The best way to keep a professional appearance as an entrepreneur as well as a food service business is in being properly prepared for your business day ahead. Keep a binder on hand in your cart that includes the following information: your business license, location license or location rental agreement, your health department permit, a copy of the local health codes for quick reference, and this operations manual. If you are serving at a special event, have the permit with you that allow you to operate at that special event. It is best to keep all these papers in clear plastic sheet protectors so that they stay un-frayed, clean and readable. Always keep on hand the directions and maintenance manuals for any of the other equipment or appliances that you are using on the cart. This is for ease of reference if and when something comes up during your daily business operation of the hot dog cart.
Also keep on hand and use a Daily Check List for the items you use and things you need to do in order to get operating each day. Do a daily check of your cart, the equipment and contents before you start up each day. This prevents any unpleasant surprises or snags after you get started working. It is best to always work from written checklists and not from memory. This also serves as a record of items that need to be maintained or changed at the days end.
Wash the cart every day before and after use. This process removes the day’s accumulated grime and food and also prepares the cart for the fresh day ahead. First wash the cart with hot soapy water to remove any dirt or spilled food on its surfaces, nooks and crannies. Then use a sanitizing solution to kill any remaining bacteria. A sanitizing solution may be made by adding 1 teaspoon (5mL) of chlorine bleach to 1 quart (1L) of water. Other pre-mixed bottled chemical sanitizing solutions can be purchased from commercial cleaning supply or restaurant supply companies. Wear rubber gloves, as these sanitizers are very hard on the skin. Do not forget to properly rinse the areas and wipe the surfaces clean with a new rag to prevent the residue of the germs from being spread all over your food cart’s surfaces.
Use this same cleaning and sanitizing procedure on all surfaces and appliances used to store, prepare, cook or serve food, and all utensils and containers. Also clean sinks and faucets. Even the garbage cans should be cleaned to prevent any undesirable odor. You must always remember to properly rinse these items to prevent the retention of sanitizing liquid residue on these items.
Fill the cart’s fresh water tanks each day with all new fresh potable water. Do not keep water from one day to the next. Germs may have already proliferated in this liquid medium so disposing it is a must. Also, clean out the water tank to prevent the accumulation of other bacteria inside this still water container.
Always empty the cart’s wastewater tanks at the end of each day or work shift. These wastewater tanks should also be washed to prevent odor. Use the same sanitizing liquid with a higher concentration in order to kill bacteria in the wastewater tank.
Make sure that the propane tanks and propane gas equipment and appliances are in good safe working order. This is both an operational and a safety issue. You can check on them by whiffing air around them to smell if there is a leak. Another way is to wipe the areas with thick bubbly soap residue to see if bubbles form. Replace or repair any defective gas equipment when a problem is discovered. Do not delay! Check that hoses are free of wear and hose connections are secure and will not come loose. Always keep an extra fully filled propane tank on hand so that you never find yourself out of gas in the middle of a workday. Always turn off the tank valves at the end of each day. Make sure that these tanks are properly secured so they don’t become loose and roll away.
Use wheel chocks to hold the cart securely in place at locations where the cart is position on a slope. You can make these yourself from short lengths of wooden 2×4’s. Securing the wheelbase ensures your food cart is stable and can be used properly.
Arrive at your location well before you are expected to begin serving food. This will give you plenty of time to clean and properly set up. Being early will avoid the temptation to cut any corners on proper start up and preparation. It will also avoid rushing and the associated stress.
Be sure to have an adequate supply of coins and small bills so as to be able to give correct change for the entire day. Being short on correct change is an unnecessary time consuming aggravation and is very unprofessional. Also make sure you do not handle food after handling money as you can only transfer harmful bacteria from the money into the food.
Be regular, consistent and reliable. You must open at your appointed time with a complete complement of food items each day. Customers will come to depend upon you. This will help build a loyal regular customer base for your business.
Be friendly, cheerful and smile regardless of your mood or disposition. Greet each and every customer at the proper time of the day. Learn the names of your regulars, as this will further build customer loyalty. They will be your best advertisers by spreading news of you by word of mouth to their friends and co-workers.
Display a menu of items that you serve together with the prices. This will save time during the busy lunch hour rush. It will enable customers to decide before they order. It can be made for a reasonable price at a professional vinyl graphics sign company.
Be a good neighbor to the other businesses in the area. Never let your business interfere with, detract from theirs nor should you practice unsavory business activities. Instead it should compliment and enhance their businesses. This may involve you doing small simple things such as providing a trash can for your customers and cleaning up any litter in the area at the end of the day.
