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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.

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

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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.

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Did you know that Americans eat out 5.9 times a week? Change up your food truck menu to entice new customers and keep old ones happy.

Want to learn more? Keep reading to find out.

1. Take a Look at Your Competitors

When you’re creating or changing your menu, take some time to check out your competition’s menu. See how they present their dishes and what ones they offer. What are their marketing efforts?

You can start to figure out how your food truck can offer items that other restaurants or trucks don’t. See if you can offer a lower price, or provide more variety on your menu.

2. Add a Popular Meal to Your Food Truck Menu

If you’re new to the industry, don’t worry, you can increase your revenue with this tip. Add a food item like a BLT, ribs, or hotdogs to your menu.

If you have more unusual food on your menu, add a staple item. This way, picky eaters can still find something to eat at your truck.

3. Try Seasonal Food Items

If you want customers to visit your food truck throughout the year, have specials for each season. You won’t have to change your entire menu. Instead, add one unique dish, drink or dessert. Or one of each!

You could add savory soups for the winter months, and a delicious cold dessert for the summer.

4. Stand out from the Crowd

When making your menu, think about the type of food you will serve and see how you can add a twist.

For example, if you’re serving Indian food, you could always add a fusion version of a popular item to your menu, like a chicken tikka pizza or a curry burger.

Consider adding a few interesting side dishes to your menu for customer just looking for a snack, or for people to add onto their meal as a combo.

5. What About Drinks?

A lot of food trucks don’t spend much time on picking out unique beverages. Don’t let this opportunity slip away. You want every item on your menu to stand out, even drinks.

Consider having homemade drinks like smoothies, teas, or shakes alongside pop and juice. If you are serving ethnic food, make sure to have some traditional drinks to complement the food.

6. The Design of Your Menu

Try and add your menu items in the order of potential customers’ dining experience. You can start with appetizers, soups, and salads. Then follow these with the entrees and desserts.

If you have super popular items, highlight these dishes with a different text color or a star next to the name. This will draw your customers’ attention and point out special dishes that you would recommend.

Perhaps the most important thing about your menu design is the presentation of food photography. Consider incorporating an appetizing photo of any unusual dishes so customers can get an idea of what they’re ordering. Fear of the unknown is what most often deters customers from trying new things, so showing them what the dish looks like will be one step to helping them overcome that hesitation.

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We hope you found this guide on menus helpful. Don’t forget to have your menu posted online somewhere that your customers can easily discover your delicious dishes, and be sure to post updates when you have specials or limited-time options! 

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 Increase Revenue by Changing Your Food Truck Menu appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Autumn is waiting just around the corner… bringing colorful leaves, crisper temperatures, and fall-favorites for your food truck.

The fall season often gets used as an effective marketing tactic for businesses. Seasonal changes offer innovative ways for food truck owners to grow their customer base. They can even get an edge up on the competition with unique marketing ideas.  

Read on for a few key ways you can use the fall season to boost sales.  

Rethink Your Menu

Creating an inventive menu is one of the most exciting parts of owning a food truck. Autumn brings about new ingredients, like seasonal fruits and vegetables. This makes it easy to change up your menu to feature new fall offerings.  

Feature specials that use fresh ingredients from the local farmer’s market. These new recipes can include seasonal favorites like pumpkin, squash, apple, and fig.  

People also love local products and favor businesses that offer them. This is a great way to reach younger demographics, like millennials. Supporting farmers and other small businesses can help boost your sales with customers, and it can also help spread your food truck’s name in the community.

Certain flavors also appeal to customers during the fall season. Focus your sweets menu on maple, salted caramel, and spices, like cinnamon.  

People search for comfort foods during the autumn season. You can feature melty paninis, oven-roasted pizzas, and gourmet mac and cheese. The warm goodness of shepherd’s pie and chicken pot pie will appeal to your customers as autumn chill creeps into the air.

Serve Up Something Healthy 

Customers also appreciate a healthier option now and then, and these menu items can work well with fall flavors. More and more, people are beginning to have a preference for whole foods with organic ingredients.

Serve pizzas made with organic tomato sauce and fresh all-natural toppings. Sell salads with seasonal ingredients and homemade dressings. These could include apple slices, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a fall-inspired vinaigrette, like sweet maple balsamic.    

