Confused

[pdxfood]

Okay, so this all may sound a bit ridiculous but bear with me lol. I have this ... "Bus". Basically it's like a Frankenstein vehicle of a Chevy van and a bus. So I'm wanting to convert it to a food truck. Will this thing work? I'm kind of confused as to how these people even built this vehicle lol. Anyone seen anything like this?

[bansil]

Welcome, just a typical Chevy short bus, it looks familiar

Seen a bunch as food trucks

Know the local regs before starting a food truck biz

Good luck

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by pdxfood

... I'm wanting to convert it to a food truck. Will this thing work?

FIRST go to your local heath dept and get the regs. Be prepared to get the runaround. It's not personal but HD's get a lot of looker that back away from the hassle involved. What state are you in? Some states are harder than others. Some just make it difficult, others make it almost impossible. I suggest that you make a mobile kitchen. Costs more but gives you more options. Build to pass either CA requirements (toughest in the US) or TX (saner but still tough). If you can pass an inspection in either of those states, generally you can pass an inspection anywhere. We built the food cart to pass TX requirements. We passed TX requirements (food handler permits & certified food manager). We vended in NC, GA, TX & NM. Hard work and long hours. The street vendors in NM are not doing well. They have to have supplement to their vending, either 2nd job or chase festivals a lot.

Go to the pro forum on Roadfood.com and READ both the Restaurant and the Hot Dog. We all pretty much posted in both. Dealing with the idiot regulations for mobile kitchens are mostly covered in the Hot Dog carts (covers all the street and festival vendor topics). If you are serious about this then you need to be reading and posting on those forums. And don't think you can "get away" with anything in regards to a heath inspection or permitting. You know the expression "Cleanliness is next to Godliness"? Well you need to be shooting above heaven for cleanliness on a food cart.

BTW, we could pass any surprise inspection by the Health Dept. And have passed several in TX, NC and NM. Anytime, anywhere. We passed.

We no longer vend. It got to be too hard on David, the money just wasn't here in NM (tacos is all they want and they don't seem to be keeping the remaining vendors occupied). Now that David is gone, I have no intention of getting back in to that mess. Plus it's getting harder to make a living vending food. I only keep in touch with one food vendor now. The things I had predicted several years ago is coming to pass. The legal permitted food vendors are being regulated out of existence leaving the non-permitted free to do as they please.

[pdxfood]

Originally Posted by bansil

Welcome, just a typical Chevy short bus, it looks familiar

Seen a bunch as food trucks

Know the local regs before starting a food truck biz

Good luck

See, that's what I thought, but it's a Chevy g10 van and I can't find any of those that look like a bus. There's no side door like buses have either

[bansil]

hard to tell from those pictures, it almost looks like the rear roof part may of been raised after it left the factory (I am guessing due to the very squared off front edge above lights)

[bansil]

this is typical, note roof line?


this one is ford with your body, plus a possible roof raise

[somewhereinusa]

hard to tell from those pictures

What pictures, I don't see any pictures.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

What pictures, I don't see any pictures.

That because the pictures are like The Emperor's New Clothes. They are invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent... Sorry. Couldn't resist. For some silly reason that always pops into my pea brain every time someone posts an image that doesn't make it on to the screen yet the poster thinks everyone can see it. I think I need to go back to cutting the metal trim for the mosaic in the bathroom.

[ol trunt]

Can't resist asking---Lorna, does that mean you can't see the pics either--I can. Just joking and I'm sure you'll find a way to pay me back. Ha, Ha. Jack

[EastCoastCB]

Ok, I the pic wasn't showing but now it is. That looks really sweet!

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Can't resist asking---Lorna, does that mean you can't see the pics either--I can. Just joking and I'm sure you'll find a way to pay me back. Ha, Ha. Jack

It's a black bus.... and I'll get you when you aren't looking!

[pdxfood]

Yeah..so I'm a bit embarrassed. Haha the person I bought it from just put g10 van on the title for other reasons, and my friend was saying how buses have side doors where kids get on, and this one doesn't, but now that I think of it it's a 1980 so they were probably different then. Haha my bad. Thanks for all your feedback!

[Veganvegabond]

I saw that bus on craigslist and wish I could have bought it since it's registered as a passenger vehicle. The owner went through a lot of trouble to register it as such. Given that St. Johns is just a MAX ride away.

[somewhereinusa]

I must have got educated over night, the picture shows now.

[bansil]

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

I must have got educated over night, the picture shows now.

Common core must actually work

[pdxfood]

Originally Posted by Veganvegabond

I saw that bus on craigslist and wish I could have bought it since it's registered as a passenger vehicle. The owner went through a lot of trouble to register it as such. Given that St. Johns is just a MAX ride away.

I'm so happy to own it, it really is a great bus. They did a lot of amazing work on it.

[sdwarf36]

In Ct, its looked like this for the last 2 months.

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