Limited storage
Every cubic inch on the truck matters—over-loading wastes fuel and space while under-loading means running out at stop three of a four-stop day.
Commissary coordination
Prep happens off-truck but service happens on the road—when commissary production and truck loading drift out of sync, the first stop opens late.
Travel timing
Setup windows, permit restrictions, and traffic between stops compress the day—one delayed departure cascades through every stop on the route.
Equipment readiness
Griddles, fryers, and holding units need pre-service checks every morning—equipment failures discovered at the festival gate cost hours you don't have.
Generator checks
Power reliability determines whether you can serve—generator maintenance and fuel levels tracked on paper don't survive a busy festival season.
Weather
Rain collapses lunch traffic at outdoor lots while heat spikes holding-temp risk—demand and food safety both shift with conditions you can't control.
Festival demand
Concert series and street fairs spike volume unpredictably—standing prep plans sized for a Tuesday office park fail when 2,000 guests show up on Saturday.
Route planning
Which stops earn recurring slots? Revenue per location, travel time, and setup cost should drive the route—not habit or whoever booked first.
Inventory replenishment
Mid-route restock decisions happen without commissary visibility—running short on proteins at stop two means improvising or disappointing guests at stop four.
Food safety
Temp logs, holding times, and commissary batch records must follow the product from kitchen to truck to window—not live in binders that nobody updates during service.
Permitting
Health permits, parking authorizations, and event contracts vary by location—missing a renewal or showing up at the wrong zone stops service before it starts.
Labor
Too few hands at festival setup, too many during a slow office park lunch. Overtime shows up after the route already burned the crew and compromised service windows.