Be sure to use an attractive and easy-to-read menu design to appeal to customers. This will help alert them of your menu changes and your new featured offerings. 

Offer Up Some Autumn Warmth

Colder temperatures cause people to change their food preferences. This means you’ll want your food truck business to adapt to these changes.  

Offering warm beverages is a comforting way to appeal to customer needs. These are inexpensive to make, so profit margin is usually high on these types of items. 

Expand your beverage selection to include espresso, hot cider, or caramel hot cocoa. Seasonal coffees, with hints of pumpkin and spices, will also sell well. You could even add hot chai tea or mulled wine to the menu.  

Offering a daily soup special will help draw in customers. Rotate between homemade hearty soups, chilis, and stews.

Popular choices include chicken and wild rice soup or sausage and tortellini soup. Broccoli cheese and french onion are other favorites. Serve these soups with freshly baked bread from your truck or a local bakery.  

Soups also make it easy to appeal to different dietary needs. Try a vegan sweet potato chili or butternut squash bisque. 

When Fall Weather Stays Warm

Flavored ice creams may be more ideal for those operating in southern states. However, you can still use these same fall-inspired ingredients. Feature a pumpkin spice sundae or caramel apple frozen yogurt to boost sales.

If it’s not cold enough to make hot drinks, try iced versions of some fall favorites. You could make a frozen apple cider slush, or iced maple cinnamon lattes.

When hot soups and pot pies won’t work in your climate, try going for salads or sandwiches with fall-favorite flavors. You could experiment with adding fall ingredients like stuffing or cranberry vinaigrette to a turkey sandwich. Or make a fall-inspired chicken salad, with apples, cranberries and pecans.

Feature Seasonal Decorations 

Operating a food truck allows you to get creative with your truck’s branding and design. For fall, you can go with some cost-effective decorating options. This includes fall florals, pumpkins, and bales of hay.

You can also spruce up your menu design to feature fun fall graphics. This is as easy as using a chalkboard for your menu with drawings of fall leaves and pumpkins. 

Try switching up your paper products and cups to be more fall-focused. Serve food on fall-patterned or orange-hued napkins and plates. You could even create a custom design to advertise your brand further. 

If your fall decorations catch customers’ eyes, this can generate more business by word of mouth or online sharing. Customers will tell friends about your memorable presentation, and they may even share photos on their social media profiles.

Make a Smart Parking Plan 

Deciding where to park your truck is an essential part of any food truck business plan, but changing up your usual locations during the fall can be a good way to drum up new customers. 

Try new spots near popular fall activities. Park near festivals, hayrides, breweries, and wineries to attract new crowds. 

Other popular fall places are orchards that offer apple picking or farms that have a pumpkin patch. Fall-themed food truck festivals can also bring in new customers. Be sure, however, to get the right parking permits if trying out a new location.  

Amp Up Your Marketing Tactics 

Running a successful food truck takes an innovative and strategic marketing plan. A fall marketing push can help increase awareness of your new offerings. 

Use social media channels, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to attract business. You can post timely updates and engage with customers. Be sure to post about your fall specials, and even include some photos of particularly attractive dishes.

It’s also helpful to get people to interact with your brand. Entice them to share pictures of your food and geotag your location. A website will help more customers find you and learn about your business year round—not just during the fall season.

It could be helpful to hire a professional photographer for fresh and unique image content for your website or social media platforms. They can capture some great images of your fall food truck display and menu items.   

Taking advantage of popular holidays like Halloween can be another good fall strategy. Offer a free meal from your food truck for the customer with the best costume. Advertise the contest on your social media channels and also use food truck signage to spread the word. 

Boosting Food Truck Sales All Season Long 

Making small yet smart seasonal changes can help your food truck business thrive this fall. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for inventive menu changes and new marketing tactics.

Promote these menu changes and use local ingredients that change with the seasons. Have fun with festive decor that ties in with your branding. These ideas will help to attract new business and boost sales.

Who knows, you may even have customers who “fall” in love with your truck and continue to visit throughout the rest of the year!

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 Fall into More Sales: A Food Truck Owner’s Guide to Selling in Autumn appeared first on Custom Concessions.