There are more than 1.3 million active-duty military members. Including their spouses and children, there are over 1.5 million additional active-duty military family members.

So what does this mean for you as a food truck owner? It means there’s a big opportunity to expand your customer base while also helping your local community. You can do this by offering a discount to military members and their families. 

Read on for reasons why your food truck should offer a military appreciation discount, and how this simple discount can be beneficial to you and your military customers.

Gain a New Loyal Customer Base

When you advertise a military discount, word travels among military families. This discount will attract hungry military members to your food truck during their lunch break. 

Once you create a customer base, you want to keep them coming back for more. They’ll start to bring their co-workers along. Soon enough, they will bring their families even on their days off. 

Serve Military Bases

One of the perks of owning a food truck business is that you can take your business to any part of town. To connect with military members and their families, look up nearby military bases and see if you can operate there once or twice a week. You’ll need to make sure and get the necessary permissions before setting up nearby.

Build Your Company Image

Not only will you build a great reputation with military families, but a military discount (and veteran’s discount) shows non-military people that you care. Chances are, they have a friend or relative that serves. Because of this, they are also more likely to recommend your business to others. 

Help Your Business

Though at first it seems counter-intuitive, offering any discount will drive up your business.

For example, customers eligible for the discount might end up buying more because it seems like they are saving money. In the case of the year-round military discount, your military customers will visit more often, increasing sales over time.

Show Your Support 

Military discounts benefit everyone involved. Military families, especially younger military families with children, live on tight budgets. Financially, offering a discount helps them save a little bit of money when feeding their families. More so, it shows that you support and salute their service.

How Much to Offer for a Military Discount

Most restaurants or stores with a year-round military discount offer somewhere between 10-15% off for military members and their families. 

Along with the year-round military discount, consider upping the amount for anything surrounding military appreciation holidays or events. Military appreciation discounts work well for Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July, and Veteran’s Day. This would be a great time to offer 20-25% off, to show military members and their families how much you appreciate their service. 

Show Your Military Appreciation With a Discount

From gaining a new customer base to showing your support for the armed forces, there are multiple reasons why your food truck should offer a military discount. Start offering a military discount today; your customers will appreciate it. 

For more tips on how to successfully run your food truck business, check out the rest of our blog.

Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!

Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.

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Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

Memorial Day isn’t a holiday that was created to revolve around food. But that doesn’t mean Americans don’t love to grab a mouthwatering meal on this special day! Over 60% of Americans typically attend Memorial Day weekend barbecues, and spend a whopping $1.5 billion on meat and seafood for the holiday.

As a food truck owner, you may be wondering how to grab a piece of those food-laden Memorial Day celebrations. Here are five creative tips for getting your food truck Memorial Day business.

1. Add Summer-Inspired Dishes to the Menu

Small menu changes can be a great way to boost business. Advertise seasonal offerings that take advantage of summer fruits and veggies. These could be refreshing salads and entrees as well as cooling cocktails.

Barbecued and grilled dishes are always popular this time of year. Consider tweaking a go-to menu item for warm-weather flair. If you want to go the extra mile, consider taking this part of your menu outdoors with a visible grill to attract more attention.

2. Add Memorial Day Decor

Let loose your patriotic spirit with a host of red, white, and blue! From American flags to balloons to fresh flowers, the right decor can attract passing gazes.

3. Start a Fun Campaign

Everyone loves a freebie or deal, and Memorial Day is when they expect them. Decide on an incentive you’d like to offer, such as a buy one, get one free deal, and tack on a special campaign for extra fun.

For example, perhaps your brand’s food truck promotions are only open to people wearing red, white, or blue. Whatever you decide, make sure customers feel like they’re getting secret specials!

4. Offer Special Service to Veterans

To honor the holiday, and to attract more visitors, consider offering Memorial Day food truck deals to military veterans. Alternately, you can offer a percentage off of their total payment as a discount, or spread the word that you’re donating a certain percentage of your revenue to a veterans’ charity.

5. Attract the Kids

Because kids are off of school for Memorial Day, it’s safe to say that if you can make your business attractive to kids, you’ll be able to rein in their parents. Consider partnering with other local food trucks or vendors to host fun events for the family, like face-painting for kids, a special storytime, coloring or art contests, or music performances.

Work on Getting Your Food Trucks Memorial Day Business

When it comes to getting your food trucks Memorial Day business, these strategies can be a great way to attract customers’ attention. Make sure to invest the time and money to promote them a little in advance for best results, and prepare to reap the benefits of your hard work!

Whether you’re hopping into your first truck or upgrading to a new one, we can help you get up and running! No matter what type of food truck you run, we cater to a range of preferences, so contact us to learn more.

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 Getting Your Food Trucks Memorial Day Business: 5 Creative Tips appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Photo by Nonki Azariah on Unsplash

So, you’re looking to get your first food truck and ready to hit the towns and cities all around your neighborhood with the best grub on wheels. Congratulations!

While you’re making plans for your new food truck, you’ll want to consider what extra features can make your business really stand out to potential customers. Check out our food truck wishlist to help you figure out the extras that are out there and why each one is so great.

Food Truck Wishlist Top 10

1. Pizza Oven

No great food truck was ever great without pizza on the menu. It’s a go-to snack for many food truck foodies. Your food truck will thrive with this worthy addition.

