The last year has changed so much about how the food and restaurant business operates. Many people relied heavily on order ahead and food delivery services, a trend that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. 

Thanks to order-ahead food truck apps, this proverbial ship has been able to stay afloat through the pandemic and beyond. In fact, integrating online food ordering into your food truck business can ensure your ship not only stays afloat but has an upgraded propulsion system and is ready to sail!

Here are three unique ways to use this technology to your advantage!

1. Mobile Order Ahead

What makes this service so useful is that it lets QSRs build clout on the internet through mobile apps and PC web browsers while ensuring the customers’ orders will be prepared in advance.

This means that wait times will be practically nonexistent. Customers can show up when their order has been completed, pick up their meal, and be on their merry way.

Here’s a little food for thought. If everyone is on the internet these days, then where do you think your food truck business should be?

If you guessed the internet, then congrats! You’ve already got the right mindset!

2. Using the Right QSR App

Don’t just settle for any QSR app. Make sure the one you choose fits with your catering business needs. Here are three tried-and-true QSR apps you can find on the market today!

Square for Restaurants 

This is arguably the #1 best point of sale service on the market. It has an online store integrated into it and a conversational ordering system. Better yet, its baseline service is free.

Revel Systems

Cloud-based, highly customizable, detailed reporting, and has a loyalty baseline subscription. Comes with a price.

Toast

Easy-to-use, contactless ordering and payments, always making new tools. Also has a price.

The trick is to choose a QSR app that has a highly conversational system so you can interact with your customers during the life of the sale. Customers want to know when their meal will be ready and the step-by-step process by which it is being made. If the app you’re using provides this feature, then you’re doing things right!

3. Reach More Customers With Delivery Apps

Instead of hiring people to deliver food to your customers, consider partnering with a delivery app to save money. What makes these apps convenient is their ease-of-access systems and cheap delivery options.

Here are some tried-and-true delivery apps:

• Postmates
• Doordash
• UberEats
• Grubhub

Using one of these apps gives you access to another customer base that you might not otherwise tap into, but be careful—many of them charge hefty fees. This is a decision you’ll want to do your research on before deciding if it’s worth it for your food truck business.

Don’t Wait to Transform Your Food Truck Business

There has never been a better time than now to change how your food truck business operates. Everyone has gotten used to the ease and convenience of ordering ahead online, or ordering online for delivery.

With the aid of online food ordering and delivery apps, you can flip the switch in a matter of minutes. Take your food to your customers and they’ll keep coming back for more!

Have Food Truck Questions?

Before you get online ordering and delivery set up, it helps if you already have your food truck up and running! Need help getting started on your food truck journey? Give us a call today at (800) 910-8533, or fill out a free quote request to be contacted by one of our food truck specialists.

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.

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This past summer was tough for many businesses, including ice cream trucks. Kids missed seeing them around at the beginning of summer, but even as the weather cools we’re starting to see a surge of portable ice cream!

Keep reading to learn how your local ice cream truck is making a comeback, and how you can safely support them!

Technology Boosts Ice Cream Truck Sales

When we were kids we had to wait to hear the iconic song that told us the truck was near. Now, you can look the schedule up online and see where they are. Not only that, but you can also follow them on social media and even text them in some cases to find out when they’ll be near. 

It doesn’t matter that they’ve changed the tune nowadays, it’s no longer needed to find your favorite truck.

Technology has also helped amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Mobile businesses like ice cream trucks can inform people how to safely purchase goods from the truck before they get there. You can post the CDC guidelines so people know how to enjoy their treat while protecting themselves.

Food trucks have been shown to help with social distancing as long as you follow the regulations.

Better Trucks

The trucks used today are much more efficient compared to the trucks of 20 years ago. They’re able to keep food frozen longer, store more ice cream, and offer more ways to serve customers safely. 

More recently, they’ve also been outfitted to comply with local and federal social distancing guidelines. With more windows, you can designate one for paying and one for picking up, meaning you’re able to keep people further apart.

