Are you new to the food truck industry? Perhaps you are more fresh than that and have yet to buy your very own food truck. Therefore, your mind might be racing with questions.
For example, you might be wondering what a business plan should include, where you can buy a food truck, if you have what it takes to enter this industry, how social media works and the list goes on and on. While we won’t be answering all of those questions, we will be providing future and relatively new food truck owners with some helpful tips. Use them to your advantage.
Bonus: Know the laws. There are so many laws that food truck owners have to learn before they jump into this industry, and they can be different in every state. Before you even think about buying a food truck, you might want to learn the laws in your area first.
Helpful Tips For New Food Truck Owners
- Pick A Concept That You Love And Can Conquer
- Don’t Forget About Marketing/Promoting Your Food Truck
- Don’t Buy An Unreliable Lunch Truck
- Plan For Everything Now — Literally, Right Now
Pick A Concept That You Love And Can Conquer
Picking a food truck concept is not an easy task. Sure, you can change your concept as many times as you want, but do you really want to be doing that to your customers? Do you really think that will be beneficial to your brand?
It’s okay to add meals that don’t necessarily line up with your food truck concept, but you should probably stick with said concept for the most part. After all, this scenario would not be good for business: You state that your food truck concept is Hawaiian, but your menu is filled with Mexican dishes. That simply wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense and is bad form. Of course, you won’t be doing that.
The key is to pick a concept that you love and know you can conquer. If Italian recipes are your thing, then by all means start up an Italian truck. If you love cooking burgers and also have some unique recipes up your sleeve, then make that your concept. The choice is yours, but it’s so important to pick a concept that you enjoy and are also an all-star in.
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Don’t Forget About Marketing/Promoting Your Food Truck
Many food truck owners enter this industry and don’t even realize how important marketing/promoting their food trucks is. Needless to say, it’s crucial if you plan on growing in this industry.
And yes, things like social media definitely come into play, and you have to implement a social media strategy if you own a mobile kitchen.
Here’s the thing, if you don’t promote your truck, then how are people going to know about it? We live in a day and age where we can reach an endless amount of people without even interacting with them face to face. That is where social networks like Facebook come into play.
If you would prefer someone else doing all of the marketing and promoting for you, then that is perfectly fine, but you cannot put this concept on hold.
Don’t Buy An Unreliable Lunch Truck
This might sound a bit silly, but don’t buy an unreliable truck. In other words, don’t buy a cheap food truck just because it can save you some money initially. This could lead to some serious nightmares for your business down the road.
For example, if you decide to get a cheap truck and something major breaks down, you will not only have to pay to get that part fixed, but you will also be losing money every single day your truck is out of commission.
The smartest thing to do is to buy a reliable truck that comes with warranties. More likely than not, if you buy a high-end truck, it will not only operate better, but it will also look better, which is huge in an industry that involves food. No one wants to order food from a dump, right?
If you can’t afford a high-end truck on your own, then financing is a great route. Another route is saving up more money until you can afford a reliable truck. There is no need to rush into this industry with an unreliable truck, and doing so could spell doom for your business in no time.
Plan For Everything Now — Literally, Right Now
There is more to the food truck industry than buying a mobile catering truck, cooking up food and then serving said food. You are running a business in every sense of the word and there is a lot that goes into that, which is why you have to not only make a killer business plan, but also plan for everything before you even enter this industry.
You might not be worried about the offseason when you open up your business in the spring, but you have to plan ahead, and you have to especially plan for the offseason if you plan on making it as a lunch truck owner. The key is to plan out everything now so you will be prepared for whatever the food truck industry throws your way when you finally do open up your mobile kitchen.
If you are looking to break into this industry, make sure to request a custom quote!
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