A common problem many aspiring cooks struggle with: Should I open a sit-down restaurant or a food truck business?
It’s a valid concern and comparison. After all, while restaurants tend to be the more traditional route, food trucks tend to have lower startup and overhead costs, which is a major win for so many different reasons.
With that said, if you are looking to expand your restaurant’s brick-and-mortar presence, then we encourage you to enter the market that is purchasing a food truck (or even multiple food trucks). You can find five benefits of doing so below.
How A Food Truck Can Expand A Restaurant’s Brick-And-Mortar Presence
- The Catering Route
- Food Trucks Are Mobile
- Each Food Truck Is Basically Its Own Business
- Food Trucks Run Like A Small Business
- It’s One More Location
5.) The Catering Route
While many restaurants offer catering services, catering can be made that much easier with a food truck. After all, food trucks have everything a company needs for catering, such as a kitchen and all of the food.
Of course, catering alone can help you expand your restaurant’s brick-and-mortar presence. Catering helps you achieve the feat of serving new customers and getting your brand’s name out there. Not to mention, you never know who you are going to serve at your food truck’s catering gig. Plus, one catering gig could lead to another one, especially if you have a signup sheet at your gigs.
In a nutshell, catering becomes a simple process when a food truck is involved (at least compared to some of the alternatives). Plus, catering can help to increase brand awareness.
4.) Food Trucks Are Mobile
Food trucks are, of course, mobile, so they can go where restaurants can’t, which is to the customers. Food trucks can be found outside of gyms. They can be found at family reunions. They can be found at parades, festivals and concerts. They can, believe it or not, be found at weddings.
Basically, since food trucks are mobile, they have the ability to travel wherever they would like. This is, of course, huge when it comes to expanding your restaurant’s presence and audience.
3.) Each Food Truck Is Basically Its Own Business
Just like each restaurant (location) is basically its own business, each food truck is basically its own business as well. That means each food truck business has the ability to attract and retain new customers. That helps expand your restaurant’s presence, to say the least.
While each food truck has certain strategies it likely has to follow, and certain and specific meals it has to cook, each owner can tailor a food truck business differently, and that could lead to each business attracting different kinds of customers — and that helps with expanding a company’s presence.
2.) Food Trucks Run Like A Small Business
Since food trucks run like a small business in the sense that they tend to be smaller than sit-down restaurants and they tend to have fewer workers/employees, they actually run like a small business as well. This means the cook can actually interact with the customers, and that alone could help a restaurant when it comes to enhancing customer service.
When a business is smaller, it typically is more personal and an actual community can be formed (spoiler alert: food trucks are all about building communities). This is invaluable because it can lead to big-time restaurant franchises having locations (in this case, food trucks) that are smaller and have the ability to create communities.
Of course, many big-time restaurants might only use food trucks for catering gigs, food truck events, etc., but the managers of these food trucks can still create a community over time.
RELATED: Why You Really Can Make Your Dream Of Becoming A Food Truck Owner Come True
1.) It’s One More Location
In the grand scheme of things, a food truck can help a restaurant expand its brick-and-mortar presence because it is adding one more location to the mix … only this location can move around.
One more location means a restaurant can attract more customers, serve more customers and get its name out to more people. With one more location, your target audience and reach could grow, and that is especially the case with a food truck since, once again, it is mobile.
A business on wheels can do you wonders when it comes to expanding your presence, and the five points above are just the beginning.
Not sure where to start up a food truck? Let the article below (sneak peek included) be your guide.
Where Is The Ideal Place To Start A Food Truck Business?
Sneak Peek:
The thing is, you still have to put in the work.
You still have to work long hours. You still have to cook great food. You still have to advertise/market. You still have to find new catering gigs and food truck events — well, if that is in your business plan, that is. You still have to have an all-star customer service game. You still have to incorporate proper food truck maintenance. You still have to be a good manager. You still have to keep up with the times. You still have to … well, the list could go on and on.
While it is very important to find the ideal location for your food truck in hopes of setting yourself up for success, there is not a correct answer for every single food truck owner. Not to mention, a good location isn’t the ultimate answer, for you still have to run a solid business if you plan on surviving and thriving.
Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!
Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.
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