Winter Shutdown for Food Carts

Winter can be some tough months for the food cart owner. The weather turns, and customers thin out due to the cold and rain. Many food carts just can’t survive on the shoestring business, or they are just too cold to stay open. We have a couple of suggestions if you plan on closing up your cart for a short period of time or for the winter.

You will want to drain both water tanks, fresh and gray water. It is recommended to keep the spigots open.  Food Carts Portland also supports… ‘a procedure called “blowing out” which is by attaching a blow-out plug to their city water entry hooking up compressed air regulated at 45p.s.i. and simply push the water out the faucets. Then turn on your pump for 30 seconds leave your faucets open till spring and if equipped open your low point drains for your water lines.’ You want all the water out of the pipes, so the water doesn’t freeze and break them when it expands.

You will want to remove all food from the unit as well as from any storage containers outside. You may want to remove anything that is not bolted down. Another outstanding idea is to move the mobile food unit to a garage or storage area. Not only will this protect it from all types of vandalism but keeps the equipment in better shape if it does not have to endure the cold.  Drop me an email if there are any other ideas out there for surviving the winter.

Also, check out this post from Food Carts Portland on winterizing.