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Upset customers are inevitable no matter what part of the foodservice industry you work in, including if you own a food truck. How you deal with them is key to your success as a business owner.

Do you own a food truck? Are you thinking of buying one or entering the service industry in another capacity? You will need to know how to handle these situations.

Remember, word of mouth is key to growing a new business. If you are rude to unhappy customers, you will garner a business-damaging reputation.

Read on for five ways to deal with angry customers.

1. The Customer Is Never Wrong, Right?

Customer service is as important as any other aspect of the food service business.

The common phrase is that the customer is always right. A better way to think about this when dealing with upset customers in foodservice is that rather than always being right, the customer is never wrong.

Every customer has different tastes and expectations. If they think your food is salty, under or overcooked, they are not wrong. It’s how they feel or what they think.

Understanding this key difference will give you the right mindset to succeed in customer satisfaction.

2. Drop Your Defenses

You may have spent hard hours planning your menu, prepping, and preparing the food you serve on any given day. Because of this, you may take a customer complaint personally.

Don’t fall into this trap. While you should be proud of the food you serve, you need to drop your defensiveness when dealing with an angry customer.

These interactions, like interactions you have with happy customers, are business transactions.

3. Really Listen

Food truck customer service is like any other form of customer service. When people have a complaint, they want to be heard.

To effectively deal with angry or upset customers, brush up on your listening skills.  Diffuse an antagonistic situation by looking someone in the eyes to let them know what they say is important to you.

4. Own the Complaint

Whether you feel you are actually responsible for a customer complaint doesn’t matter. The customer has come and complained to you.

As the owner of a food truck business, the buck stops with you no matter the nature of the complaint.

The best way to own a complaint is to offer a sincere apology. Apologizing is a huge step toward resolving any issue.

5. Offer a Solution

In foodservice, the de-escalation of an upset customer comes down to a solution. After you’ve listened and apologized, you need to be willing to offer a solution to the problem, and quickly.

Sometimes this means preparing a new dish. This may not be possible in the tight confines of a food truck where many dishes have been prepped and batched for service.

In this case, if an alternative is available, offer it at no additional cost.

Sometimes neither of these solutions will appease an angry customer. If so, you must give a refund.

Upset Customers

Upset customers are inevitable in the foodservice business. How you deal with them plays an important role in the success of your food truck.

There are plenty of food truck businesses that offer great food. To set yourself apart, make sure you treat your customers with respect.

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 5 Ways for Food Truck Owners to Deal With Upset Customers appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Now that your food truck is ready to roll, you are wondering how to bring in those customers. In the age of technology, almost everyone has access to a smartphone. And smartphones have a knack for installing mobile apps.

How does this help today’s food truck owner? Mobile business apps help to keep current customers up-to-date on your whereabouts. They help potential customers get a feel for what to expect when they visit your food truck business. And you can even have the option for customer to order online through your app.

Continue reading to learn more about apps for food trucks and why you need one.

Show Off Your Brand

Being one of the 23,873 active food truck businesses in the U.S. isn’t going to be easy, so you will have to do everything that you can to stick out from the rest. An app will allow you to promote your brand and draw in more customers.

Once you have your mobile kitchen up and running, an app for your food truck is a great way to promote your brand. Apps are customizable to your business colors/logo to catch your customer’s eye.

An app is a perfect opportunity for you to try out new things and advertise daily lunch specials. 

You can tell your story on the app as a way to connect with your customers on a personal level. You sell amazing food creations every day, but what do you do when you aren’t catering to the public? Where do you get inspiration for your specials? Your customers want to know more about the person running the food truck.

This becomes your brand. 

Location

Mobile businesses are well-known for moving from one location to another. A food truck is not always going to be in a singular place. Depending on the time of day or day of the week, you may be in a different location in an attempt to bring in more customers.

It might be ideal for you to be in the business district during lunchtime on a Tuesday. While it would make more sense for you to be near the park entrance on a Saturday afternoon. Location is all about where the money is.

If you are going to be moving around your city to different places, your app is a place where people can stay up to date on where you will be on which days.

