Food Truck & Pop-Up Operations

Running a kitchen that moves

A truck or pop-up packs a full kitchen into a few feet of counter, then changes location every day. Water tanks, generators, propane, and a commissary run all come before the first ticket, and there's no office to keep the paperwork in.

• Health permits from the counties you sell in, plus local business licenses and fire inspections
• A daily trip back to an approved commissary for water, supplies, and cleaning
• Holding temperatures on a hot afternoon in a small steel box
• Event organizers who want permits and a certificate of insurance before you park

Permits and checks for mobile and temporary food

Mobile operators carry the same food safety duties as a dining room, plus a few of their own.

• Mobile food facility permit: issued by county environmental health after a plan check of the vehicle, and renewed every year
• Commissary: CalCode generally requires a mobile food facility to operate from an approved commissary and report to it at least once each operating day
• Temporary food facility permits: pop-ups at fairs and community events usually need one, often coordinated through the event organizer
• Fire safety: many local fire departments inspect trucks that cook with propane or open flame
• Water and handwashing: working potable water, a handwashing sink, and enough wastewater capacity for the day

A service day, start to finish

Before pulling out of the commissary, the crew runs a pre-trip list: water tanks filled, propane checked, cold holding at temperature, handsink stocked. At the stop, holding temps get logged from a phone between orders, and a photo of the event permit goes into the record. Back at the commissary, the closing list covers wastewater, cleaning, and restocking, and anything that broke on the road goes on the Fix list.