Food trucks

Digital inventory in the food truck - mobile, fast and effortless

Anyone who runs a food truck knows that the "kitchen on wheels" brings with it special challenges - especially when it comes to stocktaking. Limited space, fast-paced daily business and lots of fresh ingredients make stocktaking in a food truck a chore. Regular stocktaking is crucial in order to always know what is on board and to avoid spoilage or shortages. Food trucks in particular can benefit enormously from a simple, digital inventory solution - because you can keep track of ingredients, drinks, packaging, etc. on the move and without much effort.

What makes food trucks special

• Changing locations and days of operation: Your food truck is sometimes here, sometimes there - today at the street food market, tomorrow at a festival, next week at your regular spot. These changing locations and irregular operating days mean fluctuating sales figures. Sometimes you have a rush at the weekend, sometimes there is a lull during the week. The inventory has to adapt flexibly to this rhythm so that you know what's on board before each use and can see what's been used after the event.
• High frequency on peak days: On peak days or at festivals, the queue of customers in front of your food truck can feel endless. Hundreds of orders in a short space of time are not uncommon. This high throughput puts a heavy strain on stock - ingredients, sauces, drinks and packaging are flying off the shelves. Without good stock management, you run the risk of running into replenishment problems in the middle of an event. Every food truck operator knows the nightmare of running out of the main ingredient before closing time.
• Hardly any storage space - every item counts: In a mobile catering business, space is pure luxury. Your entire warehouse consists of a few shelves, refrigerated compartments and boxes in the truck. Every product, from ketchup to disposable cups, has to share its space. That's why you often drive on sight - just-in-time procurement is common: you only buy what you need for the day or the next to minimize waste and make the best use of the limited space. Every item therefore counts twice: it must neither take up too much space nor run out unnoticed.
• Fast turnover and perishable goods: Fresh food is the heart of a food truck - and a ticking clock. Many food trucks deliberately only store a few days' supply, often 3-5 days of food (fresh products even less than a week). This means that your inventory "turns" quickly and much of it is sold in a few days or has to be disposed of. Without precise stock control, you run the risk of goods spoiling or suddenly finding yourself without ingredients because everything was sold faster than expected. An efficient inventory system helps you to master this fast cycle.

The typical challenges of stocktaking in a food truck

• No time for long inventories: Hand on heart - counting boxes for hours after a long market day or festival evening? Hardly any food truck operator has time for this. Although stocktaking is important, it is often put off until "later" because it is too time-consuming and tiring. In the hectic day-to-day business, there is not enough time to shut down the vehicle for a long time just for stocktaking purposes. As a result, stocktaking takes place less frequently, which can lead to confusion in the warehouse.
• Counting in a confined space: The lack of space is particularly noticeable when you want to count stocks. There is hardly any room to move between the grill, fridge and storage crates. Every count becomes a balancing act in the tightest of spaces - you crawl under counters, push boxes aside and note down numbers on the fly. Mistakes are easy to make when you're groping for the last bottle of sauce in the dark on a shelf.
• Ingredient quantities are often difficult to estimate: How much ketchup is left in the bottle I just opened? How many portions of chips can I get from the half-full bag of potatoes? Such questions are difficult to answer with the naked eye. Food trucks work a lot with open containers and opened packs. Estimating the exact quantity is a challenge - which means that stocktaking is often done pi by thumbs. The danger: you overestimate and either order too much (which then spoils) or too little (and there is not enough for the next rush).
• Many disposable items (e.g. cups, packaging): In addition to food, non-food items such as cups, cutlery, napkins and to-go boxes must also be counted. These items are often available in large quantities and shrink rapidly in the heat of the moment. Because they seem cheap, they are often overlooked in the inventory - until suddenly there are no more cups and no drinks can be dispensed. The challenge is to consistently keep an eye on these "small parts" without losing track of them.

