Grease Trap Cleaning & Service
Clean and maintain grease traps for restaurants and commercial kitchens
Overview
Grease trap services charge $150-$500 per pumping depending on trap size and frequency.
Servicing 100-300 traps monthly generates $120,000-$500,000 annually with 60-75% margins after trucks, disposal, labor, and equipment.
In 2025, restaurants and commercial kitchens must regularly clean grease traps per health codes and plumbing regulations, creating consistent recurring demand.
Services include pumping and cleaning grease traps, disposing grease and waste properly, inspecting trap condition and plumbing, coordinating scheduled service (monthly, quarterly), emergency calls for clogs, providing compliance documentation for health inspectors, cleaning grease interceptors, and educating kitchen staff.
Successful businesses operate vacuum trucks for pumping, understand health department requirements, maintain reliable scheduled service (often monthly), dispose grease at proper facilities or recycling, and build routes of restaurant clients.
Restaurants, hotels, institutional kitchens, and food service facilities require regular service by law.
Most clients need monthly or quarterly service creating predictable recurring revenue.
Route density key to profitability with multiple clients serviced per day.
Required Skills
- Vacuum Truck Operation
- Plumbing Knowledge
- Health Code Compliance
- Customer Service
- Route Planning
- Equipment Maintenance
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Recurring monthly revenue from restaurant clients
- High profit margins after truck investment
- Essential service required by health codes
- Recession-resistant (restaurants need service always)
- Can sell recovered grease to biodiesel producers
Cons
- Unpleasant dirty work with grease and sewage
- High startup costs for vacuum truck
- Emergency calls outside normal hours
- Need proper grease disposal facility access
- Competition for restaurant accounts
How to Get Started
- Purchase or lease vacuum truck for pumping
- Get proper licensing and waste disposal permits
- Research grease disposal options (recycling or disposal)
- Develop pricing based on trap size and frequency
- Market to restaurants, hotels, institutional kitchens
- Build efficient routes with monthly service contracts
- Provide compliance documentation for health inspectors
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