Best Generator for Food Truck

Your food truck is awesome! It looks great, obviously. But what your ability to cook all that delicious food? You need to find the best generator for food truck operators like yourself. We will help you pick out a reliable, portable and preferably something that has the power you need and isn’t loud. Let’s go.

Why invest in a good generator for your food truck?

It isn’t always possible to plug into an outlet and event planners don’t always consider supplying power for their food trucks. Weird, I know — but it happens! Having a reliable generator that can power all of your biggest appliances is a must for any food truck operator. You never want to risk losing business or decrease your mobility because of power limitations. Half the game is being able to drive to the customers, not the other way around.

This is even more crucial as food trucks operate during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many are hitting the road and offering delicious meals within residential neighborhoods and public parks, as social distancing guidelines limit the amount of people that can gather in one place.

A generator ensures that you’re 100% covered no matter where you set up shop and that you are always free to move on to more prime real estate.

How much power do I need?

Understanding the scope of what appliances you run is crucial to determining the amount of power you’ll need to run everything in your kitchen. There’s usually some pretty heavy artillery at work, such as refrigerators, AC, lighting and decor, etc. and they require a lot of juice to get the job done.

This can be broken down into appliances with resistive loads or reactive loads. Resistive loads take the same amount of power to start up as they do to run; this includes things like toasters and coffee makers. Electronics that qualify as reactive loaders take more power to start, but less power to run consistently afterward; fridges and air conditioners are examples of reactive load electronics.

Each generator has a specific wattage rating for both starting and running watts; the amount of juice required to get your appliances started, as well as what they need to keep going throughout the day. Calculate which generator suits your kitchen best by adding the total running wattage of all of your appliances, as well as your total starting wattage. Compare these numbers against the specifications of each generator and you’ll be cooking in no time!

We also recommend factoring in any upgrades you plan on purchasing for your portable kitchen when making a generator purpose. That new, 1600W espresso machine could put you over your power output if you buy too small of a generator.

The different types of generators

When considering which generator is right for you, it is important to understand whether you need a conventional generator or inverter generator. Both are solid options, but selection is based off of the needs of your food truck and what you need to run. Let’s break down the big differences:

Conventional Generator

• Typically used as the primary generator
• Produces power through a motor and alternator
• Heavier and larger in size than inverter generators
• Run for longer periods of time
• Usually have a higher power output
• Needs constant RPM

Inverter Generator

• *Typically quieter with less vibration
• Utilizes multiphase power and circuitry
• More fuel-efficient
• Lightweight and easier to move than conventional generators
• Engine speed can be adjusted for load variation

Both of these generators have their utility for different projects, which one best suits your food truck?

Don’t make some noise

This is one of the hottest topics when it comes to generators — how much noise does it make? If a generator is too loud it can get annoying pretty fast and can also impede your ability to talk to your customers. That’s a big no-no for most food truck businesses. You’re going to be standing next to this generator all day, several days a week, so make sure it’s volume output is something you can handle.

It is definitely worth buying a generator with a lower decibel output (this will also probably mean you want an inverter generator). Certain cities or areas of business may also require the noise level of generators to be under a predetermined decibel per their specific regulations or ordinances. Check your common areas of business before purchase to make sure you meet all the necessary requirements. Anywhere below 70 dB is usually a safe bet.

It’s also important to consider your customers when purchasing a generator; a noisy truck can be a turn-off for some potential diners.

Best Generator for Food Truck – 2024 Reviews

We hope you have an idea of your non-negotiables now and what you need in your generator. Whether you’re looking for uncompromising power or a quiet hum that won’t drive you nuts, you have options.

This is a generator that feels made for food truck operation. It has the high power output you need, without the ridiculously loud motor. If you need to run several appliances and run a pickup window at the same time, this is definitely a viable solution for you.

It can boast about high power for sure. With 7500W for start and 6500W for run, you can power virtually anything without fear of surges or outages. It has a 420 cc engine to pump out the voltage without compromise to performance. Considering the bang for your buck, the quiet motor is just the extra cherry on top. It can run as low as 55dB on a reduced load, and even when you run heavy duty the sound won’t blow your ears. This is a must when you’re working close proximity all day.

Run times are decent, especially for the power output. It can run up to 16 hours if you keep your load to a minimum (about 25%), but even running full-tilt you can get a half day’s worth of work before you need to refuel. For a more specific breakdown, you can expect about 0.41 GPH at 25%. Not amazing, but pretty average. It also has engine idle control to help reduce your fuel consumption depending on usage at any given time.

There is a typical pull-start that we are used to seeing on generators, but the addition of an electric start (with included battery) is a big plus. Little things like this just make the day run so much smoother. A diagnostic control panel is one of the big convenience adders as well, being able to see fuel level, remaining run time, and more from the digital display at a glance.

Circuit protection should always be a must for load bearing generators like this one, and you’ll be happy to know that Powerhouse kept this in mind. There is an auto-shutdown function so you don’t run the risk of hurting the generator or your appliances in the event of an accidental overload. It also produces a clean sine wave, so you can use it to power or charge sensitive electronics. This can come in handy if you need to plug in your phone or a GPS.

Now, this is a big boy. It weighs a whopping 287 pounds. So, even after attaching a wheel kit, you are limited in terms of mobility. This may not be a huge deal breaker if you plan to mount and ground your generator inside your truck; but, if you need something that can travel, this can also be a deal breaker.

For you food truck operators that really need a lot of power output, look no further. The Westinghouse Wgen7500DF is one of the best when it comes to pumping out high wattage for those large loads.

Let’s start with the big sell: the engine. It’s a 4 stroke, 420 cc that is ready to take on your biggest jobs. Large appliances and multiple device use isn’t a problem here, it has a start of 9550W and a run of 7500W. Power on with the easy electronic push-button start, or do it from the driver’s seat with the compatible remote key fob. It’s ready to use on demand, at the click of a button. It can’t get much better than that.

One of the coolest things about this generator is that you aren’t strictly limited to gas; you can fuel with propane as well. Keep in mind that propane will give you a slightly lower start and run wattage, about 8550W and 6750W, respectively. Westinghouse is also super proud of their “On the fly!” fuel change, and I’ve got to be honest, it’s pretty cool. If you need to refuel during your work day, you can switch from a gas to propane fuel supply — without needing to power down. Keep everything running, so your business doesn’t have to take a break.

Even with the convenience of fuel switching, the fuel economy on this generator is pretty darn good. At 50% load, you can still expect to get about 11 hours worth of work per tank (and that’s 6.6 gallons folks). Even if you run at closer to 75% to 100%, that’s still a good 5 to 8 hours of consistent power. This is a must for those busy days when you have a hungry line of customers waiting.

When you increase power output there will also be an increase in motor noise. This is to be expected. If your food truck relies on multiple high wattage electronics to run smoothly, it is almost unavoidable to have a bit of noise pollution. This machine isn’t deafening by any means, but you will probably have to raise your voice a bit when speaking to customers.

And finally, given how cool the “On the fly!” fuel change is, there is a small design flaw worth noting: there isn’t a designated auto shutdown for circuit overload. This could potentially be problematic if you’re running high on your wattage load, as switching from gas to propane will actually decrease the amount of wattage the generator can output.