Check out five of the best food truck countertop grills for under £500
Burgers and hotdogs have been one of the most popular street food for many years now and you will often see queues of people lined up at these types of food trucks.
This means mobile food vendors need decent commercial grills to keep up with the hungry masses.
So what are the best food truck flat-top grills on the market?
Well to help you find out I have put together the best food truck countertop grills for under £500 ($600)
These grills have been selected based on price and performance and are suitable not just for food trucks but also for other mobile catering operations such as food stalls and carts.
Buyers Guide
When buying a new food truck flat-top grill there are a few things you may want to consider before making a purchase.
Grill Size
In a food truck or food stall, space is at a premium and you are often working in tight spaces, along with other staff.
But at the same time, you need a food truck grill that is large enough to keep up with demand.
This means you should go for a countertop grill that has a generous amount of surface space to grill your food.
All of the commercial grills below are a minimum of 52cm wide, which is probably the smallest to go for with a food truck.
Cleaning
Most flattop grills and griddles for food trucks are made from a combination of cast iron and stainless steel.
Stainless steel is usually rust-free, but this isn’t the case with cast iron which is prone to rust.
To avoid this make sure you keep the grill dry once it has been cleaned.
Commercial grade
When buying a countertop grill for a food truck or food stall always make sure it is advertised as commercial grade.
You will be potentially serving hundreds of people per day so you need to make sure the equipment is up to the task.
You don’t want to have queues of people waiting to be served and your grill breaks down halfway through.
1. TAIMIKO Electric Griddle Commercial Counter Top Stainless Steel Hot Plate Kitchen Grill
Dimensions: 55 x 45 x 23cm
Weight: 16kg
Power: Electric (3000 watts)
Build Material: Cast iron and stainless steel
Features:
Splatter guard | Temperature control | Easy clean
This is probably the best commercial grill if you are on a tight budget and is at the lower end of flat-top grills under £500.
It’s commercial-grade and has a high heat distribution which means it cooks food evenly.
In addition, It has a nifty little drain hole for collecting oil which goes into a tray underneath the grill plate.
This is good for cleaning the grill quickly which is very handy when you have customers to serve.
It’s also relatively lightweight which means it’s pretty mobile when you move between events.
You can buy this grill on Amazon at the latest price
2. Royal Catering Electric Grill
Dimensions: 48 x 55 x 24cm
Weight: 23.3 kg
Power: Electric (3000 watts)
Build Material: Cast iron & stainless steel
Features:
Splatter guard | Temperature control | Temperature constancy control
The Royal Catering flat-top grill is a slight upgrade from the first and in the middle in terms of pricing.
It has a pretty high splatter guard which is good for keeping oil off of surfaces.
Like the previous grill, it has temperature control for even cooking and a drain hole and catch tray for oil.
It also has a ready device which indicates when the hot plate is ready to use.
You can buy this grill on Amazon at the latest price
3. Buffalo Countertop Electric Griddle
Dimensions: 45 x 52.5 x 20 cm
Weight: 23.8 Kg
Power: Electric (2200 watts)
Build Material: Cast iron & stainless steel
Features:
ABS control dial | European thermostat | Splatter Guard
Buffalo countertop grills are a pretty well-known brand on the food stall scene in the UK and a reliable bit of kit.
These are a bit more expensive than the previous two food truck grills
It has heavy-duty commercial-grade elements and thermostats and the company that produces these even tells you how many burgers you can make in an hour (100 per hour).
You can buy this grill on Amazon at the latest price
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4. Royal Catering Electric Griddle Plate
Dimensions: 53 x 73 x 24 cm
Weight: 34.7 Kg
Power: Electric (2 x 2,200 W)
Build Material: Grill steel & stainless steel
Features:
Thermostat and temperature regulator|Splatter guard | Drain device
This Royal Catering model has a larger surface space with a width of 73cm compared to 55cm for its small cousin.
It has all the same features as the smaller model, with automatic temperature control.
However, this model has a handy additional feature with two sections that can be used for grilling and keeping cooked food warm.
This is very handy for when you haven’t got a queue waiting but are expecting a rush of people and don’t want to be caught off guard.
This commercial grill is at the top end of our budget, but that extra cost can be translated into more capacity and hence higher sales.
You can buy this grill on Amazon at the latest price
5. Buffalo Extra Wide Countertop Electric Griddle
Dimensions: 74.2 x 46.2 x 24.1 cm
Weight: 34.2kg
Power: Electric (2900 watts)
Build Material: Cast iron & stainless steel
Features:
ABS control dial | European thermostat | Splatter Guard
This grill is probably the best in terms of performance, size, and build quality and is at the high end of the budget.
It’s the larger version of the well-known Buffalo countertop electric griddle and has all the same features.
The only real difference, which can be an important one, is it has a larger surface space for cooking and frying.
The one downside I would say about this larger grill (and this also applies to the Large Royal catering model) is that they are relatively heavy at around 34kg.
This is just worth bearing in mind when it comes to mobility and moving between events.
You can buy this grill on Amazon at the latest price
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Final verdict
In summary, if you are just starting out all of these food truck flat-top gills are the best for food trucks or food stalls in terms of price and performance.
You really don’t need to spend £1000 or more on high-end commercial grills to get the desired results.
Out of the five, I would personally recommend the buffalo countertop grills as they are very heavy-duty, last a long time, and are very popular amongst mobile caterers in the UK.
In particular, I would go for the larger Buffalo grill model as it has more surface space.
It’s better to have a surplus capacity for cooking when starting out, instead of finding out you need a bigger grill as you become busier.
And on that note, I think I might go and make myself a cheeseburger!
Author
Gavin D is the founder of Street Food Central and Tru Foo Juice Bar Co. and has worked in the mobile catering industry for over 7 years.