The Rise of Food Delivery

Of course, before the pandemic, we had food delivery services, but that hardly compares to how much food we get delivered now. There are more Americans getting food delivered during the pandemic than any other time period.

It makes sense too, if you can’t leave your home you need to get food delivered to your house. That means sometimes forgoing treats like ice cream or snacks.

However, thanks to ice cream trucks you can get treats right to your home. This is especially great for parents with young children. They don’t really understand what’s going on right now and just want to go out and have fun. 

Thinking of Starting an Ice Cream Truck Business?

It can still be profitable to start an ice cream truck business. If you’ve been thinking about starting one, don’t let the pandemic hold you back from your dreams.

You can get food truck financing to get a beautiful truck fairly easily. Even in the fall, you can be successful with your business if you put your passion in to your work. 

Enjoy Your Treats Today

If you’re craving ice cream now then check out your local ice cream truck today! Be sure to check out our blog for more content.

Want a quote on a truck to start your own ice cream business? Request a free one 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 Is the Neighborhood Ice Cream Truck Making a Comeback? appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels

In the summer when the weather is hot, so are your food truck sales! Everyone knows that food truck sales are at their highest when folks are outside enjoying those beautiful sunny days.

That being said, all good things do come to an end. As summer closes, the days will become shorter and cooler, and before you know it, fall will arrive. Cooler periods normally mean a dip in customers, and that’s something many food trucks simply can’t afford to have.

The good thing is that there are things you can do to combat that inevitable sales shortfall. What you need are some solid food truck tips and a bit of ingenuity to sell just as many items—or even more—during the cooler times as you did during the warmer seasons. This article goes into detail with what you need to know about navigating fall food truck madness. Read on to learn more!

1. Enter a Contest

A food contest may not sound like something you had in mind, but this is a great way to get your company name out there and make some impressive sales. Most food contests have an entry fee. However, chances are you’ll easily be able to make a return on the investment when you sell your goods at the event. Does your city or county have a chili cook-off? Or a pizza making extravaganza? Signing up to show off your skills will get your name out there, and it’s an even bigger bonus if you win! Consider making sample-sized items of a few of your menu favorites. That way contest-goers can purchase a variety of things to try from your truck. 

2. Take on Catering Gigs

Instead of waiting for the customers to come to you, why don’t you go to them? Catering gigs are becoming a very popular way for food vendors to distribute their goods. Often, food trucks charge a flat rate up front for an appearance at a private event, plus making money on whatever sales go above and beyond that. If you can get in on that big Halloween party in town, the sky is the limit!

3. Find Fall Festivals & Activities

Working a festival can be a great way for your truck to earn some extra income in the fall. You may need to branch out a bit from whatever town you are based in to find places nearby hosting fall events. Once you have secured your spot, think about tailoring your menu a bit to highlight whatever fall food is being celebrated. Working a maple syrup festival? Add a maple bacon burger or maple glazed donuts. 

You could also offer to set up at pop-up fall activities that only last for a limited time, such as your local farm’s corn maze or haunted forest. Nothing makes people hungry like being active out in the cold. Strike up a partnership with the hosts and offer them a percentage of the profits in exchange for the right to sell on their property. Be sure to have a variety of things to choose from, including meal items like soups or hot sandwiches, snacky foods such as popcorn and caramel apples, and hot drinks like apple cider, hot chocolate, or spiced lattes.

4. Add a Delivery Service

Food delivery has become increasingly popular in the last few years, so much so that there is an entire industry dedicated to delivering food to people. By delivering food to your customers, you make cash while also opening up another avenue for service. 

Fall Food Truck Tips

Now that you’ve got a few ideas to help you in the fall, you may have some other questions about the food truck industry! Check out our blog for even more food truck tips.

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 Fall Food Truck Tips To Help You Sell More appeared first on Custom Concessions.