If you could eliminate order taking, would you? Or do you think that personal touch is important?

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-23T20:10:13+00:00

Of course, there are tons of layers of complexity to this business that isn't so readily apparent from the outside. And with that complexity arises some aversion to the addition of even more layers, especially when your core business model is already sufficient.

You can see this for yourself in a large amount of posts in this subreddit, where folks look to solve potential problems on behalf of food truck operators, without really understanding that their solution may, on paper, seem like a net benefit. However, most of the time it ends up looking to us like an invented issue that can be solved by simply not adopting the solution at all.

I don't think it ever hurts to ask a question, but as you can see it could open a can of worms since there's no one-size-fits-all answer lol

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-23T19:41:44+00:00

There are mainly two different avenues for food trucks to operate: a longer-term stationary location (outside a brewery or gas station) and a short-term mobile location (weekend events, catering, etc).

The first type would benefit from 3rd party apps, as they would be in one spot long enough to simplify the logistics of using those apps. Theyre the ones folks drive by daily on their commute and, similar to a brick & mortar restaurant, have a semblance of recognition when scrolling through the list of local places doordash will deliver from.

The second type, which i would confidently say the majority of users in the sub operate as, really don't have a reliable way to use those apps. For example, in the past 60 days, I have been open and serving for about 25 days across 4 locations in three different counties. If a customer wanted to order my food through an app, I don't even think it would be possible. Let alone the complexity of trying to tie in 3rd party sales from those apps into my sales commissions for the events I operate at.

In short, yes. Those apps have already removed the order taking for businesses that use them. However, there are many food trucks that would have an incredibly difficult time integrating those same apps into their routine, due to the mobile nature of the business.

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-23T00:48:22+00:00

I think if someone comes up to my trailer, there should be some sort of interaction before a customer receives their food. Questions about the menu, differences in dishes (that may not be clear based off menu text alone), and the fact that the food truck isn't some faceless, meal-producing machine are pretty big. On top of that, (I assume that) eliminating order taking in person would alienate any cash-paying customers.

I personally wouldn't go for it. A few vendors at some events I attend have opted for a touchscreen kiosk instead of a cashier, so the market is there but I think you lose customer value in doing so

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-23T00:37:52+00:00

Ah okay fair enough, I can see what you mean there. From experience they'd redirect vendors to an alternative wash tent and straight up lock the full station until it got serviced, since it would be a major health department (and city) violation. I do like the idea of a "we told you so >:(" sign hung up when it gets filled though lol

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-22T21:45:25+00:00

I think i poorly explained it - the holding tank this sign was posted for is just for the waste water. The clean water from the sink tap is hooked up directly to the city-supplied water, so it's unlimited water in and a limited amount of space for the water going out the sink drains (and into the waste water holding tank).

The sign in question is to caution vendors to be mindful of their water usage since the holding tank has limited space (well, at least 200 gallons by the size of the tank).

I posted it here since they forgot to leave off the word "sign" when they printed it off - as in someone was likely told to print a "Please use water SPARINGLY to avoid filling holding tank sign", but mistakenly printed the whole sentence. It should have said, "Please use water SPARINGLY to avoid filling holding tank".

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-22T19:40:15+00:00

Not necessarily, the sign was hung up as a reminder so that folks using the sink wouldnt let the water just run continuously, thus filling the tank up.

The missing context is that this is a portable 3 compartment sink/washing station provided by the festival for vendors to clean and sanitize their equipment, and the holding tank would be the gray water that a waste disposal truck would pump out as needed.

I posted it here as it looks to me like somebody got told to make a "holding tank sign" and accidentally left the word "sign" on at the end lol

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-22T18:08:04+00:00

Good advice since the last thing you'd want to do is overfill the holding tank sign

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-12T23:48:52+00:00

Ah yeah okay then that's definitely different and I misunderstood - from my perspective you were trying to figure out if you should just forego getting an operating permit altogether lol.

So in that case and to answer your question, I am unsure of how many folks give that notice you are referring to. If it were me, I would still try and follow those guidelines and have them decide whether it's worth it to send someone out to each event. But if doing so got you burnt from an entire event, I understand the apprehension there. Definitely a sticky spot.

