Restaurants & QSR
Refrigeration for food trucks and mobile kitchens
A food truck packs a full menu — burgers, rolls, momos, shawarma, Chinese — into a steel box that is parked in the sun, driven over rough roads and powered by a generator or a shore connection where one is available. Refrigeration has to fit into a narrow galley alongside a griddle and fryer, survive vibration on the move, and run on power that is often less stable than a building supply. Ambient temperatures inside a closed truck in an Indian summer can be well above the shop temperatures most cabinets are designed for. Every litre of cold storage is precious, and planning what goes cold, what goes frozen and what is restocked from a base kitchen each day decides whether the truck can serve a full evening.
What the equipment has to cope with
- The inside of a parked steel truck in summer can be hotter than any kitchen, especially with a griddle and fryer running a step away.
- Generators and inverters struggle with compressor start-up current, and voltage can sag when several appliances start at once.
- Cabinets must stay secure and their doors closed while the truck is moving over Indian roads.
- Space is extremely limited, so every cabinet must double as a worktop or fit beneath one.
- Most trucks restock daily from a base kitchen, so cold storage has to carry a full service's worth of chilled and frozen stock.
Typical temperatures
| Marinated chicken and kebab meat | +1 to +4 °C |
|---|---|
| Sauces, mayonnaise, cheese | +2 to +5 °C |
| Cut onion, lettuce, tomato | +3 to +5 °C |
| Frozen momos, fries and patties | −18 °C or colder |
| Bottled drinks | +3 to +8 °C |
Equipment
What to buy, and why.
Most food trucks use one or two undercounter or worktop refrigerators along the galley, with the worktop serving as the prep and assembly bench. A small chest freezer or undercounter freezer holds frozen momos, fries and patties for one service. If the truck sells drinks, a compact or countertop glass-door cooler near the serving hatch holds them. Food is prepped and chilled at a base kitchen, loaded cold in the afternoon, and any stock left at the end of service goes back to the base kitchen refrigerators overnight.
- +2 to +8 °CUndercounter RefrigeratorThe galley's main cold store and prep bench: sauces, meat, cheese and salad for one service, under the work surface.Set-up guide
- −18 to −60 °CDeep FreezerA small chest freezer for one service's frozen momos, fries, patties and nuggets.Set-up guide
- +2 to +10 °CGlass Door Refrigerator / Visi CoolerA compact countertop cooler at the serving hatch for bottled drinks and water.Set-up guide
Questions
- Can a food truck run refrigerators on a generator?
- Yes, but size the generator for the starting current of all compressors, not just their running power, and stagger switching them on. Use voltage protection, since generator output can fluctuate. Switching refrigerators on before starting cooking equipment helps avoid simultaneous start-up loads.
- Should food truck refrigerators run while driving?
- If you have a suitable power source on the move, keeping them running helps hold temperature. If not, load them cold, keep doors latched and drive time short. Well-insulated cabinets and pre-chilled stock hold temperature reasonably well for short trips, but check temperatures on arrival before service.
- What refrigerators fit best in a food truck?
- Undercounter or worktop units that sit beneath the prep bench make the best use of space, with a small chest or undercounter freezer for frozen stock. Front-breathing units are important, since truck galleys leave no gaps around cabinets. Secure every unit to the floor or wall.
Before you buy
All guides- Commercial Refrigerator Buying Guide (India)9 min read
- Reach-in vs Undercounter Refrigerator: Which to Choose6 min read
- Commercial Refrigerator Maintenance Checklist6 min read
- Types of Commercial Refrigerators Explained6 min read
- Reach-in Refrigerator Guide for Hot Indian Kitchens6 min read
- Reach-in Freezer Guide for Commercial Kitchens5 min read
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