While there are an endless amount of obstacles aspiring food truck owners will have to overcome (whether this is your first food business venture or you own multiple sit-down restaurants), we wanted to point out three obstacles that tend to be universal.
These obstacles might be common, but we know you can overcome them and make your dream of becoming a food truck owner come true.
The key is identifying these obstacles when they appear and to also come up with a plan now so you’re ready for them when they do appear.
Obstacles Aspiring Food Truck Owners Need To Overcome
- Figuring Out The Right Concept
- Finding The Perfect Location
- Not Losing Hope And Staying Motivated
3.) Figuring Out The Right Concept
What do we mean by this? Simple. The right food concept … in other words, what you will actually serve at your food truck business.
Now, this might be an easy obstacle for people who already own a food business — because they, in theory, already have a concept in place — but it’s not the case for everyone. It’s also important to keep in mind how much creativity the food truck industry is flooding with.
For every simple concept out there, there’s a completely unique concept that you will only see in the mobile kitchen industry.
When picking your concept, it’s important to pick something you want to cook and believe in. What can you see yourself cooking every day (although you can change things up from time to time)? It’s also important to pick a concept that will do well in your area, whether that means going with a unique concept or picking a more common concept. When it all comes down to it … the choice is yours!
2.) Finding The Perfect Location
Unlike a sit-down restaurant, a food truck owner can find multiple locations since food trucks are mobile. That doesn’t mean it will be a breeze to find the perfect locations, though. For example, permits, rules, regulations and laws will come into play, meaning you can’t park wherever you want.
On top of that, the weather plays a big role, and you might decide you want to move to a different state in hopes of keeping your business open year-round. Of course, some food truck owners shut it down during the offseason and some owners stay open the entire year … even if they do have to deal with cold winters.
Nonetheless, the location of your truck can make or break your business. Ideally, you want to find a location that is high in foot traffic. While you might have plenty of customers in the beginning because of word of mouth among people you know, that might die down some over time and you will have to attract new customers along the way. Some of that will come down to your customer service, food and promotion of your truck … and some of it will come down to where you’re located.
Luckily, and like we said above, your business is mobile so you can go where your customers are and move around.
1.) Not Losing Hope And Staying Motivated
Whether it’s because of funds, not being able to find the right location, figuring out the perfect concept or whatever it might be, many people lose hope when trying to start up a business and they struggle with staying motivated as a result.
Everyone’s journey is different and everyone deals with different obstacles.
The key is to remember why you wanted to do this in the first place and to also protect your vision. You also need to enjoy the process and not focus in on the destination, for the journey is what it’s all about.
As long as you continue to put in the work, you will eventually become a food truck owner. This might sound like an issue for an aspiring owner who just can’t come up with the necessary funds to purchase a food truck, but, once again, everyone deals with different obstacles. For example, a restaurant franchise owner might have all of the funds in the world, but this same owner might not want to wait too long for a truck to be built. This owner might also not want to worry about the permits and regulations … or he or she might struggle to find the right location or team — it could be anything and everything.
The key is not losing hope and staying motivated.
Eventually, you will enter the mobile kitchen industry with your own food truck. Do the work and stay hungry.
In search of more food truck advice? We have you covered with the article below (preview and link included).
5 Steps You Can Take Right Now To Begin Your Food Truck Journey
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4. Look For Manufactures
You’re eventually going to have to buy a food truck if you want to become a chef in this industry. That’s a no-brainer … so you might as well start pricing food trucks now, and looking for manufactures. This will help you get a budget in order.
Now, we, of course, recommend you going with a high-end food truck that is oozing with quality. You know, a company like Custom Concessions. We can help you every step of the way, and make your dream food truck a reality.
Nonetheless, you need to get a better idea of how much food trucks actually are, and how long it will take you to come up with the funds for your truck, so start your food truck buying search as soon as possible.
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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