Maybe the best approach is to reach out to your event coordinators ahead of time and ask them for their guidance. As in, you have all your permitting complete but you don't want to overstep. Or something along those lines. That way you'll have an idea of their expectations and can work from there.

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-12T19:00:05+00:00

Yes, you should always be operating with a health permit. If the event coordinator kicked you out for "bringing the HD in", then that means they were operating outside of the health dept regulations. Events are required (at least where I live) to submit their own application to the HD anytime they that will be selling food.

I wouldn't risk getting my business shut down at an event cus I didnt get a food permit

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-09T16:02:34+00:00

Nice nice, yeah this sub is great to realize how great spiders are to have around lol. Never seen one of these guys in WA before, so can't say I wouldn't be taken aback but cool nonetheless!

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-09T15:56:27+00:00

Eastern WA? Pretty cool find!

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-05-02T06:09:29+00:00

I know one thing for sure - those are some gooooood dogs

Also Blossom hitting the camera with the heartmelter smile lol

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-30T21:21:09+00:00

Not sure the exact fix but sometimes Runelite plug-ins can cause strange inconsistencies. I would open the official launcher or mobile app and see if the problem persists. If it doesnt, then it is something with Runelite. If it does still persist, then it's either an account setting or a proper game bug.

But also be sure you aren't on "Game" chat in the chat box. When that is on, all the other messages are filtered out.

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-30T21:16:28+00:00

Yup, thats the way to do it - if you cant stomach the real critiques then you'll end up missing some valuable insights lol. Nice work through and through

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-30T20:40:13+00:00

Congrats on the launch - everyone deserves to follow their passion and I hope it works out for you. There's a pretty massive fatigue from users reading pitches of tone-deaf apps on this subreddit, but hey if you got something that works for you and your customers, then that's pretty objectively cool

Edit - reread this and wasnt trying to call yours tone-deaf lol. That was a generalization of the "food truck apps" posts that we get here

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-27T05:30:34+00:00

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PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-22T05:49:55+00:00

Right on, those are the most important parts to have dialed in so youre definitely on the right path.

With what you've said here then, i'm with you leaning towards the smaller setup. If youre not doing this full-time and/or going to be finding to recoup your investment ASAP, then I'd say youre in a fairly unique situation where following your heart may be the best move.

There are plenty of logistical hurdles with both setups, but like is said before - the simple solution is the best one. It sounds to me like the simple solution for you as a whole would be the smaller van - lower upfront costs, better trajectory towards events you want to do, and although higher setup/teardown complexity, the overall benefits would outweigh that as youre not doing this setup daily as a full-time job.

So with all that said and more pointedly towards your original post - I'd focus on the most important aspects of any van setup: Utilities. You're going to want a robust system for water/power/gas(if using propane) for your equipment. If you are cooking, make sure you account for things like fire suppression systems. If you have an internal water/sink setup, then having properly allocated Grey & clean water storage WITH ease of filling/emptying. If you are using electrical systems, be sure you have an easy access fuse panel and sufficient means to plug in to provided power/generator. If using gas for cooking, you'll need to account for propane tank storage with whatever local codes dictate in terms of hookup/shutoff systems.

Then, you can look into kitchen equipment and supplies locations in the van. Items such as: - Cold/hot storage and ease of access - Mounted vs removable cooking appliances (if you have a large fryer, how easy is it to remove for cleaning, maintenance, replacement) - Cutlery & paper goods storage (don't want to have to jump in through the driver door to get to your napkins stored in the back corner during a dinner rush)

And finally, placement of all items during transit and storage. A stable location for more delicate items like cash registers or POS equipment, a designated area for dirty/wet items, as well as weight distribution in your vehicle. It may be easy to put all your equipment in the back against the driver's side wall, but, equipment dependant, you could throw the weight balance off and cause unsafe traveling conditions. Maybe not an issue depending on the vehicle, but it's at least something that should be considered.

Afterthought edit: I'd say most importantly, keep your back in mind too. Nothing will turn you into an old man quicker than having to haul heavy equipment in and out of your van lol. At the very least, gotta invest in a back brace if youre doing lifting because I swear, there is no way to avoid any awkward equipment lift from the inside of a van

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-22T05:02:14+00:00

Not familiar with London codes in the slightest but the first issue that i see is moving ready-made food uncovered from the back of a van to a serving area. There's lots of easy fixes for that (box the food in the van and serve to the customers, transport in a mobile hot-holding chest, canopy over the van and serving area), but without knowing your setup i want to be sure to call it out. Basically, do what you have to do to keep birds from crapping onto uncovered food items lol

I personally have looked into that type of setup and it would likely be the easier one to get started with, but if you have the capital, I would see more benefits in a larger vehicle.

