Running a food truck is a bit like mixing the restaurant industry with the food delivery space. You have to manage a vehicle, find good spots to sell, and most importantly, have great food on offer to keep your customers. In between all the different responsibilities that will have you pulled in all directions, it can be hard to improve your sustainability and reduce your environmental footprint.
But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Today’s savvy consumers care just as much about where their food is coming from and how you make it as they do about the food itself’s actual quality. If you focus on thinking green, you will naturally move towards sustainability while simultaneously providing an excellent customer experience.
To keep your business sustainable, you need to take measures to protect the environment. But at the same time don’t forget to satisfy your customers. Here are some of the things you can do to have the best of both worlds.
The Challenges of Running a Sustainable Food Truck Business
One of the significant challenges when it comes to the environment is the constant production of toxic fuel emissions that result from your truck always being on the road. Even when it’s stationary, it’ll still be using energy, making this a tricky problem to deal with.
Another issue that you might run into is a lack of proper waste disposal and inappropriate handwashing facilities. You need to make sure your trash is going where it needs to.
In general, the food truck business produces a lot of waste in food and utensils. And because there’s no space for washing reusable dishware, you’ll naturally go through large quantities of disposable plates, adding further environmental strain.
How to Run an Eco-Friendly Food Truck Business
But there are still steps that you can take. One of the first is to choose to buy fresh and organic ingredients. If they’re locally sourced, it’s even better. Selecting vendors nearby reduces the total carbon footprint involved in getting a dish prepared, and it ensures that you can choose sources that act ethically.
In the same vein, you can change up where you buy your products from. If you select vendors that purport to be green, you can support the sustainable movement even in other industries.
It can also make sense to focus on using as little water and energy as possible. Packaging-wise, you can encourage your customers to bring reusable containers or make the switch over the biodegradable packaging. Making the change over to alternative fuels like biodiesel can further improve your eco-impact.
When it comes to cleaning, use non-toxic cleaners and green appliances like a portable hand washing sink. Even your kitchen equipment should be green-sourced and eco-friendly.
Also, try to provide recycling bins for your customers so they don’t throw out reusable materials. Running regular food truck inspections will help ensure your equipment is all up to the grade and performing optimally, with no wasted energy.
You can take a broader step to revamp your whole menu to be more green in selection and production. Once you’ve done all this, there’s nothing left to do but promote your green food truck business on social media.
How to Reduce the Energy Consumption of Your Food Truck
Having a greener energy strategy is key to reducing energy consumption. As your business model is entirely built on transportation between locations, finding ways to reduce your transit time can be a crucial first step.
You can also reduce utility costs by minimizing usage, which will further help with your carbon footprint. To do this effectively, consider checking the energy efficiency of the commercial appliances and kitchen equipment you use.
If possible, upgrade less efficient equipment to be energy star qualified or even consider using smart devices that will automatically shut themselves off. Considering how often you rely on these devices, you can notice a significant impact through these simple upgrades. It may be an initial upfront fee, but you’ll save in utilities over time and have a smaller carbon footprint to boot.
Getting a good handwashing facility, like a portable sink, will also help with green cleaning as they don’t require electricity. It will also provide you with more space and comfort while dealing with the maintenance of your kitchen tools. Lastly, you can use biodiesel or, more broadly, upgrade the fuel efficiency of your truck.
Starting a Sustainable Food Truck Business
A food truck business’s success depends on many factors, from location to clientele to marketing and food quality. One way to stand above the rest is to undertake the above sustainable initiatives. Not only is it good for the environment, but it’s also good for your business.
Be a part of the solution, promote the spread of a healthy environment, low impact cooking, and a better food serving experience, all in a few convenient steps.