Coupons, Freebies & More

An app is a great place for you to advertise coupons or freebies for your customers. If your customers want to sign up for a loyalty program, this is where they could do so.

Other Alternatives

If creating an app for your food truck business isn’t something that you can do right now, you have other options. There are apps already out there that allow you to advertise your business on them, but that may entail paying a membership fee or advertising costs.

There are different apps available depending on where you’re located. Apps like, Roaming Hunger or Street Food Finder can get your mobile business off the ground.

Once your food truck has a decent following, you will be in a better position to create your food truck’s app. This will help you reach that next level.

Mobile Business Apps: The Next Step

Now that you are thinking about mobile business apps, you are ready to take that next step.

Create the app for your food truck and you will be ready to take on the world. Or at least you’ll be ready to take on the streets of your city.

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 Mobile Business Apps: Why You Need a Mobile App for Your Food Truck appeared first on Custom Concessions.

We’ve come to the end of another year, and with it, the end of a decade. Looking back over the past year—or maybe even the past ten—you probably find yourself reflecting on some of the goals you’ve conquered for your mobile restaurant business, or perhaps some that have passed you by. 

The beginning of a new year is a great time to look back: on why you weren’t able to achieve some of the goals you set for yourself or on all the goals you have managed to achieve. And then, set new ones that you can strive toward in 2020!

Here are some important things to take into account when determining your food truck goals for the coming year.

1. Take Those Baby Steps

Give yourself concrete actions to go along with your lofty ambitions. There’s no point in setting goals so intimidating that you are afraid to step out and do anything about them. When thinking about your goals for the upcoming year, set out individual actions you can take toward meeting those goals. 

2. Make Your Goals Manageable

Set mini goals for yourself along the way to meeting your year-end goal. Want to get more sales at your food truck? Making a goal for yourself to sell $30,000 more than you did last year might seem overwhelming, so break it down into smaller increments. Give yourself a per-month or per-quarter sales growth target instead. That way, if you don’t meet your goal in a single month, you have the rest of the year to keep trying to achieve those goals.

3. Tell Someone About It!

The surest way to give yourself more accountability for meeting your 2020 mobile restaurant business goals is to tell someone. Or even several people! Telling someone about your goals makes them real and more concrete than when they are just ideas floating around in your head. Just make sure the person you tell is someone who will be supportive and cheer you on. That way, you’ll be more motivated to work toward making those goals come to life.

4. Get a Quote

Dreaming of owning a food truck someday, but not sure how to make it happen? Get a quote! And don’t let the numbers scare you. You can’t work towards a goal if you don’t know what the goal is. Once you have all the facts, you can start making a plan to put your dreams into action.

5. Don’t Be Afraid

Don’t let fear hold you back from achieving your goals! And don’t be afraid to fail. If you set 10 ambitious goals for yourself, but you only achieve 5, then you’ve achieved way more than you would have if you didn’t set any goals at all. 

6. Track Your Progress

Write your goals down somewhere and keep track of how you’re doing. Maybe get yourself a notebook, make a Google doc, or find a goal tracking app for your phone. Then, every time you achieve a step toward your goals, write it down. 

Want to visit 10 food truck festivals this year? Start by brainstorming which ones you could register for. As you book them, record each one tentatively as a mini goal you’ve reached. Then, once you actually attend an event, mark it permanently as one more achievement toward your total goal for the year.

7. Celebrate Your Successes

Many of us tend to beat ourselves up over failure, and we often forget to cheer ourselves on when we accomplish something special. Be sure to celebrate when you accomplish steps toward your year-end goal. Buy yourself a fancy coffee, let yourself take an afternoon or evening off, or just post about it on your social media to let the world know about your achievement. Chances are, your online food truck community will want to celebrate with you! 

Ready to Jump in to 2020?

Get out there and make your mobile restaurant business the best it can be this year. Make your resolutions, set your mini goals, write it all down, and track your progress. And don’t forget to celebrate!

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.

Photo: Rawpixel

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Looks like food trucks are getting the green light. According to this report, more people are electing to expand the industry by adding new food truck-based businesses to the menu.