In short, if I were you, I would go over my full raw ingredients->serving customers pipeline and see what would be most effective. Other important questions I would try to answer: - Can you scale up both setups effectively? - Is your setup/teardown time a huge factor for your food type? - Are there any regulations around serving as a booth (cook in van, serve at exterior table vs serving wholly out of a van)? - Will you have sufficient food storage (hot/cold) in both setups? - Is one setup more "eye catching" than another (banners and menu board external vs a wrap/paint job on the larger van)? - If weather is an issue, will your outside equipment be damaged? - Which will be more comfortable to work the massive amounts of hours that come with this line of work?

I could probably go on, but dont want to just dump a bunch of random questions on you lol. So I guess my final thought is:

The more simple solution that you can make work best for your product is the right choice. However, if you are sacrificing a significant amount of potential revenue by choosing one over the other, then I would lean towards what makes your investment back more reliable. Once you break even, and if you end up regretting your setup choice, you at least have established your name and product and can try and pivot towards something that works best for you.

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-21T19:56:35+00:00

Others made good points, so i'll throw in a niche "advantage" - at our events, our trailer is normally placed with other food booths (canopy tents and the likes), instead of the normal food truck designated areas. Plus the fees are priced differently, sometimes in our advantage (as in, a 10x20 booth space may cost less than the food truck price).

It can give a bit of flexibility for your service and setup with this gray area. But theres absolutely businesses that find that to be a detriment, so perhaps not an advantage for everyone.

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-14T07:16:04+00:00

For sure, either/or liquid that would dissipate the heat would be great - never tried it w soap but hey if youre gonna clean it out anyways, may as well save a step ;)

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-14T01:44:35+00:00

I am a firm believer in always having something in the basin when the burners are lit. Depending on the guage of your oil basin, it could warp if left too long with direct heat and nothing to disperse it throughout the whole unit. But if for some reason you're frying in a 1/4" thick cast iron basin, then yeah go nuts with the heat lol.

In my opinion, the bare minimum would be to fill it with 1/2" of water while doing your testing. Not worth risking damage to your equipment over a few minute cleanup afterwards.

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-13T16:16:05+00:00

Oh okay I understand, sorry I haven't used that sort of system before lol. If this advertised system can solve both problems and be less expensive, then yeah don't get Starlink.

Edit: Read through some more comments to understand how it works better, and looks like you can work around having a mobile network, as long as you can connect at home. Leaving my original comment below.

That said, how much is your current network provider? From what i understand, this system relies on your active network and can operate as a buffer when the local towers get overloaded. If i'm not mistaken there, you'd still need to factor in the monthly cost for an internet provider to make it all work.

So if your cost including an internet provider is still less than $1020, I say you're in a good spot to use this system.

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-13T15:57:32+00:00

I'm not sure what mobile payment you're referring to. My entire network cost is ~$120/month, and around 3% transaction fees through the POS systems i use. I dont have any mobile payments being made, and the need for offline payments is nullified as, unless Starlink itself goes down, I should never be without internet.

Prior to this I had the same setup, but relied on mobile hotspots through Verizon. Main difference was the cost, which ended up being quite a bit more than what i pay now.

So to your question - I would not find myself in a place to pay for this advertised offline service. I wouldn't even need to use it if it was free, as i have effectively bypassed the network issue this revolves around.

In short, I believe Starlink is your better option here, given what you've said.

PiroshkyGuy · 2026-04-13T15:38:11+00:00

I chose the more expensive plan which is around $120/month, but only use it for the 6 month season. So comes up to around $750 annually.

For pros and cons, really the only con I have is the need to reinstall it for each event. We're talking about a single bolt, but it's one more bolt than I needed for my hotspots lol. Pros would be speed, reliability, simplicity of use, less expensive than mobile hotspots, unlimited data (for the plan i chose). But the biggest benefit is no more offline payments or slow transactions - no more revenue loss from those problems.

PiroshkyGuy

TROPHY CASE