When businesses began to shut down and send employees to work from home, a lot of food truck owners struggled to find customers. Food trucks and mobile kitchens survived by focusing on residential neighborhoods. They also served frontline workers from outside of hospitals, visited police precincts, and frequented fire departments. They set up in the parking lots of essential businesses and some even located themselves at highway rest areas.
With the flexibility to change their operations as the restrictions and needs of their customers shifted, many food trucks not only were able to stay open, but in some cases, were even able to thrive.
Food Trucks Staying Busy
Winter is typically the down season for food trucks but because of COVID-19. However, a lot of food trucks have stayed open all year long. With the official start of spring a mere few weeks away, the industry is set to see even more growth as the weather warms up. If you’ve been running your food truck non-stop or you’re getting ready to reopen your mobile kitchen, now is a good time to evaluate your food truck hood system.
Spring Maintenance For Food Truck Hood Systems
A good place to start is with your food truck upblast exhaust fan. Make sure it is working properly.
- Does it effectively exhaust the smoke and grease from your kitchen?
- Is it making any strange noises? It could be a fan belt. Fan belts are easy to replace and one of the most common causes of fan performance issues.
- When is the last time your exhaust fan was cleaned?
- Is your exhaust fan grease containment system working properly? Check the area for leaks. If the grease isn’t being contained properly, you may need a replacement grease pillow or you might need to install a more robust system.
Next, take a look at your food truck hood and the grease filters you have installed.
- Are they in good condition? Galvanized hood filters and stainless steel hood filters need to be replaced less frequently than aluminum hood filters.
- Are you using the right type of hood filter for the kind of cooking you do? For example, if you cook over an open flame or use solid fuel, you need to use a spark arrestor hood filter.
- What about the hood itself? Is it sized correctly for your cooking area? Check for any small gaps. If you can’t fill the entire vent hood space with filters, a filter spacer is an affordable and easy way to address the issue.
Learn more about food truck hood and ventilation systems in this short video from the experts at HoodFilters.com:
Mobile Kitchen and Food Truck Growth
The restaurant and food truck industry has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the years but this past year. It has been an extremely difficult time for many. But it’s reassuring to know that even with an unprecedented global pandemic, mobile kitchens are finding a way to “keep on truckin’.”
In fact, with food trucks doing as well as they are, many brick and mortar restaurants have decided to roll out their own mobile kitchens. If you are considering the addition of a new food truck to your business, we can help you make sure that you have everything you need for your kitchen ventilation, from vent hood to exhaust fan.
Do you need help selecting the right food truck hood system? Give our customer service specialists a call. We’d be happy to assist you! Just call us at 877-394-9731 or email us at customerservice@hoodfilters.com.