How BarBrain supports food trucks

• Inventory by +/- or slider: Instead of laboriously counting each item and entering it in a list, BarBrain allows you to conveniently record your stocks by tapping or swiping. Using simple quantity widgets (plus/minus buttons or sliders), you can set the available quantity - ideal for ingredients in portions, bottles in boxes or quantities of products. No need to scan or type long columns of numbers: You simply adjust the value and the app remembers the stock figure.
• Mobile use - ideal for trucks without WLAN: Food trucks are often located in places where the kitchen's WLAN is not sufficient - from remote festival grounds to rural street festivals. BarBrain is made for mobile use. You can carry out the inventory directly on your smartphone or tablet. Even if there is no stable internet connection, counting is still possible (e.g. in offline mode or via a mobile network). This means you are not reliant on an office or stationary POS system, but can carry out your digital inventory in the food truck anywhere and at any time.
• Customizable warehouse structure: Every food truck is set up differently. BarBrain lets you map your stock structure individually - for example in categories such as ingredients, drinks and non-food. This means you can find your way around the app immediately: from the mayo bottle to the drinks crate to the paper cup, everything is in its digital place. This flexible structure means that you can also make quick adjustments to changing product ranges (such as seasonal dishes or special promotions).
• No training required - ready to go straight away: The app is designed so intuitively that you don't need lengthy training sessions. Your employees can join in straight away without having to wade through manuals first. BarBrain focuses on the essentials - a quick count without distractions. The result is a clean inventory list as a snapshot on the key date, without any complex automatic reports or evaluations in the background. You get exactly the figures you need and save yourself the rest.
  

Advantages for food truck operators

• Faster recording saves valuable time: With BarBrain, you drastically reduce your inventory workload. What used to take hours after work is now done in minutes. You can invest the time saved in more important things - whether it's preparing new recipes or simply finishing work early after a busy day at the market.
• Better overview with high throughput: Despite hectic business, you keep a complete overview of your stock. Even if hundreds of portions go over the counter on a peak day, you can always see what's still available in the app. This makes decisions easier - for example, whether you need to adjust the menu spontaneously because an ingredient is running low. A digital stock control system in the food truck ensures that you don't lose track, even at high speed.
• Precise control before and after events: Many food truckers take stock before loading for the event and after returning. BarBrain provides you with optimum support. Before the event, you use the app to check whether everything has been loaded in sufficient quantities. After the event, you can quickly record what is left over. This allows you to see exactly what goods have been used. This transparency helps with post-event costing and planning: next time, you know exactly what quantities you need to pack for a similar event.
• Less shrinkage, better use of goods: regular stocktaking with a suitable tool uncovers shrinkage - whether due to spoilage, theft or losses. You will recognize more quickly if stock is "disappearing" somewhere or an excessive amount is being thrown away. At the same time, you optimize your use of goods: you order the right quantities in a more targeted manner and reduce excess stock. This means less food waste and a better margin, because every euro you buy is sold and doesn't end up in the garbage can.
  

"Since we switched our inventory to digital, I save hours of work every week. I used to stand in the food truck after events with a clipboard, but now I just use my smartphone: I enter the quantities in the BarBrain app using the sliders - and everything is counted in 10 minutes. The result? I know immediately what's left, can reorder specifically and finally have the feeling that I have the stocks under control."

Conclusion: Inventory in the food truck? It's easy with BarBrain

Taking stock in a food truck does not have to remain a necessary evil. Mobile catering businesses in the street food sector face particular challenges when it comes to counting their stock - but this is exactly where a solution like BarBrain comes in. Digital stocktaking for food trucks means less effort, a better overview and fewer losses. Instead of struggling through cramped warehouses with pen and paper, you can now take stock in your food truck quickly and stress-free using an app. With BarBrain, you can keep track of ingredients, drinks and packaging at all times - and can concentrate fully on the essentials: Your customers and your culinary offering. This turns stocktaking from a stress factor into child's play - mobile, fast and effortless.