Did you know that the restaurant industry in the United States reached $745 billion in 2015? In other words, it’s a giant industry with lots of potential.

But to really do well, you need to be different. And one great way to do this is through starting a pop up restaurant. This is the perfect way to generate a lucrative additional revenue stream.

Not sure where to start? Don’t worry! Check out our guide on how to start a pop up restaurant below.

How to Start a Pop Up Restaurant: Get Your Paperwork

First of all, it’s important to get your paperwork figured out. This includes insurance, licenses, and permits. Make sure you begin the process by getting these documents.

Some pop up restaurant owners think they can move ahead without these documents, but that’s simply not the case. You should make sure that what you’re doing is completely legal.

The necessary paperwork is different throughout the country, so double-check with your local government offices to know what you need.

Decide on Your Location

Next, it’s time to pick your spot. Where do you want to host your pop up restaurant? There are tons of options out there.

However, there are some important questions you should ask yourself when finding a location. These include:

• Is there electricity readily available?
• Is there easily accessible running water?
• Is there enough room to fit your customers?

One great way to host a pop up restaurant is by utilizing a restaurant space that already exists. This infrastructure can make your job much easier.

Perhaps there’s a restaurant that’s recently closed or that’s only open on weekends. You could use the space when it’s available, which is a win-win for both you and the restaurant owner!

However, hosting your pop up restaurant inside a food truck is possibly the best option of all; it gives you the freedom to choose different locations at different times based on foot traffic, and to move when you find a better one.

Create Your Menu

Now it’s time to make your pop up restaurant menu. Because you’re doing a pop up restaurant, it’s best to keep your menu simple.

Go with things that you know people like and that have a wide appeal. It’s okay to also throw in one or two unique items, but for the most part keeps things simple.

This will also benefit you because you can simplify the amount of ingredients and kitchen space you need to make your items.

Want more restaurant tips and tricks? Discover more on our blog.

Set Up Your Kitchen

Last but not least, it’s time to set up your kitchen. Obviously, if you use an existing restaurant, this will be simple. It’s just a matter of getting things set up just right.

However, for most people, this isn’t the case. If you’re setting up a mobile kitchen, you’ll need to think about the grills, utensils, burners, and preparation space you’ll need.

Closing Thoughts

Now that you’ve read all about how to start a pop up restaurant, it’s time to begin. Think about how these steps apply to your situation and start the process.

Have some questions or want to learn more? Contact our team today.

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 Brick and Mobile: How to Start a Pop Up Restaurant to Grow Your Restaurant Business appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Your brick-and-mortar location might be increasing its sales on a yearly basis (meaning things are going really well), and as a result, you might be thinking about opening up another brick-and-mortar restaurant.

However, we want to pose this question: Have you ever thought about opening up a food truck business?

Believe it or not, a food truck is a great complement to a brick-and-mortar location, and while there are plenty of reasons why, we will be highlighting five of the reasons below.

If you are looking to expand your brick-and-mortar restaurant business, then we highly recommend you looking into a mobile kitchen.

Why A Food Truck Is A Great Complement To A Brick-And-Mortar Location

• A Food Truck Can Go Where Restaurants Can’t
• Food Trucks Can Offer A Catering Element
• You Can Test Out Unique Ideas In The Food Truck Industry
• More Money, Especially When It’s The Busy Season
• You Can Promote Your Restaurants At Your Food Truck And Vice Versa

5.) A Food Truck Can Go Where Restaurants Can’t

Needless to say, a sit-down restaurant is stuck in one place. While you can change locations if you really want to, an entire process needs to take place to make that happen, to say the least. So, with that said, a food truck can go where restaurants can’t since they operate on wheels.

This can lead to a business branching out in the form of reaching a larger amount of people since your business can travel, despite the fact that food trucks tend to be much smaller than traditional restaurants.

One of the most appealing things about food trucks, and one of the biggest reasons why they complement brick-and-mortar locations so well, is they are mobile and they do not have to stay in one place.

You can technically go where your customers are with a food truck.

4.) Food Trucks Can Offer A Catering Element

Whether you plan on using a food truck as a full-time catering service or just want to do some catering gigs here and there, they can offer a catering element to your business with ease (since they are, once again, mobile).

While many restaurants already offer catering, they might have to rent out vehicles to take the food and equipment to and from catering gigs. With a food truck, everything, of course, goes inside the food truck, and you can even cook your delicious meals as people order them at catering events, which brings a freshness aspect to the table on top of everything else.

Food trucks are perfect for catering, and they could open up a completely new element to your brick-and-mortar business as a result.

Not to mention, food trucks can travel to special events, which can help expand your audience in the form of gaining customers.

3.) You Can Test Out Unique Ideas In The Food Truck Industry

Not every restaurant franchise has to do this and not every restaurant franchise does. However, since the food truck industry tends to be unique and creative in terms of mixing and matching food concepts and putting a “food truck twist” on meals, that opens the door for restaurants to experiment at their food truck businesses.

In other words, you can try out new specials at your food truck business to see how they do, and if this new special is a big hit, then you can start incorporating it at your sit-down restaurants.

Of course, you could simply just make the same meals as your sit-down restaurant, your menu could feature only the best-selling items from your restaurant or whatever it might be. The choice is yours!

2.) More Money, Especially When It’s The Busy Season

If nothing else, a food truck will be another source of income for your brick-and-mortar location, and what’s not to love about that?

More money could lead to you opening up more locations (among so many other things).

While there are many food trucks that stay open year-round, there tends to be a “busy season” in the mobile kitchen industry (at least in some areas), and during this season, your business could make even more money.

RELATED: The Food Truck Industry Is Perfect For These Types Of People

1.) You Can Promote Your Restaurants At Your Food Truck And Vice Versa

The final reason why a food truck business is a great complement to your sit-down restaurant: You can promote your restaurant at your food truck and your food truck at your restaurant (in other words, cross-promotion).

Since your restaurant already has an audience built in, if you will, you can bring your audience to your food truck. On the other side of the promoting equation, a food truck can act as a mobile billboard for your restaurant, and that alone could drive more customers to your restaurant location(s).

Nevertheless, these two businesses can play off one another and combined they can help to really increase your audience in the form of gaining and retaining customers.

There are so many different reasons why a food truck business is a good idea for a brick-and-mortar restaurant, and the five complements above are just the beginning.

If you are thinking about joining the food truck industry, then we encourage you to look at our recent projects so you can get a better idea of what your mobile kitchen could look like in the near future, and we also encourage business owners to check out our blog to learn more about food trucks and the food truck industry in general.

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 Why A Food Truck Is A Great Complement To A Brick-And-Mortar Location appeared first on Custom Concessions.