Mobile Kitchens

Food Truck Hood Cleaning in New Jersey

A mobile kitchen is still a commercial kitchen. NFPA 96 does not stop applying because the kitchen has wheels.

Request Service Call 732-770-0640
Overview

Food Trucks in New Jersey

Food trucks and concession trailers are the most consistently overlooked systems in the state. The hood is small, the duct run is short, and the whole thing is easy to forget - right up until an event organizer or a fire official asks for a cleaning record and there is not one. The system is compact, so the work is quick and inexpensive. Not having the paperwork is what actually costs money.

Why Mobile Kitchens Get Missed

No building, no routine inspection

A restaurant gets visited. A truck parked overnight does not, so nothing prompts the owner until a record is demanded.

Small system, concentrated grease

A short duct over a fryer and a flat-top loads up faster than its size suggests. Less surface area does not mean less grease.

Events ask for the certificate

Festivals, fairs and commissaries increasingly ask for a dated cleaning record before they let you set up. Turning up without one can cost you the day.

Suppression needs a clean hood

Your suppression contractor cannot properly certify a system caked in grease. Cleaning first makes that inspection straightforward.

Scope of Work

What a Truck Visit Looks Like

  • Filters removed and cleaned or replaced
  • Hood, plenum and the full duct run cleaned to bare metal where accessible
  • Exhaust fan cleaned and checked
  • Suppression nozzles checked for grease obstruction and reported
  • Dated certificate and photographs, issued the same day
Detail

The Honest Numbers

Mobile kitchens get skipped because owners assume it is a big job. It is the smallest job we do.

Time on site
Most single-hood trucks are finished in one visit. The duct run is short and there is no ceiling to open up.
What it costs you in downtime
Book it on a day you are not trading and it costs you nothing but the visit.
What you walk away with
A dated certificate and before/after photographs, same day — the document festivals and commissaries ask for.
Where we do it
Wherever the truck is parked, anywhere in New Jersey. It does not need to come to us.
In Practice

What Mobile Operators Run Into

The expensive one is losing a booking. Festival and event organizers increasingly ask for a cleaning record as a condition of setting up, and that request usually arrives days before the event. Without a certificate there is no time to fix it.

The second is the suppression inspection. Your suppression contractor cannot properly certify nozzles buried in grease, so a truck that skips hood cleaning often fails the inspection it actually needed to pass, and pays for a second visit.

The third is underestimating the buildup. A short duct over a fryer concentrates grease faster than the same appliance under a full commercial hood, because there is far less surface area for it to spread across. Small system does not mean slow accumulation.

Results

Our Work

Real jobs we performed in New Jersey. Our customers get the same photos in their service report.

hood baffle filters before cleaning by Vent Max Services, showing grease buildup Before
The same hood baffle filters after NFPA 96 cleaning by Vent Max Services After
hood baffle filters before cleaning by Vent Max Services, showing grease buildup Before
The same hood baffle filters after NFPA 96 cleaning by Vent Max Services After

See all before & after results →

Food Trucks — Common Questions

Does NFPA 96 apply to food trucks?
Yes. NFPA 96 applies to commercial cooking operations that produce grease-laden vapors, and a mobile kitchen is not excluded because it has wheels. New Jersey fire officials and event organizers routinely ask mobile vendors for a cleaning record.
How often does a food truck hood need cleaning?
It follows the same volume-based logic as a fixed kitchen. A truck running fryers five or six days a week needs it far more often than one working occasional weekends. Most active trucks land on quarterly; we will tell you where yours sits after seeing the system.
Do I get a certificate for event permits?
Yes - a dated certificate with before and after photographs, issued the same day. That is what festival organizers and commissaries ask to see.
How long does it take?
Most trucks are done in a single visit. The system is compact, so it is the quickest and cheapest job we do - which is exactly why there is no good reason to skip it.
Can you come to wherever the truck is parked?
Yes - your commissary, your lot, your driveway, anywhere in New Jersey. The truck does not need to come to us, and for most operators losing half a day driving somewhere is more expensive than the cleaning itself.
My truck has a ventless or recirculating hood. Do I still need this?
It still needs servicing, but it is a different job. A recirculating system relies on its filter stages rather than a duct to the outside, so the filters and the unit itself are what load up. Tell us what you are running and we will tell you honestly whether you need us and what it involves.

Serving Food Trucks Across New Jersey

Vent Max Services LLC provides NFPA 96 compliant kitchen exhaust cleaning throughout all 21 New Jersey counties. Trucks and trailers wherever they park, from Jersey City and Newark through Middlesex County and the shore.

Hood Cleaning  ·  Grease Duct Cleaning  ·  Rooftop Fan Cleaning

Middlesex County  ·  Hudson County  ·  Monmouth County  ·  All Service Areas

Also serving Pizzerias  ·  Schools & Universities

Request Service Call 732-770-0640