops Winter Wear!” -a 1944 Car Winterization advertisement

After sitting down with Mike, who has a ton of field experience working and repairing in the snow, he immediately rattled off these important tips to help maintain your rig during the cold season.

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1. Space heater WITH a fan -Aiming the fan towards the interior plumbing allows for that warm air to circulate and prevent the plumbing from freezing. Make sure the space heater is plugged into its own dedicated circuit. Space heaters themselves run on high amperage, so if it is plugged into the same circuit as a fridge or freezer, which is also a bit high, then you have the potential for a breaker to pop. If it is plugged on the same circuit as your fridge/freezer you have the potential to lose your cool inventory once that breaker pops.
   
   
   

2. Heated supply hose -This is a must if you live in a cold climate. The heated supply hose with ensure you don’t go without water!
   
   
   

3. Insulation and heat tape  -great product to have and use for any external/exposed plumbing supply lines/drains.
   
   
   

4. Spigot foam grommet -Most actually throw this out when they get their hose, but keeping it on hand for those winter months or serious cold spells is a life saver. They simply cover the spigot where the supply hose is connected to reduce freeze potential.
   
   
   

5. Lower hood fan speed -by lowering the fan speed on the hood it helps reduce heat loss inside the vessel, but still blows out smoke combustion and allows for ventilation.
   
   
   

6. Drains -While parked or If parked permanently always keep an eye on maintaining drains around you if heavy rain/snow -keep area clear and flowing so there is no chance for flooding.
   
   
   

7. Snow removal -Carefully remove snow from the roof as needed. Since there are fan covers for make-up air fans, there is a potential to break one. Keep snow pulled away from truck to allow for drains and hoses to operate.
   
   
   

8. Most importantly, if it is necessary -save the money in the winter and do what you can. During these cold months equipment tends to operate a little bit easier -there’s not so much wear and tear vs. in the warm busy season. Come spring it’s important to have equipment maintenance/fixes on the radar and done come summer. 

Let’s not overestimate the importance of some good old fashioned winter preparedness! Following the simple tips from Mike above will most definitely save you a lot of time, money and headaches in the long run. If you are a seasoned winter mobile vessel operator then check out our blog post on tips to keeping your food truck afloat during the winter months.

*MAC Customz continues to provide the western region with upstanding customer service and the high quality custom building, renovation and fabrication of food trucks/trailers, camper conversions, and other mobile business vessels and ventures. For more information on planning and reserving your custom build spot, contact us at 541-728-3511 or drop us a line here.

Is the Future of Mobile Businesses in the Hands of the Coronavirus?

Hard times for mobile businesses - or is there a boom on the horizon?

The last month and a half has shown some serious negative side effects for small businesses due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but mobile businesses are showing they can thrive even as the virus sweeps the nation. As brick and mortars close, city/county codes loosen up, and landlords allow mobile units to park long term in areas they wouldn’t normally be allowed to.

Mobile businesses are known for their ability to travel and conduct business. Whether it be in a food truck or a mobile retail pop up shop (both of which were allowed to stay open with restrictions during this epidemic), can shift gears quickly to accommodate their business. The food truck industry saw a climb in sales due to restaurant closures (with the exception to take out/delivery orders). Where many brick and mortar locations closed -whether it be restaurants or retail, due to the cost to operate business during this time -inventory, rent/mortgage, employee payroll, insurance, and the list goes on, was/is difficult, the mobile business industry benefited. 

Mobile business units are notorious for having low overhead, for the most part can be operated by oneself or an additional employee, little inventory, and may even have the ability to accommodate online business or deliver/curbside pickup -making mobile vessels an obvious choice for patrons, especially in the midst of a pandemic.

As mobile industry workers in the service field, we have heard all sorts of great news from our client base. The biggest complaint from our food truck customers is trying to keep food stocked since people have been stockpiling and clearing out the stores! Otherwise, they have been able to sustain or have even been busier than before the Coronavirus quarantine.