Thinking about starting your own food truck? Before you hit the road and chow down on new business ideas, it helps to consider your options. First of all, are you buying a new, customized food truck, or going with a used one?

For most people, a customized truck is the better bet. 

Here are seven reasons to consider getting a customized food truck. Take a bite out of these benefits!

1. Equipment & Layout

Purchasing a customized food truck instead of a used one puts you in the driver’s seat. With a new truck, you get to decide the equipment you use, the layout, the bells and whistles—everything. Otherwise, you’re left with the existing layout, which can limit your equipment choices. 

Every type of cuisine requires different pieces of equipment. Depending on the type of food you’re serving, you’ll need to choose specific equipment. Otherwise, you might find yourself making changes to the menu. 

Removing old commercial cooking equipment and replacing it with new stock isn’t cheap. It’s also not as easy as buying a new blender or microwave. Instead, you have to find equipment that’s suited for your truck’s outlets and plumbing. 

By purchasing a customized food truck, you decide the layout first. 

Instead of getting stuck with equipment that’s already installed, you can determine what equipment you need based on your cuisine. 

You can even search through different brands of commercial cooking equipment. Don’t get stuck with cheap options in a previously owned food truck. Purchasing a brand new food truck means you can make it your own!

2. Minimize Potential Issues

It’s important to choose a vehicle that’s reliable and safe for you and your team. After all, this is your place of business! You don’t want to take a used food truck on the open road and have it breakdown on a busy intersection. 

If the vehicle breaks down, you can’t just operate elsewhere.

Instead, you have to pay for repairs. In addition to the cost of getting the truck fixed, you’re also losing money for each day you’re out of business.

Don’t leave yourself with the stress of dealing with mechanical issues and costs. 

If this happens often, your customers will start to take notice. They might elect to grab a bite to eat elsewhere after your truck repeatedly breaks down. 

For some people, buying a used food truck that breaks down breaks their business, too. 

Instead, keep your food truck up and running! Purchasing a brand new food truck can help you get the peace of mind you need.

You’ll know you and your team are safe and that you can stay open for business. Plus, your customers will know they can rely on you for a good meal, too.

3. Easy Warranties

For any business, it’s important to have a backup plan. That’s where your warranties come in.

When you purchase an old, previously used food truck, warranties probably won’t come along with it. If anything happens to the food truck, you’re straight out of luck! You could end up paying an exorbitant amount of money to deal with the damages. 

Often when purchasing a new truck, you’ll find that a number of warranties are available to you to protect the various pieces of equipment in your truck.

Some food truck builders even offer warranties on their custom manufacturing work.

By choosing to purchase a custom food truck, you’ll have the peace of mind that these warranties are there to protect you in case an accident occurs. 

4. Health Codes

Whether you buy a used food truck or a new one, you’re going to need to make sure you’re meeting all the health codes.

If you purchase a previously owned food truck that operated in a different location, however, it’s probably not up to code for use in your city. Health codes can vary widely depending on the location. 

Why bother purchasing a food truck that you can’t use in your own city? Instead of hitting that roadblock, skip the stress. Buy a customized food truck that’s built with your city’s health codes in mind. 

That way, you’ll have a guarantee that you can operate where you intend to run your truck. 

5. Nice & Clean

Over the years, food trucks experience a lot of wear and tear.

Imagine the grease build-up, mildew, or other potential health-risk issues that could be lurking under the surface in a used truck.

When you purchase a customized food truck, you start with a clean slate—literally. You won’t have to worry about the previous owners or what they left growing in the fridge. Instead, you can start your food truck business with a clean place to work. 

6. Big Picture Costs

The food truck industry is expected to reach $985 million in 2019. Many people choose to buy a used food truck because it seems cheaper—at a glance. However, you have to consider the big picture.

When you purchase a used food truck, you still have to pay for updated equipment, possible changes, and potential repairs. If the truck keeps breaking down, those costs will add up over time.

You might end up paying more for a used food truck than a brand new one.

7. Larger Selection

When you search for a food truck, buying a used truck limits your options. You can only select sizes, equipment, and layouts you can find.

