Food trucks, food trailers, food carts—what’s the difference? And which one is best?

Actually, each one is the best at something. It all depends on where you are in your specific type of food service business.

So which one is right for you? Read on to find out. 

Food Trucks

Food trucks are the most convenient and versatile of the three mobile food service options we’re comparing today. Just like it sounds, a food truck is a motor vehicle that hosts a full-service restaurant kitchen. 

The kitchen is most commonly between 16 and 18 feet long, but it could be anywhere between 10 and 26 feet.

Since the combination kitchen/truck is a single unit, it’s easier to transport than the other 2 options. There’s no towing or packing up involved so you can hop from location to location quickly and easily. It’s also more compact than a food trailer, which makes for an easier driving experience, and it’s much more mobile and easy to transport than a food cart.

However, this also means that automotive problems will affect your whole business. If the engine breaks down, you’ve no choice but to close up shop until it’s fixed.

Food trucks are the most expensive option on the list, but they are a serious investment for those who are serious about their mobile food business.

When it comes to food trucks, buying new is often the best option. That way, your investment will come with a warranty and you can be sure that everything will be in perfect working order. Buying new also allows you to customize the food truck to the specific needs of your particular mobile restaurant business.

Food Trailers

Unlike the food truck, the food trailer is not mobile on its own. It must be hitched to a separate truck or another vehicle powerful enough to tow it.

The typical kitchen of a food trailer is comparable to that of a food truck in size and function. However, they can be much longer—up to 53 feet!

Bigger may be better for the venue of your particular business. But a food trailer is bulkier than a food truck and not as easy to move around. There are many streets food trucks can serve that aren’t large enough to accommodate food trailers.

For all these reasons, food trailers are best suited for big events like state fairs. They’re also cheaper than food trucks. And you can switch to another towing vehicle if your primary vehicle breaks down.

Food Carts 

Food carts are the mobile food service entrepreneur’s cheapest option. They do not attach to vehicles and are only mobile when pushed by hand. They also lack full-service kitchen.

As such they are best suited for a much smaller and more focused mobile food business. They can be outfitted with refrigeration and/or a cooking device, such as a deep fryer, but do not provide the convenience of having a full kitchen.

Since food carts are pushed by hand, the distance you can travel is entirely dependent upon your own foot power. Usually they can only be pushed around a single area, so they don’t have the same mobility as a food truck or food trailer.

Food carts are mostly useful for lunch rushes along busy footpaths. They can serve a simple menu of one type of meal or snack.

If you’re just starting out, a food cart could be a stepping stone to a more sophisticated vehicle later on. A well-managed hot dog, pretzel, or homemade ice cream cart can earn you enough to work your way up.

Take Your Business to Go!

So what’ll it be? Now that you know your options, may we take your order?

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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You can’t drive by a popular lunch spot without seeing a few food trucks with customers lined up. So why is the food truck movement so popular?

The cost of starting a restaurant is about $501,236 on average. By comparison, starting a food truck costs $100,000 to $175,000—less than half that of a permanent location. 

Aside from the lower start-up costs, there are many benefits to starting a food truck. Read on to learn some of the top ones.

1. Always Have the Perfect Location

With most restaurants, location is everything. If it’s not situated in a prime location, a restaurant could have some trouble attracting traffic. 

Location is a big advantage that food trucks have—food truck owners don’t have to limit themselves to one location.

Food trucks can test out different locations at various times and see where they get the most business. Since they basically have a business on wheels, they can go in search of customers.

A food truck owner might decide to stick to one location during lunch and pick a different place for the dinner rush. 

2. Your Food Truck is Free Advertising

The average business spends about 7 to 8 percent of its revenue on advertising. Businesses that are in a standing location have to put more effort into advertising to create brand awareness. 

Food trucks, on the other hand, are a moving billboard. Whenever they drive the food truck around town, they’re getting free advertising.

If a restaurant also has a food truck, the truck advertises the restaurant location and it’s great for the brand.

The more people see the food truck driving around, the more recognizable your brand will become.

3. An Experimentation Lab

When customers go to a restaurant, they expect certain things from the menu. It’s not as easy for a restaurant to change the menu overnight. 

Food trucks, on the other hand, have smaller menus so they can get away with changing the menu and experimenting with more food options.

Restaurants that also have food trucks can experiment with new menu items before bringing them on to their permanent menu.

4. Explore Catering Opportunities

With the help of a food truck, businesses can expand and try out catering opportunities. The food truck is basically a moving kitchen that can go everywhere. 

It’s a lot easier for food trucks to transport food around town, so food trucks can get more business if they offer catering options. 

5. Keep Costs to a Minimum

Although food trucks are a big investment, they’re not quite as expensive as a standing restaurant location. 

Food trucks cost less as far as startup and food costs. Also, expansion costs are a lot less for food trucks.

If you want to add a second location to your business, adding a food truck is definitely a more cost effective option than expanding to a second permanent location.

Benefits of a Food Truck Business: The Bottom Line

There are many benefits to starting a food truck business. These include low startup costs, free advertising, and a chance to experiment with a new menu. 

Want to learn about 5 reasons to invest in a mobile beer truck? Check out this article.

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.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post Taking Business On the Road: The Top Benefits of Starting a Food Truck Business appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Want more food truck advice? Check out our entire blog here!

If you are looking to break into this industry, make sure to request a custom quote!

To stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Taking the food truck business a step further, here are some benefits of using a food truck for marketing and brand awareness.

Mobile

One of the best things about lunch trucks — for owners and customers — is the fact that they are mobile. On the owner’s side, you can make sure people see your business all over town by doing one simple thing — traveling all over town.

The more someone sees your food truck, the more they are going to become familiar with it (advertising at its finest).

Special Events/Catering

Food trucks can target special events all over the city (or country). By doing so, you are going to get your catering truck in front of a lot of people. Nowadays, there are even special events for food trucks.

Everyone loves food (it’s just a fact of life), and food trucks are a must when it comes to special events. Customized trucks are also easily accessible, which is huge for traveling to special events or catering purposes in general.

Social Media

Social media ties everything together. With social media, you can do many things for your food truck business.

Here are some key ideas: You can tell customers where your mobile kitchen is going to be on any specific day, you can do giveaways through social media, you can promote what you are cooking up and the list goes on and on.

Just remember, pictures are huge on social media, and there are not many things better than pictures of food. Make sure to keep that in mind when doing all things social media for your kitchen truck.

An Extra, More Personal Avenue

Think of a food truck business as an extra, more personal avenue — well, that is at least the case for corporations that already have established a restaurant. With a food truck, and as talked about before, a mobile kitchen has the ability to move all over town. Essentially, your food truck is advertising all over town (talking about some sweet wheels).

To get a better idea about this concept, here are some ways customized trucks can be very personal: (1) One-on-one communication with the customers, (2) a small staff makes it possible for the customers to get to know everyone in a very short amount of time and (3) food trucks have a following.

People will literally dive into social media to see where their favorite lunch truck is going to be next. Not to mention, everything about a food truck is personalized.

Mobile kitchen trucks are certainly changing the game when it comes to marketing and brand awareness.

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