While we like to take the positive spin on most of our articles, which involves helpful tips and learning how to grow your food truck, in this article we will look at what not to do when you are a food truck owner.
If you are doing any of these things, then you need to shift your mindset immediately by doing the opposite. As most food truck owners already know, this is not an industry for the faint of heart — blood, sweat and tears will go down in the food truck industry.
Now, we are not saying people do all of these things. However, from time to time, there are probably an endless amount of food truck owners who get caught doing one of them. Breaking those habits as soon as possible is how you are going to grow your food truck business.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
RELATED: How To Retain Customers In The Food Truck Industry. Return customers are perhaps your most important customers, so you have to know how to retain them.
What Not To Do When You Are A Food Truck Owner
- Leave Social Media And Digital Marketing Out Of The Equation
- Not Know Your Numbers
- Don’t Adjust Your Menu And Strategy
- Go Through The Motions
- Not Look At The Bigger Picture
Leave Social Media And Digital Marketing Out Of The Equation
We understand, social media and digital marketing in general are big projects, and you are already having to worry about running your food truck. With that said, it is crucial to get your mobile kitchen’s name out there. It leads to more business and customers, after all, which is huge when it comes to your business growth.
If things like social media and digital marketing become too much of a burden, then don’t just put them on the back burner — hire someone to take on these projects. More likely than not, a social media or digital marketing expert is going to know way more than you. That is okay, as long as their services fit into your budget.
Not Know Your Numbers
If you don’t know your numbers, how are you supposed to know if your food truck is making any money, food truck owners? You have to know your finances. If not, you could be caught off guard, and you might not be able to rebound from a financial standpoint.
At the same time, make sure you are separating your business and personal finances — keep track of everything.
Don’t Adjust Your Menu And Strategy
If you don’t adjust your menu and strategy, well, hopefully your customers really, really like your food. You need to adjust your menu and strategy when the temperatures start to drop, when the busy months are just around the corner and when a new food is sweeping the nation (at one point, bacon was being incorporated into a wide variety of foods — it is crucial to catch the trends).
The important thing is that you are changing things up. If you notice something not working, then get rid of said something and try out another food item in its place.
Go Through The Motions
Going through the motions. This is something we all get caught doing, and it is something a food truck owner absolutely can’t do.
As a food truck owner, you are not only managing a business. You are the boss and leader at your mobile kitchen. You need to motivate your employees, give them direction, let them know when they are doing something wrong and the list goes on and on.
If you go through the motions, then how do you think your team is going to respond? Hopefully you have a very strong team and a game-winning strategy in place. If not, you could lose plenty of business. Return customers will be able to taste it in the food and they will be able to see it with your customer service skills.
Not Look At The Bigger Picture
Food truck owners are successful people. They started their own business, after all. They have dreams and goals. Food truck owners have to continue to revisit these dreams and goals, especially when it comes to their mobile kitchen business.
If your main goal of the year was to incorporate catering, then you have to do everything in your power to make that happen. If your dream is to be able to franchise your food trucks, then you have to keep that dream in mind every step of the way and work toward it every single day.
The food truck industry can be brutal on the mind, body and soul, because you are constantly working, but you have to always look at the big picture if you want an unlimited amount of success.
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