Why waste time searching when you know exactly what you’re looking for?

By purchasing a customized food truck, you make the decisions. You’re not limited to what’s for sale. Instead, you can design the truck to match exactly what you have in mind.

Meals on New Wheels

Ready to hit the road? Discover our food truck options and request a quote for your food truck 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 7 Benefits of Buying a New Customized Food Truck appeared first on Custom Concessions.

What if your food truck could become the hottest new business in town? No matter how good your food is, becoming a successful business is all about marketing. Unfortunately, many owners don’t know how to take their food truck marketing to the next level.

A good social media strategy can help propel your business to new heights. Keep reading to learn more about how to improve that strategy and achieve serious success!

1. Jazz Up the Menu

Many owners think their social media strategy should be limited to social media platforms. The reality is that many social media initiatives take place “off-screen.”

For example, social media users will want to check out your menu online before coming to the food truck. This gives you a perfect chance to jazz up your menu before posting it.

Try to add plenty of images and an eye-catching cover. Don’t be afraid to upsell: recommend which dishes and drinks complement each other for maximum flavor!

2. Make It Visual

Earlier, we talked about the importance of making the menu more visual. However, that wisdom extends to your entire social media strategy.

While it’s not the only thing your customers care about, most of them have visited your social media page to learn more about your food. This is why you should prominently feature professional photographs of your tastiest dishes.

Feature those images in your posts and encourage customers to like, comment, and share. This helps get new customers’ attention while turning the old ones into brand ambassadors for your food truck.

3. Use QR Codes

So far, we have focused on how social media can drive new customers to your food truck. But have you considered how to steer your food truck customers to your social media platforms?

One surefire way to do this is QR codes. Customers can simply scan the code with their smartphone and are instantly taken to your social media.

You can use a similar strategy to drive customers to your website. It is highly effective because it takes most of the work out of finding your truck online.

4. Multi-Platform

How many social media platforms is your business currently using? Chances are that you’d be better off by adding a new platform (or two, or three).

Different platforms have different strengths. Facebook makes it easy for customers to engage with you and for you to track analytics. Meanwhile, Instagram makes it easy to focus on your absolute best food photography and share it with users online.

Keep in mind that various third-party apps help you cross-post and schedule future posts. This helps you post to multiple platforms without giving up all of your free time.

5. Advertise Major Events

When used correctly, social media is the perfect vehicle to advertise your food truck. And those advertisements should focus heavily on major events.

Are you unveiling a new dish, or maybe taking part in a downtown block party? Use social media to make customers aware of what’s going on.

These advertisements build anticipation and word-of-mouth advertising. And anyone who finds out after the fact will have serious FOMO, making them likelier to come to the next major event you throw.

6. Online-Only Coupons

The quickest way to a customer’s heart is through their wallet. That’s why you should feature online-only coupons and deals.

Customers will get instant gratification from the ability to save money. And making those deals a regular occurrence (such as posting new ones every month) is a great way to get customers coming back.

The more they save, the more they buy. And they’ll be happy to tell others about the great deals they found online.

7. Engage With Customers

Social media marketing must be different from traditional marketing. If all of your posts are pure advertisement, it will quickly turn away customers who want something more substantial.

This is why you should have posts that engage with your customers. For example, you can let customers vote on what your next new dish will be. Or you can ask them to post pictures of their favorite meals.

Inviting such engagement increases loyalty and helps your online community thrive. 

8. All Analytics, All the Time

Redesigning your social media strategy means making several big changes. It’s important to understand whether these changes are having a major impact on your business.

First, don’t forget to use the analytics of your chosen social media platform. Facebook, for example, provides an easy way for you to look at every aspect of user engagement with your professional page.

Second, try to cross-reference those analytics results with your revenue. If you can tie an increase in customers to new social media strategies, this means you’re on the right track with your strategy.

9. Regular Posting

Retaining customers online is just as important as retaining them offline. In order to do this, you need to regularly post new content.

If you only post one or twice a month, you will not have much customer engagement. Furthermore, a low post count may keep your page buried by the social media algorithms.

