If you are thinking about entering this industry, make sure you are fully prepared. You might be a great cook and already have your menus down, but there is so much more to the food truck industry than just knowing how to make great food. This is a business you are running, after all, and it needs to be treated exactly like that.

RELATED: Some Common Reasons Why Food Truck Businesses Fail. If you aren’t prepared for this industry, your food truck business could fail in a hurry.

3 Common Reasons Why Food Truck Businesses Succeed

• Business Savvy People Open Up Shop
• The Food Is Otherworldly
• Owners Know Everything About The Industry

Business Savvy People Open Up Shop

Cooking is an art — there is no doubt about it. We can follow recipes all we want, but some people have it and others don’t. That said, some chefs aren’t business savvy enough to open up their own food truck business.

In this industry, you not only have to have an amazing business plan, but you also have to know the ins and outs of running a business. You need to know the marketing side of things, you need to know how to manage employees, you need to know how to do finances, you need to know how much to charge for each menu item, you need to know how to treat customers and the list goes on and on.

To run a business, you have to know a lot. That is why this industry is perfect for previous business owners and entrepreneurs — because they typically are experts at all things business.

The Food Is Otherworldly

Let’s get back to the kitchen. Mobile catering trucks that succeed have amazing food. After all, this is your main product, your main attraction. Your food concept brings something to the table that other food trucks don’t.

Customers, whether they are new or repeat, flock to your truck because they love your food, and they can’t live without it.

Yes, being business savvy is essential in this industry, but you also have to bring the goods to the table as well, which is your amazing food.

RELATED: How Food Truck Owners Can Stay Motivated. No on said running a mobile kitchen was easy, but there are plenty of ways to stay motivated regardless.

Owners Know Everything About The Industry

This is one of the main reasons why food truck businesses succeed: Food truck owners know everything about the industry. They know what it takes to make it, they know everything about their competitors, they know how to market, they know how to sell and they know the ins and outs of the food truck industry in general.

If you want to thrive as a mobile food truck owner, you have to be more than just a chef, and you also have to be able to adapt in this growing industry.

To stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer, make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can also find more food truck blogs here.

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Are you prepared to enter this industry? Are you more than just a chef? Can you handle the fact that you will be someone’s boss? Do you have an amazing business plan?

Nonetheless, here are some reasons why food truck businesses fail.

RELATED: How Food Truck Owners Can Stay Motivated. Staying motivated in this industry is more important than some people might think — because the daily grind can be brutal.

Some Common Reasons Why Food Truck Businesses Fail

• Owners Aren’t Business Savvy
• Work-Life Balance Is Way Off
• Marketing Is Nonexistent
• Not Unique Enough
• Folks Don’t Know The Industry Well Enough

Owners Aren’t Business Savvy

You were born to be a chef, or that is at least what people have told you your entire life. So, you decide to enter the food truck industry instead of starting up a sit-down restaurant because it is cheaper. Great choice! However, you get the money to start up your dream — which is being a head chef — purchase your mobile kitchen, and then you realize you aren’t very business savvy.

That’s a major issue in this industry — people think being a good cook is the only thing that matters. You also have to know how to operate a business, because a food truck business is literally a — you guessed it — business.

Work-Life Balance Is Way Off

Being a food truck owner is hard. You might be your own boss and have the ability to call all of the shots, but you are also constantly working. Entrepreneurs historically know how to pull off the feat that is having the ultimate work-life balance, and food truck owners need to take a lesson from that playbook.

Marketing Is Nonexistent

Do you know how to market? Are you a social media guru? Do you know how to promote your truck which could lead to a massive amount of growth?

If your kitchen truck is lacking in the marketing department, your sales could be as well. If you aren’t an expert at marketing, you need to learn the ins and outs as fast as possible, or hire someone who is an expert in this field.

Not Unique Enough

You might think your taco truck is flooding with uniqueness. However, there might be five other taco trucks near the location you were planning on conquering. These food trucks likely already have their customers down.

What makes you better than these other businesses? What makes you unique? Your food concept not only has to be otherworldly, meaning your recipes have to be amazing, but your brand also has to stick out as well.

RELATED: Reasons To Join The Food Truck Industry. Don’t worry, there are still plenty of reasons to join this industry.

Folks Don’t Know The Industry Well Enough

Everything comes down to this: Aspiring food truck owners don’t know the industry well enough. They enter the game unprepared and have way more questions than answers.

