You are finally thinking about entering the mobile kitchen industry, and you have started browsing food trucks for sale as a result.
First off, that is awesome, and we hope you make all of your wildest dreams come true once you finally become a food truck owner! Secondly, when you are searching for food trucks, we recommend you stay away from the cheap ones.
Sure, opening up a food truck business is not cheap, and you are risking a ton of your money in the process, but it is best to skip cheap food trucks altogether. To find out more, check out the cons of cheap food trucks below.
RELATED: The Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Open A Food Truck Over A Sit-Down Restaurant
Cons Of Purchasing A Cheap Food Truck
- A Cheaper Truck Typically Means Older Equipment
- The Breaking Down Factor
- Your Mobile Kitchen Might Not Have Warranties
- It Typically Isn’t Customizable
- This Is Your Business, And You Should Love It
A Cheaper Truck Typically Means Older Equipment
A cheap food truck costs less money than a high-end food truck for a reason: It is older. If it isn’t older, then the equipment simply isn’t as high of quality as it could be.
If the equipment is old, then you likely won’t be able to make food as efficiently as you could. And your food might not come out as good as it should, either.
If the truck itself is cheap, then that simply means you have a cheap vehicle on your hands, and if that is the case, then who knows what could go wrong … and when it will happen.
The Breaking Down Factor
A cheap food truck might be unreliable, and if that is the case, then it is eventually going to break down. Not only is that going to cost you a ton of money to fix — well, depending on what breaks, and how frequently things go out of commission on your truck — but you will be losing money every single day your truck is getting fixed/not selling food.
If your truck breaks down more often than not, or if you miss a food truck event/catering gig as a result of something breaking down, then you could lose credibility. Not only could that lead to you not getting hired again by the person who hired you in the first place but it could hurt your chances of landing catering gigs in general.
While a cheap food truck might seem like a good initial investment, going down that route could cost you a ton of money in the long run.
Your Mobile Kitchen Might Not Have Warranties
If your truck is cheap enough, or old enough, or if you buy it from an unreliable seller, then it might not come with warranties. That is a huge red flag. After all, if something goes south, then you are going to have to pay for whatever breaks, and out of your own pocket.
Trust us, food truck equipment is not cheap. The same thing goes for your truck parts.
Therefore, you should not be lacking in this department (warranties, that is).
It Typically Isn’t Customizable
If you buy a cheap food truck, then it probably isn’t customizable, and if it is, then great … but you still have to deal with the issues above. One might be wondering why it is important for a food truck to be customizable. Let us explain.
Let’s say you buy a food truck with a pizza oven in it … but you don’t need a pizza oven. That’s too bad, because the only way you can take the oven out, is if you pay to take it out. The same thing, of course, is the case if you buy a truck without a pizza oven yet need one.
Okay, so that might be a bit extreme, because if you need a pizza oven, then you are going to look for pizza food trucks. What about this: Your truck has everything you need, but you hate where everything is/you don’t like the setup. That’s something you are going to have to live with.
Now, if your truck was customizable, then you would be able to arrange the equipment however you would like, and you could rest assured that it would have all of the equipment you need.
RELATED: 7 Random Things All Prospective Food Truck Owners Need To Consider
This Is Your Business, And You Should Love It
Here’s the deal: Not only are you sinking a lot of time, money and effort into this venture (that’s a huge understatement) but this is your business, and you should love everything about it. You should want to drive your truck, you should want to cook in your kitchen and you should want to spend a good amount of time at your lunch truck in general.
Now, if you buy a cheap food truck and do a whole lot of skimping, then that might not be the case. Your truck is the foundation of your business, so if you decide to go the cheap route, then you are simply asking for problems.
The solution: Purchasing a high-end food truck. While, yes, high-end food trucks cost more than cheaper food trucks, which means they are more of a risk from an initial money standpoint, they tend to be customizable and reliable. Not to mention, a high-end food truck might cost more than a cheap food truck, but it is still less of a risk than opening up a sit-down restaurant — because it will not only be cheaper initially but the overhead costs will also be less.
Basically, if you want the business of your dreams — of course you do! — then you should go the high-end route when it comes to your food truck.
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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