Try to commit to posting once a day or several times a week. This gives loyal customers something to look forward to without completely clogging their timeline.

10. Networking Synergy

Fortunately, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel when you reinvent your social media strategy. Old techniques such as networking still work wonders.

Let’s say you want to be a brand that many people trust. One of the easiest ways to do so is to partner up with an existing brand.

Try to get a well-known food blogger or influencer to create original content about your food truck. Additionally, see if they will regularly mention you to their own group of fans.

This technique builds credibility with potential customers while letting you benefit from someone else’s built-in audience.

Food Truck Marketing: Serve It Up

Now you know the secret to food truck marketing via social media. But do you know the secret to running a successful 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.

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

The post Food Truck Marketing: 10 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Strategy appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Photo: Freepik

The food truck industry is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of hard work to get where you want to go with your truck and your business. You can expect to work a whole lot of hours, expend lots of creative energy, and learn a whole lot about how to run a small business. You have to have a drive to succeed.

If you think you have the necessary determination, awesome! However, there are also other important ingredients you will want to have if you plan on running a food truck business.

4. Your Food Truck—Of Course!

Let’s get the most obvious ingredient out of the way right at the top—the food truck. Of course, you have to have a food truck to run a food truck business.

Our advice? Don’t purchase the cheapest food truck you can find, because that mistake will be costly in the long run. Going with a customized truck is your best option.

A truck made just for you will look the way you want it, with custom graphics that match your branding. You can even add a shadow box TV on the outside to showcase your menu, or custom rooftop sign boards for that extra touch of glam.

Your custom truck will also have all the right equipment for your particular food enterprise. Need specialty equipment like a pizza oven, espresso machine, or ice cream dipping cabinet? Done. Have a specific way you want your kitchen laid out? No problem! That’s exactly why having a custom truck is the way to go: you can make sure everything is designed to your desired specifications.

3. Recipes Your Customers Will Love

This is one of the most important ingredients on this list, because it’s your actual product. Don’t try to be the next McDonald’s or Subway. Try to be the next you. You can achieve this by serving up your own unique recipes.

Your food has to stand out from the crowd. You want your food to be so good and so unique that customers can’t get it anywhere else. Do you have dishes that you are known for among your family and friends? Try those out on your food truck customers and see how they go over.

2. Your Business Plan 

If you are trying to break into the food truck industry, then you’ve probably already heard that a business plan is essential.

In order to be as accurate as possible, your business plan has to map out everything, including one time and recurring expenses: 

• Initial inventory, and restocking costs
• Employee pay
• Your salary
• Your food truck build
• Insurance (for your physical truck and for your business as well)
• Licensing and Permits
• Storage (if you don’t have somewhere to park your truck when it’s not in use)
• Gas for Transportation

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, so be sure to add any other foreseeable costs to your business plan. These costs may vary, depending on the type of food you plan to serve.

The more detailed your business plan, the better prepared you will be to face the day to day running of your food truck operation. An impressive business plan can even help you secure your food truck financing.

1. A Vision for Your Food Truck Business

Successful business owners need a vision, food truck owners included. A little imagination never hurt anyone, right?

Part of having a vision is being able to picture yourself succeeding, and making a plan to get there. It takes a whole lot of creativity to be a food truck chef and a business owner at the same time.

In order to make your vision a reality, you need to create concrete goals that will help you get there. Set aside time for planning and strategizing. Have a set period after which you will review your goals, and see if you have put in the work you planned to. If you have, congratulations! Now set your next goal and keep on trucking. If you haven’t, examine what you can do differently to meet those goals by your next self-review.

Don’t Let Your Food Truck Dream Flop

Some of these ingredients are going to take a lot of work, creativity, and trial and error. Don’t let that scare you away from pursuing your goals. Every successful business has to start somewhere, and food trucks are no exception.

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 4 Key Ingredients for Your Food Truck Business appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Are you having trouble growing your food truck business? You’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re a current or future food truck owner, we think these tips will help jumpstart your strategy for food truck success.

Market like a Maniac 

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of your business. This is how you get your name out there to the people. After all, if no one has heard of your food truck, how are you going to grow your business?

