GRANDVILLE, Mich. — As temperatures climbed on one of the hottest days of the year, many people looked for ways to stay cool. For local food truck owners, however, staying inside wasn't an option.
Instead, they spent the day cooking over hot grills and fryers inside metal kitchens that can become significantly hotter than the air outside.
Summer is the busiest season for Pronto Pup Grand Rapids owner Andy Bogart. But on days like today, the heat can change everything.
"It's just too hot to have kids out here. No one's really walking their dogs. Sometimes they just don't want to have something hot and eat. It does negatively impact sales sometimes and operations," Bogart said.
Bogart said the conditions inside his truck can become especially challenging while working over a 400-degree fryer, even with exhaust fans running.
By early afternoon, he had already made the decision to pack up earlier than usual as temperatures soared.
"It impacts like the overall heat, like the CO2 and the output on the generator, as we know, it just you have no movement of air or anything," Bogart said.
Just a few spaces down, Lauren D'Angelo, owner of Patty Matters, has been running her food truck for more than a decade. She says hot days come with the territory — but they also come with a plan.
"Inside the truck is typically 20 to 40 degrees warmer than it is outside. If it's 95 degrees outside, we top out at close to 140 degrees in the hottest spot in our truck," D'Angelo said.
That's why she makes sure her employees stay hydrated, rotate out of the hottest spots and take breaks before the heat takes its toll.
"Electrolyte water is a necessity for us. We also carried like Gatorade or Powerade for our employees to make sure that they get and stay hydrated. We have some cooling elements too that kind of help, like neck wraps that are frozen, and we have some personal fans and stuff for people to use," D'Angelo said.
Even when temperatures climb, both owners say they'll keep showing up.
"I'd rather be out here than not. we are blessed with that. We are happy to do it even in high temps and stuff," Bogart said.
D'Angelo echoed that commitment.
"We're going to sell food. It doesn't matter if it's 120 degrees outside," D'Angelo said.
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