Can you build a toaster for a food truck?

General lounge Commercial Ops
1

Hello!

I work with a local charity in Surrey who operates a catering food truck, whereby all proceeds support the homeless in Surrey and Langley.

Our problem is that we need to serve 100+ hot dogs - while quickly and consistently toasting the buns - during a 1-2 hour session.

We have a propane powered generator which provides electrical power, but the high draw from an electric toaster make that option completely unfeasible. Also, a propane powered, commercial conveyor toaster is much too large and expensive to be viable - especially within such a limited space.

I think I may have an elegant solution which would require a motorized vertical wire conveyor, rotating the buns in a loop, from top to bottom within a vertical enclosure - which is positioned over one of the stove top burners for constant heating/toasting.

Please understand that while I ‘think’ that may be an idea that will solve the problem, I’m open to any and all alternatives. I’d even appreciate feedback to this post from VHS members.

So if this is something you may have experience with and/or have done something similar in the past and would like to help out a great local charity, please let me know ASAP by providing some links to previous related work.

Thank you in advance!

PLEASE NOTE:

~ We currently don’t have a budget set aside (I don’t know how to put a number to a project such as this), but I’m sure we can cover costs, make a sizeable donation to VHS and give social media attention through our charity’s channels;

~ I can share a sketch for discussion via email to those who are interested in this type of project.

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As you have a stove burner, have you considered bun spikes? This came up in google, but it’s a simple concept: https://dogspike.ca/bbq-toaster/

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Thanks for the link! I’m going to run it by the team and see what they think as we don’t cut the buns until just before serving, so it may be a viable option.

In the meantime, if you’re up for seeing what I sketched I’d happy to share it with you…?

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Can confirm, spiked hotdog buns are the best thing ever. There was a German guy in Calgary who ran a cart who prepared his buns that way. Could eat an entire curry wurst dog without getting a spot on your suit or tie.

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oh that guy! yeah, those were the best hotdogs ever!

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Thanks for the feedback from you both!

I like it more than what I had in mind :wink:

It’s a much more elegant solution…

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from a more civilized age

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Well, I learnt their wonderous ways in Australia, and @dbynoe and @Metal_Janet in Alberta… :stuck_out_tongue: I’d say it’s more a case of evolution at work!

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agreed!

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You realize all I want to eat are hot dogs right now? Thanks a lot. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Sorry about that :slight_smile:

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