- Mobile kitchen service owners are responsible for obtaining all of the required permits and licenses required for each location of food-service operations. It is the owner's duty to know what is required beforehand, to avoid breaking the laws of counties, cities and states in which the service operates.
- Mobile kitchen service owners either move their unit or pay to have it transported to a work site. The frequency of moving depends on whether the unit serves multiple locations on a daily basis or travels extensively to local fairs, festivals, circuses or local businesses.
- Daily pre-opening duties include thorough cleaning of all cooking equipment, floors and storage areas, as well as making sure the outside of the unit looks presentable. Water tanks must be refilled each day with clean, potable water. Waste tanks must be emptied in designated and permissible garbage containers. If the mobile kitchen offers a dining area (with picnic tables, benches and/or a condiment table), these areas are cleaned, sanitized and readied for customers.
- Mobile kitchen service is all about the food. Therefore, the owner spends a portion of each day on inventory, ordering and shopping for ingredients. Once inventory is restocked, food preparation begins, several hours before the unit is opened to customers. Washing, chopping fruit and vegetables, smoking meat and preparing condiments are some of the many duties that must be performed daily.
- During operating hours, the mobile kitchen service owner wears many hats--including those of a cook, server and cashier--depending on the number of staff working in the mobile kitchen during any given shift. Owners must be gifted at multitasking, customer service and managerial skills.
- A mobile kitchen service owner is also responsible for maintaining the books, keeping accurate records, and handling cash (including paying bills, taxes and permit/license fees). Permits must be posted according to local ordinances, and commonly, a folder of important documents is kept readily available for visits from inspectors, insurance companies and other interested parties. Some owners will utilize the services of an accountant, while others will do their own book keeping, either manually or with financial small-business software.
- Marketing duties, including creating banners and signs, are also key in daily operations. The owner may design and create menus, displays and menu boards. If his mobile kitchen services operates locally, he may buy advertising in local media (including TV, newspapers and radio) as well.
