Together with hamburger and ice cream trucks, mobile pizza trucks are the highest-selling vehicles in the street food sector.
In contrast with the former examples, a mobile pizzeria requires the use of a specific type of oven which must be safely and efficiently built into the vehicle (taking its weight into consideration as well).
In addition to the oven, the mobile pizzeria must also include various pieces of equipment, be energy independent, and respect health and regulatory standards.
Everything MUST be up to code. In addition to their capacity to build a pizza truck, manufacturers should also be evaluated on how well their vehicles allow for worker movements and the fluid and facilitated use of equipment.
Based on the vehicle chosen as the foundation for the outfitting, there are many mobile pizza truck models.
The following ones can be driven with a type-b driver’s license :
- Ape Smart
- Ape V-Curve
- Porter Craft X
- Professional Food Truck
- Pro X Food Truck
- NV Food Truck
Neither the pizza ApeCar category nor the pizza truck require a prohibitive investment, which, in any case, is much lower than the one required by the opening of a fixed location. Plus, all of the models have low maintenance costs and a long service life.
That’s why they are so successful among small businesses and large corporations which work in the food service and hospitality sectors.
Once the model you want to build your mobile pizzeria on has been chosen, the entire outfitting revolves around the PIZZA OVEN, which is what puts your food truck at the greatest risk of being non-compliant with standards.
How to choose the right oven for your mobile pizza truck
There is a wide range of PIZZA OVENS on the market. They differ in their power systems, construction materials, and other characteristics connected to form, size, refractory material, the number of cooking surfaces, the type of chimney, etc.
With regards to the power system, a pizza oven can be:
- wood-fired
- gas
- electric
With regards to the construction material, the pizza oven can be made in:
- steel
- concrete
- brick
Every pizza chef has his or her own preferences and, although not always technically valid, convictions which must be respected. However, one thing is certain: not every type of oven is fit for a pizza truck.
The critical aspects you should consider when choosing an oven to install on a pizza food truck are:
- weight and size;
- power supply.
WEIGHT AND SIZE
In Italy and Europe in order to follow the law and drive with a food truck equipped with a pizza oven, you cannot exceed 3100 kg. The size of the outfitting clearly influences the food truck’s overall weight, so it is necessary to calculate the weight of all the components well during the construction phase, beginning with the size.
It should be noted that exceeding weight limits on a vehicle (driver’s license B) is not only a legal question, but also one that concerns the safety of people on the road. A heavy food truck is difficult to handle, slow in steering-wheel response, and less reactive in braking; in these conditions, the risk of blowing a tire due to the weight is much more likely to occur.
Furthermore, with an overweight mobile pizza truck, it is impossible to pass scheduled inspections and there is a higher risk of fines or impounding.
These are just some of the aspects which should not be overlooked when deciding on a pizza truck manufacturer equipped with a professional oven.
Let’s take a look at some of the others.
POWER SUPPLY
The oven’s power supply influences the vehicle’s autonomy and the ease with which it can be managed.
WOOD-FIRED OVEN
A wood fired pizza oven truck is difficult to install because wood storage causes problems even when there is space for it. The issue has to do with the weight of the oven: wood-fired ones are very heavy and could put the vehicle over the weight limit.
The wood also causes cleaning problems given that the soot can fall onto the work surfaces and ingredients. Plus, safety is an issue, as the wood fragments can gather in the food truck’s crevices and become a fire hazard.
We should add that the wood-fired oven requires two outlets: one for the fumes and another for the heat generated by the oven itself.
ELECTRIC OVEN
Electric ovens are generally safe and easy to clean. They require just one outlet for the heat. On the other hand, their current absorption is so high that food trucks can only rarely remain energy independent when they are installed.
GAS OVEN
Gas ovens are usually the best solution as they are more compact and less heavy than wood ones. Plus, the vehicles can remain energy independent as they have no storage or current absorption issues. However, they also require two outlets for their combustion and heat.
IN CONCLUSION
These are the most common critical issues you should think about when choosing a pizza oven on a food truck. They should help you understand the amount of work and experience that goes into the creation of a mobile pizza truck.
Before becoming beautiful and elegantly customized, the mobile pizza truck must be up to norm and compliant. Therefore, the manufacturer/outfitter should be chosen first and foremost based on their reliability and knowledge.
It is up to the buyers to look into this aspect as they evaluate the clarity and transparency with which the manufacturer responds to their questions and doubts.
On the other hand, the manufacturer must make the process easier, foresee critical issues, present a wide-range of possible solutions, and make recommendations based on their professional experience.
Once all of this has been considered, you can begin to churn out pizzas to the delight of those who make them and those who eat them.