They don’t know that social media is a big part of the process. They don’t know how much everything is actually going to cost. They don’t know how brutal it is to own a business. They don’t know enough about their competitors. They don’t know their target audience well enough. They don’t know what to do once the colder months start rearing their ugly heads, and we think you get the point.

Needless to say, if you want to succeed as a food truck owner, you need to be more than just a great chef.

To stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer, make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can also find more food truck blogs here.

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For starters, they can look at what they have and be grateful. After all, a mobile kitchen owner is a person who owns a business. For some people, owning a business is the ultimate goal. Beyond that fact, we will teach food truck owners how to stay motivated — because we know how hard that daily grind can be.

RELATED: Important Ingredients Food Truck Owners Must Incorporate Into Their Business That Aren’t Related To Food. Believe it or not, mobile catering owners have more than just food ingredients on their side.

How Food Truck Owners Can Stay Motivated

• Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
• Be A Leader
• Constantly Revisit Your Goals And Dreams
• Love Your Job
• Take Care Of Yourself

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

In other words, try something new. The options behind this motivational tip are limitless.

Here’s an example: If you are paying someone to run your social media accounts because you don’t want to learn the ropes, step up to the plate and actually learn the ins and outs of social media. Sure, that will add another thing to your plate, but it could also lead to a challenging hobby (you know, a challenging hobby that helps your business).

Here’s another way to get out of your comfort zone and stay motivated in the process: Start going to events. Yes, catering for a wedding might get the nerves going the first time through, but it is another great way to make more money, get out of your comfort zone and gain new customers.

Be A Leader

You are the owner, so being a leader is part of the job. Motivate your employees. Set a good example. Treat every customer like he/she is your No. 1 customer.

By keeping your employees motivated, you will find out in a hurry that it will also keep you motivated because your food truck business will likely be running on all cylinders, and going to work will start becoming a treat for everyone involved.

Constantly Revisit Your Goals And Dreams

Everyone should take a page out of this playbook. By revisiting your goals and dreams over and over again, you will not only get motivated, but you will remind yourself why you are here in the first place, and why you started a food truck business. You will also be looking at the big picture on a consistent basis, which can help keep the mind right.

Love Your Job

You didn’t enter this industry by chance. You entered this industry because you wanted to. Because you wanted to be a master chef and make people happy with your food. The choice to enter this industry, a great industry, was yours, so you might as well love your job because of that reason alone. After all, this is where you wanted to be, and what you wanted your career to look like.

RELATED: Reasons To Join The Food Truck Industry. There are so many reasons to join the food truck industry, and this article will break that down in greater detail.

Take Care Of Yourself

It’s hard to hit the gym or have a life outside of work when you are at your mobile food truck business for at least 10 hours a day. It’s also hard to eat healthy for every meal when you are around delicious food all day.

That said, if you want to make it in this industry from a health standpoint, you have to find time to take care of your mind, body and soul. Therefore, make healthy choices in the kitchen, take breaks and take care of yourself in general.

To stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer, make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can also find more food truck blogs here.

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Let’s put the food to the side for a minute, because if you entered the food truck industry in the first place, you likely already have delicious recipes. Instead, let’s tackle some ingredients that relate strictly to the business side of things.

RELATED: Food Holidays Mobile Kitchen Owners Need To Watch Out For In July. If you are all about the food holidays, this article will be your guide in July.

The Important Ingredients For Food Truck Owners

• Social Media
• Digital Marketing
• An Email Strategy
• Otherworldly Customer Service
• A Plan For Everything

Social Media

When talking about social media, we are of course referring to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and all of the other social networks that are still thriving to this day. When it comes to your food truck business, it is important to have social media down, but that is way easier said than done — because there is so much that goes into social media.

Side note: All social networks are different, and you need a different strategy for each one.

For instance, you have to be able to engage with your customers, you have to know how to respond to Internet trolls, you have to know how to boost posts, you have to know how much to post on a daily basis and you have to have a social media strategy in general.

If all of this seems like too much, then hiring a social media manager is never a bad option.

Digital Marketing

Social media certainly relates to the digital marketing world, but this concept is a little more broad than that. With digital marketing, you are bringing marketing to the Internet, which is a place that could help your food truck business grow and gain more customers.

Digital marketing can be your website, your mobile website, blogs, press releases, your email strategy (which we will cover more later) and really anything that is on the Internet and relates to your business and marketing. With digital marketing, you can really promote your brand, and everything your food truck has to offer (yes, including all of your amazing recipes).

