AboutBML Consulting Expertise I have 30 years within the foodservice industry as an equipment, supplies and fine dining consultant. I have worked for foodservice distributors and more than 50 equipment, supplies and top-of-the-table manufacturers within the Southern California marketplace. I have extensive experience and knowledge in the areas of heavy cooking equipment, front-of-the-house, fine dining, wine and tablewares.
I am interested in giving back to the community that has assisted in my success and I am happy to offer my unbiased expertise to those in need of objective answers. I am also certified as a CFSP professional (Certified Food Service Professional) as a member of NAFEM.
Experience Began career in 1979 at one of the nation's most prestigious distributors, RW Smith & Co. Recipient of Three "Top Gun" awards as the best salesman in the company.
Too many awards to list from manafacturers but among those: largest sale in three years for Ventmaster ventilation systems (more than 368 lineal feet of exhaust ventilation)for the Neveda Culinary Arts Academy; "Rising Star" for greatest sales growth in one year for all territories in the US on behalf of Service Ideas; Largest increase in territory sales for Franklin Machine Products for signing two restaurant chains to a corporate program. The list goes on...
Question My husband and I have a wholesale artisan cured meat business and would love to create a mobile vehicle to serve our food in Northern California, perhaps at farmer's markets or at other private but high volume areas. We think we have a good niche to enter the market with, as there is no competition for what we produce. But, we have never operated a retail operation and are not sure what level of vehicle we need or where the best place would be to get one. We are thinking of a used truck to start with. Any advice?
Answer Hi Rachel:
Sorry for the delay in answering but I was actually on vacation in your neck of the woods: Morro Bay/Big Sur/Carmel. I'm from the Bay Area originally but have been living in So. Cal for most of my life.
To answer your question it depends on how you intend to sell your product. If it's packaged and not sold on site as a "meal" you will have less hassle. If you are planning to sell sandwiches or consumables at the site then you have a much bigger problem. I'll address the ramifications of both in a minute.
However, is your facility USDA approved and is there a full time inspector on premises in your health department approved facility? Bet you weren't counting on those questions. Legally, to sell meat products in the state of California (and shipping outside the state) you need to have a health department approved and USDA inspected facility for all the obvious reasons. You also need to have a crap load of liability insurance in case someone decides to sue you for tainted product.
Back to your questions about selling on site. If you plan to offer food/make dishes at the site then you will need a very expensive mobile "kitchen" complete with potable water, hand sink (and maybe a prep sink depending on how you are preparing your product on site), waste water tank, water heater, refrigeration, breath guards, etc. If you are selling pre-packaged foods you won't need nearly as much but if you're offering "free samples" you may have to conform to some of the health code requirements such as potable water, heater, waste water tank and, perhaps, refrigeration.
Something else to consider when taking your business mobile is that you now open yourselves up to scrutiny by the health department as to your method of preparing your foods and conforming to stringent guidelines for food preparation. Yep, not only will they be looking at your mobile facility but the permanent kitchen where you prepare your meats: they will both have to have a health department permit.
And, you will have to follow a very strict procedure of sanitizing your truck AND keeping it at a health department approved facitity (your now-approved kitchen) where the truck can be thoroughly sanitized daily. Mobile food service is actually more of a hassle than stationary facilities because the health department sees a greater potential for contamination. In most municipalities there is a separate health department office for mobile versus "stationary" food service. I would encourage you to stop by your local health department office and grab a copy of the rules and regulations required for what you are attempting to do.
I hope I'm wrong in my assessment but unfortunately the health departments are getting stricter rather than more lax about food preparation, handling and sales.
Best of luck!
Brian
