How Can I Streamline My Kitchen?
Running a food truck kitchen is incredibly rewarding, but when the rush hits, it can also be overwhelming and get backed up pretty quickly. One of the best things you can do to combat this is to streamline the processes in your kitchen and prep.
Make a Plan
One of the best things you can do to streamline the work that you are doing and make sure that everything is running efficiently is to have a plan. Proper planning keeps you from forgetting steps or having to backtrack in your prep. You should also have a plan for the work you do in your commissary kitchen and the food truck. Your plan should not only cover the order in which you do things but who covers each responsibility and how you are going to keep your truck organized. It can be really easy for things to get out of place if you don’t have a method to keep things organized. Just remember that the best plans require flexibility and you will constantly refine them as you learn more.
Have the Right Tools
Not having the right tools that you need to make the food you serve and to keep your truck clean will slow you down and make life more complicated. Even though it can be a little more expensive to buy a variety of equipment, it will pay off in allowing you to properly make your food. If you don’t want to buy the equipment for yourself, you can consider renting it or using a commissary kitchen for all of your prep. Most commissary kitchens will have any and all of the tools you need to prep your food so it just has to be cooked and loaded into your food truck.
Keep It Simple
It can be tempting to build out an incredibly long menu and serve everything that you think people will buy from you. But complicated doesn’t always mean better. Especially at the beginning, it can be very helpful to start simple and get your main dishes down perfectly. Having your main staples on lock makes it much easier to complete orders. If you want to expand your menu beyond that, you can create a rotating menu of specials that allows you to expand without overwhelming yourself.
Using these techniques to streamline your kitchen will make even the craziest rush easier to manage. You will always be learning and refining how you run your kitchen. Just remember to enjoy the process and keep the food at the center of everything.
Are you trying to set up your cleaning schedule? Click here for our expert tips!