An Email Strategy

Developing an email strategy takes time. After all, you have to come up with an email list, you have to make sure your emails are mobile-friendly, you have to know what your customers want, you have to know how to be engaging and you, simply put, have to know the ins and outs of emails.

A solid email strategy is yet another great way to reach your target audience.

Otherworldly Customer Service

This ingredient should go without saying. Having otherworldly customer service means following the customer-is-always-right approach. It means your employees have to be friendly, helpful and efficient. It might also mean that you incorporate a customer loyalty program into the mix.

Nonetheless, with great customer service, you can stand out in the food truck industry, and keep customers happy in the process.

RELATED: Reasons To Join The Food Truck Industry. This article is for anyone who is thinking about joining the mobile kitchen industry.

A Plan For Everything

As a boss and business owner, you should plan for everything. For this food truck ingredient, you need to plan for rainy days (literally), you need to plan for the offseason, you need to plan for when it is too hot outside (perhaps you can serve something up that will cool down your customers?), you need to plan for when business is slow one day and super busy the next — you need to plan for everything.

By doing so, you will be prepared for anything. It might sound simple, but you need to figure out all of the possible situations beforehand so an obstacle — big or small — can be easily avoided.

To stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer, make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can also find more food truck blogs here.

The post Important Ingredients Food Truck Owners Must Incorporate Into Their Business That Aren’t Related To Food appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Nonetheless, the five food holidays that follow deserve their own day. Luckily for food lovers from me to you, they get one in the form of a national food holiday. If you are a food truck owner and are operating your own business, there is no reason not to take advantage of these days.

RELATED: Party Food Ideas That Will Make Your 4th Of July Epic. Get your 4th of July on with these party food ideas.

The Quick List For Food Holidays In July

• July 4: National BBQ Day
• July 6: National Fried Chicken Day
• July 10: National Pina Colada Day
• July 13: National French Fry Day
• July 23: National Hot Dog Day

July 4: National BBQ Day

You might notice that National BBQ Day lands on the 4th of July, which makes this the best food holiday in July (perhaps the best one of the year).

For this food holiday, you might as well get wild in the kitchen, food truck owners. Cooking up a storm is certainly a must on this day. So bring out the hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ chicken, ribs, bratwursts and anything else you can think of that goes with this theme — there are plenty of options.

July 6: National Fried Chicken Day

Luckily for foodies, National Fried Chicken Day is right after the 4th of July. For this food holiday, it is important to enjoy yourself. So you might as well join the festivities by making up some fried chicken that your customers will love, mobile kitchen owners.

July 10: National Pina Colada Day

Whether you make this an adult beverage or not, this is still a food holiday that couldn’t go unnoticed in July. The best part is the simple fact that this bad boy will keep you cool on a hot summer day — and hot summer days are among us.

July 13: National French Fry Day

French fries deserve their own day, and that day just so happens to be July 13. Whether you like your fries with ketchup or turning them into Elvis Fries, there is no better time to enjoy french fries than on this wonderful food holiday.

RELATED: Powerful Marketing Tips To Help Promote Your Food Truck. Marketing is a big part of the food truck process, making these tips all that more important.

July 23: National Hot Dog Day

There are plenty of food trucks out there that serve up hot dogs on a daily basis, so this is kind of a match made in heaven — wouldn’t you agree?

If you really want to go big on July 23, then you might as well make it a Chicago Dog. Just remember, food holidays are all the rage nowadays, so everyone should be taking advantage of them.

Stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer. Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can also find more food truck blogs here.

The post 5 Food Holidays Mobile Kitchen Owners Need To Watch Out For In July appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Today is the day.

Today is the day you should join the food truck industry. If you are planning on ever owning your own food truck business, then there is no better time to start than now.

The food truck industry is booming and it is still relatively new, so we leave you with this question, future mobile kitchen owners: What are you waiting for?

RELATED: Party Food Ideas That Will Make Your 4th Of July Epic. 4th of July is just around the corner, which means the festivities are really about to begin.

Here They Are: Reasons To Join The Food Truck Industry

• You’ve Always Wanted To Open Your Own Business
• It’s A Great Way To Break Into The Food Industry
• You Get To Be Your Own Boss
• Now Is The Right Time

You’ve Always Wanted To Open Your Own Business

Being a business owner is an amazing accomplishment, and if you have found yourself on this website multiple times, you have probably always wanted to own your own business.

The food truck industry is a phenomenal one to break into right now, and when you finally do own your own mobile food truck, you can finally say that you — wait for it — own your own business.

