How to Design a Food Truck Layout

Posted by Firouzeh Tahbaz
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If you are reading this article, you’re probably considering buying a food truck – and there’s a lot that goes into that decision! Considerations include how much a food truck costs, financing options, menu, location, and food truck design.

As food truck manufacturers, we design and build food trucks for cities all over the world. We want to offer some tips to consider when designing your food truck layout. The first one is overall Kitchen Flow. Kitchen flow refers to how you move from one process in the kitchen to another. This truly depends on how you (and your team) work. Considering the lineup of your cooking appliances, location of fridges, how much counter space you need, where your service window should be located (centered, closer to front of truck, or back of truck) and more. You will also want to where the busy work stations are and what should/shouldn’t be situated around them. Fridge doors should open in toward the kitchen area. Appliances should be at a workable height. And so many more things! The more well designed your food truck kitchen is, the more efficient you are.

Physical barriers come up often in the food truck and concession trailer builds, and we have to come up with creative ways to work around them. Examples include:

  • Layout is affected by wheel wells, which can be as deep as 24” and tall as 12”
  • Generator drawers that are built into the side of the truck
  • Fuel cells that inhibit where the generator box can go

For example, if you install the generator box in front of the wheel well, any refrigerated prep tables you want there must be raised up past counter height. Sometimes appliance legs will have to be modified to raise above the wheel well or generator box. So, when we design a food truck, it is crucial to take into account all measurements we have to work around when the layout is determined.

Finally, consider kitchen aesthetics. Appliances should be installed at appropriate heights, and tables and equipment stands installed at the same depth and heights. Standing at the front of the kitchen, everything should be eyeball straight. Shelving should be plentiful and installed at a height you can easily access. You will spend lots of time in the kitchen, so it should be pleasant as well as functional!

Venture Food Trucks can help you create an effective food truck layout using professional diagrams and our years of experience as food truck builders. Email us at info@venturefoodtrucks.com to set up a time to discuss your concept with us and we will take it from there.