Make sure your truck has a branded identity that is easily recognizable and pairs well with the food you serve. It doesn’t make sense to brand yourself like a 50s diner when the only dishes on the menu are Japanese noodles. 

This doesn’t mean that you can’t be creative with your styling; just make sure your creativity flows in the same vein as your food theme.

Up Your Social Media Game

Does your truck have a strong presence on social media? Or would potential customers wonder if you are even still in business judging by the lack of recent posts?

Keeping up with your engagement on social media can be tough, but your mobile food truck will thank you when lines are gathered outside of it.

Post your daily or weekly specials on Facebook. Share photos of your most enticing dishes on Instagram. Advertise your current location on your Snapchat story.

Be Frugal

Sometimes it’s tempting to look at the success you’ve had in the past and take it for granted, but don’t forget that a lot of what helped you get there was careful planning, patient saving, and judicious spending.

It’s very easy to go all out when you feel you’ve finally “made it,” but continuing to wisely steward your business resources is the best way to go. This way, if hard times unexpectedly befall you, you will have greater potential to bounce back.

Keep following your business plan. Don’t stop looking for even the small ways you can save on spending. And don’t forget to always seek wise business counsel for any major financial decisions you may find on your horizon.

Run with the Seasons

It is important to continue making the food that has gotten you so much success in the first place, but it is never a bad idea to change up the menu every now and then.

One of the key ways you can do this is by introducing seasonal specials or limited time offerings. Customers often enjoy products that are relevant to the time of year, like specialty frozen treats during summer, fall-inspired flavors in autumn, or warm comfort foods for winter. 

Having certain dishes that only return to the menu at specific times of year adds to your food truck’s nostalgia. These specials allow you to build anticipation among your clientele when a favorite seasonal item is about to come back on the menu.

Offering temporary specials also gives you the advantage of testing new recipes or ideas before adding them to your regular menu. It allows you to gauge how popular a food will be before committing to it as a permanent offering year round.

Remember To Be You

While change is a good way to add some spice to your food truck offerings, remember to stay true to your food truck’s core identity. You have made it this far with your mobile kitchen, so you’ve been doing something right along the way.

Don’t throw everything out the window or change too much at once. If you are known for specific quirks, then by all means stick to them. After all, they are probably the very things that keep returning customers coming back again and again. 

Do you serve certain specials every Wednesday? Is there a secret sauce you add to signature dishes? No matter what you are known for, keep doing you.

Start Catering

Branch out and offer catering for weddings, special events, festivals or whatever else you can find. This is not only a great way to make some serious dough (perhaps literally and figuratively), but it is also a great way to get your food truck’s name out there.

Try displaying a sign announcing your new catering service wherever you set up shop to generate awareness among your regular customers. Be sure to announce your new catering services on your social media channels. 

You could even consider contacting local print media, like food magazines, newspapers, or community newsletters, to see if they would be interested in running a story on this new service in the local food scene.

Set Goals for Growth

Finally, don’t forget to set goals for your business growth. Like any other restaurant venture, running a successful food truck comes down to implementing essential business practices. Setting goals is an important way to make sure you get where you want to be. 

Don’t let temporary slumps or unexpected bumps in the road throw off your mobile kitchen mojo. No great achievement is gained without hard work and determination, successful food trucks included. 

So get out there and keep chasing that food truck dream!

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 Seeking Success: Strategies To Grow Your Food Truck Business appeared first on Custom Concessions.

The food truck industry is growing faster than the traditional restaurant. In fact, more restaurants are using mobile services to expand their businesses.

As popularity is growing, the need for an attractive and functional vehicle is at an all-time high. 

In order to reap the benefits of the food truck industry, investing the money in a custom truck can make your new venture fun and more profitable. 

Here are the top 10 reasons to convert your culinary business into a unique, one-of-a-kind vehicle. 

1. Mobile Advertising

One of the benefits of owning a food truck is that your logo travels with you. Driving around town allows you to market your company for free. 

This can have a direct effect on your restaurant business as people will recognize the name when they search for their next meal online. You can also add pictures of your food and restaurant location to become a mobile billboard.