It’s A Great Way To Break Into The Food Industry

Perhaps you have always wanted to be a master chef, but getting to that level is too much of a climb. Perhaps you are just looking for a powerful start. Regardless, breaking into the food truck industry is a great way to accomplish both of those goals.

By starting off in this industry, which is very much considered the food industry, you will gain so much experience. You will become better with customers, you will create your own menus, you will become an expert in marketing, you will get to cook whatever you want to cook and the list of advantages could go on and on.

Heck, this might be the best way to break into the food industry.

You Get To Be Your Own Boss

At one point or another, especially if you are an entrepreneur, we all want to be our own boss. Guess what? If you own your own mobile kitchen, you will have achieved that feat.

Not to mention, you will be your own boss in a booming field — which is the food truck industry, of course.

RELATED: 5 Tips For Food Truck Owners Who Are Breaking Into The Industry. If you are looking to break into the industry, you might find these tips rather useful.

Now Is The Right Time

The food truck industry is still booming — you may have heard — making right now the perfect time to start up your own food truck business. Getting into an industry that is still relatively new can lead to a world of success, so you do the math.

To stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer, make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can also find more food truck blogs here.

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Party food ideas make every 4th of July party, so make sure you are ready to take on this glorious holiday.

RELATED: Tips For Food Truck Owners Who Are Breaking Into The Industry. In this article, we break down some tips for food truck owners who are new to the industry.

Previewing The Party Food Ideas That Will Make Your 4th Of July Epic

• Incorporate Red, White And Blue
• Bacon-Wrapped Burgers, Or Dogs
• Flag Pizza
• Kabobs
• Stick To The Basics

Incorporate Red, White And Blue

‘Tis the season, after all. With this party food idea, you can really get creative. For instance, you can decorate a cake in these colors. You can add blue sprinkles to strawberries that are dipped in white chocolate. You can simply eat blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream.

This party food idea is all about being patriotic with your food, and your taste buds certainly won’t mind either.

Bacon-Wrapped Burgers, Or Dogs

Because nothing screams American food quite like bacon-wrapped hamburgers or bacon-wrapped hot dogs. If this party food idea doesn’t get your appetite going, then you can always add bacon (the main ingredient) to something like macaroni and cheese.

Flag Pizza

This party food idea is a crowd-pleaser, and will 100 percent be the talk of the party.

Here is how a flag pizza can be done: A rectangular pizza, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperonis and blue potatoes.

If you want to stick with the bacon theme, then just add bacon instead of pepperonis for this party food idea.

Kabobs

Kabobs are perfect for the grill, making this party food idea a no-brainer. The best thing about kabobs: Versatility.

For instance, you can pack on a ton of meat for the meat lovers, or add on vegetables and fruits (pineapples, for instance) for the foodies who want to stay away from meat. Like other party food ideas on this list, the sky is the limit, and your party will be rocking on 4th of July no matter which idea you go with.

RELATED: Summer Events Food Trucks Are Perfect For. Food truck owners, these events are a great way to grow your business.

Stick To The Basics

The idea behind this party food idea: Don’t fix what isn’t broken. Therefore, serve up hot dogs, hamburgers, bratwursts, ribs, corn, chips, sandwiches and other foods that tend to go hand in hand with the 4th of July.

With this party food idea, you are playing it safe, and there is nothing wrong with that.

To stay up to date on everything Custom Concessions has to offer, make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can also find more food truck blogs here.

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Breaking into the food truck industry is no easy feat. Just like any industry, starting a business can be a long and grueling process. However, it can also be fun, and very rewarding.

If you are new to the industry, or perhaps you just need some reminders, make sure to follow these five tips.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Fellow Food Truck Owners Questions

Seriously, don’t be afraid to ask fellow mobile kitchen owners questions that may arise along the journey that is running your truck. You might be their competition, but life is all about sharing knowledge.

Also, there are plenty of people (your competition, that is) who have been at this for years, and their wisdom could be a huge benefit for your business.

READ: Summer Events Food Trucks Are Perfect For

Stay Frugal, Stay Hungry

Your food truck is running and customers are flowing in, which means you have made it, right? Sure, your business might be fresh, new and already doing well, but it is important that you stay frugal, and you also stay hungry.

Once again, stay frugal, and stay hungry.

Serve What The People Are Buying, And Don’t Be Afraid To Change The Menu Up

Let’s do a two-for-one special here. If what you are cooking is working, then continue to serve up those foods. After all, why would you change up your menu if it is working? On the other hand, and if something isn’t working, fix it by changing up your menu.