2. Ice Cream Dipping Cabinet

Remember the old days when the ice-cream truck came rolling through the neighborhood and all the kids were running out to greet it? Now you can be the ice cream delivery guy or girl, but with snacks for the adults, too!

3. Exterior Beverage Vending Taps

Nobody wants food without a drink to wash it down. Installing beverage vending taps for coffee, beer, and/or soft drinks is a sure way to win over your customer base.

4. 360-Degree Cameras

Besides the food, there are some options that you can add to your food truck that will help you get where you’re going. Cameras, for example, are helpful for navigating such a large vehicle. You can park more easily and get the doors open for those hungry patrons.

5. Mobile Wi-Fi Kit

Everybody needs Wi-Fi these days and when people are eating, they like to surf the web. There’s no better way to attract  clientele than to have Wi-Fi capability while they wait for that scrumptious snack you’re cooking up.

6. Exterior TV

Rather than have menus flying off the truck in the breeze, why not install an exterior TV to showcase your menu and photos of your delicious food? You can even add the option for customers to see when their orders are ready, so they won’t crowd the truck while others are trying to order.

Or you can use your exterior TV for sometime more creative. Maybe you’ll be the food truck that plays cartoons or music videos for your customers to watch while standing in line.

7. Rooftop Signboards

Rooftop signboards allow customers to see your truck from farther away as you stand taller than all the other food trucks around. They also provide a more finished and professional look for your traveling business.

8. Specialty Lighting

Specialty lighting like LED under glow or LED rope lights along the roof or awning of your food truck adds sparkle and shine. You might also like to install spotlights and/or flashers for when your service is running through the night.

9. Power Awning

It gets hot out in the sun after just a couple of minutes. If you live and work in a warm sunny climate, a power awning for shade or even protection from light drizzle will impress your customers. Powered awnings are quicker and easier to set up than an awning you have to crank out by hand.

10. Full Graphics Wrap

A full graphics wrap can serve as a mobile billboard for your brand. Go ahead, wrap the entire truck, including the roof—that way customers will be able to recognize you anywhere you go, including the office workers in that 20 story building across from where you park during city lunches.

BONUS: Telematics and GPS

Telematics and GPS will let your customers know where you are located. Not to mention that you can more easily comply with health code requirements about the length of stay and proximity to brick and mortar businesses. You’ll also have braking and accelerating data on file so you can see how your drivers are doing.

What’s on Your Food Truck Wishlist?

Now that you know all about the awesome features you can incorporate into your food truck, what else is on your Christmas wishlist? Maybe you’d like some mobile dining options like folding chairs and tables. The options are practically endless when you use a little creativity!

When you’re ready to invest in your food truck enterprise, please, contact us. We know what it takes, and we can get your the right mobile kitchen to help your business thrive.

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 A Very Foodie Christmas: Top 10 Things on Our Food Truck Wishlist appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels

Food trucks are more than a trend—they’re a mobile food movement. There’s a place for mobile kitchens and brick and mortar restaurants, but food trucks are gaining momentum.

Though thousands of food trucks exist today, they’re not without obstacles. Operators must stay on their toes to keep food truck sales up during the holidays.

There are only 10 federal holidays a year, but every day’s a holiday to someone. Where there are holidays, there’s a food truck opportunity.

If you’re looking to rev up your food truck sales during the holidays, here’s what you need to know.

Food Truck Sales During Holidays

If you own a food truck, holidays can mean one of two things for you. For some, you’ll see an opportunity to sport your food truck around town. For others, you might fear less traffic and that your food truck sales will suffer.

There are two approaches you can take to make sure you stay successful. 

1. Food Truck Festivals

What better time to market yourself than the holidays? Pairing up with other local food trucks is a smart strategy. Depending on the holiday, bother winter and summertime can be hubs for food truck fiestas!

Food truck marketing tip number one: success doesn’t come from being the only food truck in town. Encouraging potential customers to support the food truck community and visit different food trucks nearby boosts traffic and your exposure.

2. Cater Events

If you can’t find a way to lean into the holiday happenings, consider catering specific events. While you may not serve the masses, you’ll make relationships and have high-volume orders to steady your sales.

You can choose to expand your horizons or hone in on niche markets. Before you choose, consider the following strategies.

Holiday Food Truck Strategies

Before you can take on the holidays, you’ll have to know the type of holiday. There are three: federal holidays, societal holidays, and self-made “holidays.”

How you approach Memorial Day—a federal, known, popular outdoor holiday—will vary from a self-declared holiday like Food Truck Friday. Something like Valentine’s Day is a societal holiday—well known, but not official.

Federal holidays need less food truck marketing than self-declared holidays. Food Truck Friday celebrationsare like self-crafted campaigns. You’re in charge of spreading the word from start to finish.

Food truck folk are no strangers to social media, so holiday marketing can be a breeze. Consider how you might up your social media game for these occasions.

Will you make a mobile app? Pass out coupons and flyers? You might even make a food truck finder game on social media to incentivize folks to locate you.

Holidays have playful energy. Make fun out of your food truck strategy!

Every Day is a Holiday With Food Trucks

You’re in full control of your food truck sales. It’s not the holiday that determines your success, but how you relate to it.

Sprinkle in a few self-proclaimed holidays with national ones. Be sure to space things out enough to communicate with your following and build momentum!

So long as you’re forward-thinking, you’ll have no problem tackling holidays the food truck way.

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 How to Maximize Holiday Food Truck Sales appeared first on Custom Concessions.