One thing we can learn from this small business shut down is that mobile businesses are flexible and have the ability to adapt to unorthodox situations, making them a great choice for starting/sustaining a business during the good times and the hardships. Projections show this industry to boom, especially once the quarantine is lifted as businesses will need an affordable business model, and going mobile offers that and more.

To learn more about getting your business mobile, check out  8 Ways A Custom Mobile Vessel Works For Your Business or give us a call today at 541.728.3511!

Top Benefits For Buying a Custom Food Truck

Buying a used food truck has few benefits, whereas buying a tailor made custom food vessel has many. Below we have listed the top benefits of purchasing a custom food truck, though there are many more perks that come along with it!

1. Tailored Layout + Flow
   An important and most adored feature of a custom food truck is the tailored layout and flow. Every truck owner has a layout in mind and a workflow that works best for them -it is one of our favorite parts to sit down with a customer to come up with theirs. We have a motto and it’s, “No Nuts to Butts” -there is nothing more exciting than a busy food rush for a food truck owner, there is also nothing more frustrating than a busy food rush with multiple chefs in the kitchen and bumping into each other while trying to prep, cook, assemble and run food -something we often see when hobby builders build trucks or people are looking at used food trucks. So save the headache and the shoulder checks, tailor made is the way to go. 
   
   

2. Minimize Issues and Maximize Functionality
   When going with the custom build option you minimize your chances of equipment and utility malfunction and maximize your opportunities of functionality. We recently had a new customer call us because her used truck only had a 2 space breaker and she needed much more power as a mobile food unit. We ended up placing a 12 space breaker, running new outlets and lighting to make her truck more efficient and functional for her operation. Remember that your vessel will make or break your business, if you are constantly having issues, shutting down for repairs because things are breaking, then you may notice a break in your business. Customers get frustrated with the lack of consistency, and will not be continuous patrons as they once were -something we have seen as well.
   
   

3. Equipment + Warranties
   Yes, that used food truck looks pretty nice and the equipment looks to be in good shape, price doesn’t look so bad either...but what about a couple months from now? One rule of thumb is never buy refrigeration equipment used. Why?  You never know how or if it was maintained, the life of that specific equipment is about 7-10 years before problems occur or become obsolete, so it’s better to play it safe than sorry. That’s just one “for instance”. We have a good friend and customer of ours who always says, “Buy it nice, or buy it twice” -a good motto to live by. When building custom, you have the opportunity to get the equipment you need and want and also have more warranty options available to cover your equipment if something were to happen like a break during transport, faulty item upon use, factory defects, etc.
   
   

4. So Fresh So Clean
   Used food trucks have lots of wear and tear, and even though someone may have cleaned it up real nice it still may have underlying issues like mold, water leaks, electrical issues, grease build up and unnecessary health risks. Instead of finding a used truck that was utilized for someone else’s previous business venture, you will have a fresh and clean truck that is ready for you to utilize it towards its’ specific purpose, and no scary surprises down the road.
   
   

5. Saving in the Longrun
   Some may think it is cheaper to buy a used food truck/trailer/cart, but purchasing a custom truck will actually save you more money in the longrun. We have worked with people who purchased $50,000 food trucks, just to turn around and dump another $5-15k into them because they either were not functional for what they were needing, were poorly constructed, or did not follow city/county codes, and it can be completely devastating for a new business owner. So do yourself a favor and don’t take the cheap way out!
   
   

6. Broader Palatte
   When looking for a used food truck/trailer/cart, it can be very limiting. You will only come across certain layouts, vessel sizes, and equipment which may not even work for what your food truck’s flow needs to be -forcing you to settle for what’s available. When opting for a custom vessel, you don’t have to settle, you have the ability to create exactly what you need/want tailored for your business.
   

We hope that this information can be helpful when making the final decision about purchasing a used vs. a new custom food truck. Still need more convincing? Check out some of our work or give us a call at 541.728.3511 to learn more about making your food truck dreams come true today!