2. Gain New Customer Base

Some people are food truck junkies. They seek out new trucks to add to their list of favorites. These types of people may have never set foot in your restaurant or have heard of it until it has gone mobile. 

By adding a second location, you gain new customers who may never have heard of your restaurant otherwise. 

3. Introduce New Menu Items

Starting a food truck means inventing a tiny new restaurant. And with it comes a new menu. You want to market toward the type of people who want good food fast. 

Cooking in a truck is also different than in a commercial kitchen. It is small and may not include all of the appliances that you have in your restaurant. Consider adapting your current menu with simpler takes on customer favorites. 

Tailoring your food to be simple and quick will keep down the maintenance and cook time required. 

4. Participate in Community Events

When thinking about how to open a food truck and gaining a local presence, consider attending local events. You can join many of the social gatherings that cater to food truck businesses. 

With a restaurant, you are stuck in one location. As a mobile service, you can bring food to the party. 

5. Expand Your Business

Looking for ways to get more business may include adding a delivery service, offering coupons, sending out mailings, and marketing through traditional means. You may even have considered opening another location or franchising. 

By having a custom food truck, you can expand without a huge marketing budget and without using a brick and mortar location. Food trucks are much cheaper than restaurants to design and maintain.

Another plus is the simplicity of having a smaller operation—you do not need to hire a full staff to operate a truck. Just few employees can run a mobile service.

6. Build Social Media Presence

Buying a food truck helps promote your following online. Many trucks post on social media their daily locations. When your reputation for tasty treats expands, so does your social media presence. 

People start looking for your truck and when it will be in their area. This makes for a devoted customer base, especially during the business lunch hour. Professionals love to get out of the office when a food truck is nearby. 

7. Get Creative

Besides being great for your business, having a custom food truck gives you a chance to design a whole new look.

Food trucks want to be noticed, so you can go all out with the theme. People should be able to spot your truck from afar. Also, this is your chance to have fun by thinking outside the box.

Your restaurant may be fancy or conservative, but your food truck can be a more inventive interpretation of your cuisine. 

8. Travel to New Neighborhoods

The great thing about a mobile business is that you can travel to areas where people might not know your name yet.

Most restaurant-goers stay in their own neighborhood when choosing a place for dinner. When you bring the restaurant to them, they might love your food so much that they will make the drive to check out your establishment.

9. Match Your Brand

When designing your own food truck, you have the ability to make it cohesive to your restaurant brand. Use the same logo as your restaurant and represent your overall marketing strategy. 

Although your menu might be different, it should be an extension of your main menu. Make sure that you market with unity in mind.

10. Make it Comfortable

Buying a food truck and making it your own gives you the ability to make it functional. You can customize your cooking, serving, and prep area according to the type of food you serve. 

Food trucks are smaller than a typical restaurant kitchen, so making the space work for you is essential to success. 

You also want to make sure that your customer is comfortable by adding things like a canopy to shield them from the elements. Offer entertainment with outdoor speakers for music. And make sure your menu is attractive and visible. 

Getting Started with a Food Truck

The first step in starting your food truck business is finding and designing the vehicle.

Make sure you have the means to cook, store, and transfer food safely by contacting us for a quote. Tell us your needs and we can ensure you will be prepared for going mobile.

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 10 Benefits of Building a Custom Food Truck Designed for Your Business appeared first on Custom Concessions.

It’s no secret that food trucks are all the rage right now, but have you ever thought about how popular a beer truck would be?

If you own a brewery, this is the best thing you can do for your business. Purchasing a beer truck means you can bring your special craft brews to more people and have a lot of fun doing so. It’s the unique spin on the standard brewery experience your customers will absolutely love.

Plus, this can offer a lot of benefits for your bottom line.

Here are 3 of the main reasons why you need to create a mobile brewery.

1. Expands Your Brand’s Reach

No matter where your brewery is located, you can only do so much to make sales in your local area. Sure, you can explore the option of opening new locations in the future or expand your distribution efforts. Or, you can figure out how to bring a piece of your brewery to your target market!

