The first order comes in. The bread is ready, the sauce has been portioned out and the vegetables are in their usual places. All you have to do is cook and finish the dishes. That’s exactly what good preparation for your food truck should achieve: a clear overview when customers are queuing at the serving hatch.
In the kitchen, this preparation is known as mise-en-place. You divide the tasks between the times when they can best be carried out. Speed, product quality and food safety all play a part in this. After all, preparing everything as early as possible isn’t the best option for every task.
1. Break each dish down into individual steps
Start with one dish and write down the full preparation process. This includes washing, chopping, weighing, mixing, frying, heating, assembling and packaging. After each step, note where it takes place: in the preparation kitchen, in the food truck before opening, or after the order has been placed.
Next, ask yourself what happens if you carry out that step earlier. Does the flavour remain the same? Does the texture change? Can the item then be safely stored and transported using your facilities? You might be able to prepare a sauce in advance, whilst you’d be better off finishing off a crispy roll just before serving.
This overview also shows which equipment you actually use on site. A piece of equipment that is only needed for preparation does not necessarily have to be taken into the food truck.
2. Save the final quality check for just before release
Take, for example, a warm pita with fried mushrooms, a fresh coleslaw and a yoghurt sauce. You could use this division of tasks as a starting point:
| Section | Preparing in advance | Finishing on site |
|---|---|---|
| Mushrooms | Cleaning, cutting and portioning | Baking for distribution |
| Cabbage salad | Chop the vegetables; bring the dressing separately | Mix the right amount |
| Yoghurt sauce | Prepare and package according to a set recipe | Add in small amounts |
| Pita | Preparing stock and packaging | Heating, filling and dispensing |
You must verify this distribution using your own recipe and safe working procedures. The aim is to ensure that every step carried out beforehand still results in a good product, even after storage and transport.
You should therefore prepare a test dish under the same conditions as on a sales day. Assess it after the planned preparation, storage and transport. A pita that tastes excellent straight away in the test kitchen says very little about the quality you’ll achieve later on site.
3. Organise transport as a separate step in the process
There’s often a journey between preparation and delivery. Draw up a separate loading plan for this. Which products need to be kept chilled? Which products mustn’t come into contact with others? And which items do you need to be able to unload first upon arrival?
Use clean, suitable food containers and keep raw produce separate from ready-to-eat food. Ensure that the required storage conditions are maintained during transport; for example, a sealed container is no substitute for the necessary refrigeration.
Make containers easy to identify without having to open them. Depending on your working method, include details such as the contents, the batch number or the date of preparation, and relevant storage and allergen information. So don’t just write ‘white sauce’. Different recipes may look the same, even though the ingredients differ.
After the sale, keep used materials separate from clean stock. This way, you can factor the end of the working day straight into your transport plan.
4. Work backwards from the moment the valve opens
First, decide what needs to be ready by the time sales begin. Then work backwards: setting up the workspace, preparing the equipment, checking stock, unloading, arrivals and departures. Schedule the preparatory kitchen tasks accordingly.
Distinguish between tasks that can be carried out early on and those that you carry out closer to the time of dispatch or serving. Let the quality of the product and your food safety plan guide you in this. Also include cleaning and checks in your schedule; otherwise, they will only be carried out in whatever time happens to be left over.
Link each task to a specific end result. ‘Preparing vegetables’ is vague. ‘Chopped vegetables packed, labelled and placed in the agreed storage area’ makes it clear when the preparation is actually complete.
5. Agree who will restock during the sale
Mise-en-place doesn’t stop as soon as the first customer arrives. Agree who will check the stock on hand and who will restock items. This way, you’ll avoid a situation where everyone assumes someone else is topping up the sauce or packaging.
Also make it clear when you are restocking. Choose a recognisable signal, such as opening the last pre-prepared pack. Keep batches identifiable and follow your established procedure when restocking. Mixing leftover stock with new stock makes it more difficult to track its origin and storage time.
6. Use your preparations as a brief for the layout
Your preparation plan sets out the tasks, storage space and equipment required in the food truck. You should therefore take it with you when you bespoke electric food truck compiles.
Discuss where products arrive, where they are stored whilst on sale, and what final preparation you carry out on the premises. This gives the design a concrete starting point: a kitchen that supports your dish, from prepared ingredients right through to a beautifully presented order.