It is important to stay consistent in this industry, but it isn’t a bad idea to change up your menu seasonally, or simply adding new specials.

RELATED: Things Your Food Truck Employees Should Never Do

Get Someone To Run Your Social Media Accounts

If you know the ins and outs of social media, then, well, that’s awesome. However, you are going to be so busy when you first break into the food truck industry. Therefore, don’t be afraid to hire someone to run your social media accounts — well, if it is affordable and you can’t handle it, that is.

Social media is huge for your business. Heck, any business.

Make It All About The Customers

You are serving the customers, and without said customers, your mobile food truck simply wouldn’t stay in business. Therefore, you might as well make it all about them. At your actual food truck, on social media — everywhere!

If you are looking for food trucks for sale, you still have a long way to go, but at least these tips can help be your guide when you are finally up and running.

For more food truck blogs, make sure to check out this link.

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Therefore, you might be wondering of some ways to do just that. Luckily for you, food truck owners, we will be providing you with some powerful marketing tips to help promote your food truck, which will hopefully help bring your business to the next level.

Whether you have been going at the food industry strong for years or are in the midst of browsing food trucks for sale, these tips could help you do wonders.

Post Pictures And Videos — And More Pictures And Videos After That

If you go onto Facebook, Twitter or whichever social network you prefer, you will likely notice a ton of pictures and videos of food. Recipe videos are a very common occurrence on Facebook as well.

This is great if you are a mobile kitchen owner because you could (and should) post pictures of your own food on your favorite social networks. People are never going to get sick of seeing food dripping with deliciousness, amirite?

Use this tool, and use it rather frequently.

READ: Skills Every Food Truck Employee Needs

Give Away Free Food On Facebook

It doesn’t have to be a year’s supply of food, folks. It can simply be a free meal or side. It can also be given away for something simple, such as the 10,000 person who has liked your Facebook account.

Get creative and then start giving, owners of lunch trucks.

Have Contests

You know, the ones that feature you giving away free food. The biggest thing is that you are engaging with your followers, which could lead to said followers making many stops at your food truck.

Try Out Loyalty Programs

Loyal gourmet food truck customers love loyalty programs, because they can lead to free food, and rewards in general.

Looking to buy a food truck? Check out these food trucks for sale!

Email Newsletters

This might not be the newest trick on the block, but it is one that still works. The best part is you can fill your newsletter with what you want your followers to see.

Here are some examples: A new item hitting the menu, specials for the week (or month), links to blogs that support your mobile catering truck and pictures of food.

Respond To Your Fans

You are the authority figure. As a result, your social media fans will get a kick out of you responding to them. It’s all about the engagement, kitchen truck owners.

For more food truck blogs, make sure to check out this link.

The post Powerful Marketing Tips To Help Promote Your Food Truck appeared first on Custom Concessions.

If you are a food truck owner, that means extra business. After all, food lovers, and people in general, tend to go outside more during the warmer months.

In the spirit of that thinking, let’s browse through some summer events that mobile kitchens are perfect for.

Here’s a fun fact: Food trucks are becoming more and more popular at weddings — if you can believe that.

Looking to buy a food truck? Check out these food trucks for sale!

Concerts

Summer plans commonly include concerts. You know what else is at concerts other than the band and a bunch of people? Lunch trucks, of course.

People tend to get pretty hungry when they are rocking out, which is why kitchen trucks can thrive at these events.

Family BBQ — Well, If You Have A Big Family, That Is

This could be a family BBQ or just a big get-together. Nonetheless, mobile catering trucks are perfect for these situations.

Here are two huge reasons why: (1) You don’t have to worry about cooking for hundreds of people (you know, if you have that big of a family). (2) You know the food is going to be delicious, because that is what the food truck industry is all about.

Family Reunions

Summer is an ideal time for family reunions, and family reunions are best served with a dish of, well, food truck food.

If you own a food truck business or are looking for used food trucks for sale, don’t forget about family reunions — because they happen all the time, especially when the temperatures start to heat up.

READ: Food Holidays Mobile Kitchen Owners Need To Watch Out For In June

Festivals

Food truck festivals, festivals in general — you name it. Parades are even a hot destination for mobile food trucks.

While there are plenty of other places food trucks will be scoping out this summer (there are en endless amount of events), the four events listed above are perfect for the food truck industry, and a mobile kitchen trailer would be crazy to not take advantage.

For more food truck blogs, make sure to check out this link.

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