This will expand your brand’s reach immeasurably. Having the means to drive to food festivals, city events, holiday celebrations, and annual gatherings gives you the chance to put your mark on any event near or far. It’s your opportunity to not just serve more beer, but create a bigger sense of brand awareness among beer enthusiasts.

2. Boosts Sales

Your brewery truck is going to give you the means to boost sales on the road and at home. When you start showing up at more and more events, people will take notice. Before you know it, you’ll be serving a huge line of customers from the truck and start to see a few more people coming into your brewery location, too.

3. Creates Personal, Memorable Interactions

At the end of the day, a brewery is about more than just beer.

No matter how good your brews are, it’s the experience you provide that keeps people coming back. Investing in a beer truck enhances the value you’re able to offer your customers. It creates a fun, memorable interaction whether they’re walking up to your beer truck at an outdoor market or grabbing a drink before a big concert.

Not to mention, it will definitely set you apart from other breweries in your area. It’s not every day that people see a “food truck” that focuses on just beer pull into an event. But when they do, they won’t soon forget it.

Find the Ideal Beer Truck for Your Business

It’s one thing to read about everything that a beer truck can do for your business and another to see the benefits unfold right before your eyes. However, you do have to make sure that the beer truck you buy is on-brand with your brewery.

It needs to be well-designed, fully-functional for your specific needs, and of course, cost-effective. Click here to get started in your search for the ideal beer 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.

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

The post Beers on Wheels: Why You Should Take Your Brewery Business on the Road appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Thinking of entering the exciting world of mobile catering? You couldn’t have picked a better time!

These days, running a food truck is considerably easier than running a restaurant. For starters, the overhead is much lower, and you won’t have to hire as many staff. Plus, you can always go to where your customers are.

That said, this type of business still requires a lot of time and effort. Much like restaurant owners, you’ll have to deal with bad weather, slow seasons, and languid economy.

Want to know more about how to start a catering business? Here’s a quick guide to help you out!

1. Find the Right Place

First of all, you should make sure your city allows food trucks. For example, New York City and Los Angeles have a cap on food truck permits. Needless to say, the waiting lists for these permits are quite long.

Even if your city does allow food trucks, some streets and districts may still be off-limits. Before setting up shop in a business area, make sure it’s legit.

2. Define Your Concept

To give your catering business the best chance to succeed, you’ll need a catchy name. Ideally, the name should reflect your food or theme.

While you’re brainstorming, give some thought to your menu as well. Are you going to serve the same food every day or rotate the daily specials? Will you have a menu board, plastic sleeve menus, or a combination of both?

3. Secure Financing

As we’ve mentioned, catering businesses are cheaper than sit-downs. That said, you may still need some financing. Used food trucks cost between $20,000 and $40,000, and a new truck can set you back as much as $125,000.

Want to go down the economical route? Consider a food trailer. Concession trailers aren’t as glamorous, but they’re affordable.

4. Stock the Truck

If you do go with a mobile catering truck, make sure it’s a good fit for your needs. See, outfitting a food truck is a lot like equipping a commercial kitchen.

For instance, are you planning to serve pizza or fried foods? If so, you’ll need an oven and/or fryolator. If your business plan involves selling pre-made sandwiches, you’ll need plenty of space.

5. Market Your Business

Again, marking a mobile kitchen is easier than marketing a restaurant. After all, food trucks are basically advertisements on wheels. Still, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put in some extra advertising effort.

Unsurprisingly, social media outlets are great for building a customer base. You can get started by tweeting a morning route or posting photos of lunch specials.

6. Prepare for the Future

Like with any other business, you’ll need to establish clear goals. Before doing anything else, decide where you want to be in 5 or 10 years. This can be a great help at keeping you focused and motivated.

Also, do your best to be ready for emergencies. Whenever you can, save some money for equipment repairs and other unexpected events.

More on Mobile Catering

Mobile catering is all the rage right now, and there are no signs of this trend slowing down. In the long run, operating a food truck can even be the first step toward opening a restaurant.

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 Take It On The Road: How to Start a Mobile Catering Business appeared first on Custom Concessions.