Photo by Karen Zeng on Unsplash

Did you know that in only three years food truck revenue increased 300% industry-wide? 

Food trucks are more popular than ever and owners are making smart decisions to earn money all year long, especially when it comes to preparing for the unexpected.

Below we’ve compiled this list of five tips to never get caught off guard. Keep reading to learn more. 

1. Always Have a Back-up Plan for Bad Weather

As the owner of a food truck, you need to stay on top of the weather forecast. Watch local television reports and download a reliable weather app on your smartphone.

Not every forecast is 100% accurate but you should always have a back-up plan to avoid losing business.

2. Develop Business Partnerships To Survive the Unexpected

Always keep an open mind when it comes to expanding your business. One thing you can do is reach out to a major company in your community to see if they will reserve a spot for you. 

This could help develop a steady revenue stream and increase your customer base. Customers will start to expect to see you at that location on certain days.  

3. How Food Trucks Survive the Off-Season With Seasonal Menus

Meal preferences change throughout the year. Customers may love salads or tacos during the summer months but once it gets cold they’ll be desiring soups, casseroles, and hot drinks like coffee or tea. 

You should start switching up your seasonal menus to ensure you’re filling customer demand. It could be as simple as using more seasonal flavors like pumpkin or mulling spices. 

4. Try Catering Local Events During the Winter 

Wondering how to survive the off-season? Many food truck owners will cater over the winter months. They do it on their own or partner with another local business. This is perfect for customers who crave your food all year long.

If you start taking orders, there are a ton of food delivery services to use: Grubhub, Uber Eats, or Doordash. Trying to cater or deliver your food will ensure you don’t lose revenue in the slow months. 

5. Develop Winter Marketing Ideas To Attract New Customers

Every successful business embraces marketing. This is true for food trucks as well. You’ll need to switch up your marketing several times throughout the year to address customer behavior.

Winter is the best time to offer seasonal sales, ramp up your online presence, or expand your business into other areas. 

Marketing tools you should be using include social media apps, an SEO optimized website, local online listings, online ordering, an e-newsletter, and a brand loyalty program. 

Don’t Let the Unexpected Hold You Down

This article should provide you with more ideas on how to survive the unexpected. Besides partnering with local businesses in the bad weather, you can also use social media apps or food delivery services to keep earning when it’s slow. 

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 Tips to Survive the Unexpected as a Food Truck Owner appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels

Owning a food truck is an exciting venture, but it comes with its challenges. If you own a food truck in a place with harsh winters and shut down or have reduced sales during the off-season, one of those challenges is preparing to restart operations in the spring. 

Spring will be here before we know it, so make sure your food truck is prepared for maximum growth. Bring your business out of hibernation effectively so you can serve more customers without skipping a beat.

Let’s breakdown seven food truck prep tips for Spring 2021. 

1. Amp Up Your Menu

If you offered a limited selection during the winter slow time, now’s the time to surprise and delight your customers with new options. Get creative and try to offer seasonal foods that will become a staple of springtime.

2. Hit Social Media Hard

If you stepped back on social media because there wasn’t as much going on, now’s the time to boost your online presence so your customers know you’re back in business. Utilize tools that engage with your audience, like polls and question boxes on Instagram.

3. Target Spring Breakers

If hungry spring breakers descend in throngs on your town every March, make a plan to serve them. You could offer special prices and menu items just for spring break, or offer a coupon if they post a picture with your truck on social media.

4. Plan Ahead for Summer

You should start seeing more sales in the spring, but it most likely won’t be up to summer levels yet. Use your time wisely throughout the spring to plan your summer strategy, and start booking outdoor events and festivals coming up in the summer months now. 

5. Offer Seasonal Drinks

Your customers are ready to shake off their winter coats and enjoy warm weather again, so offer them something cool and refreshing to drink. Make it tropical with spring flavors, like cherry, pineapple, or mango. 

6. Sweeten Up Your Menu

Add new dessert items that your customers have been craving all winter, like ice cream sandwiches or gourmet popsicles. They’ll jump at anything that reminds them that summer is coming.

7. Have Fun Experimenting

Things are picking up again, but you won’t be as slammed in spring as you will be in summer. This is a time to test drive menu options and see what works. If there are things you’ve always wanted to try but you weren’t sure how they’d sell, add them to the rotation in the springtime. You may have new hits or you’ll learn what doesn’t work, but either way, it will be fun to experiment before you get too busy.  

Springtime Food Truck Prep Tips for Success

Food truck seasonal challenges are nothing new in this industry, but with a little prep and creativity, your business can thrive during the spring. Have fun trying new things during these months, and don’t forget to take advantage of spring breakers. 

It’s also the perfect time to do food truck prep for your busiest season coming up, summer. For all the tips you need to help your food truck business thrive year-round, check out 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.

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

The post 7 Food Truck Prep Tips For Spring 2021 appeared first on Custom Concessions.

Food trucks tend to be very busy and profitable during the summer. But there are slower periods—and winter is one of these times.

During summer, foot traffic is higher, which means more customers. When it’s cold out, you need to put in extra effort to draw people to your truck.

Do you know what to do when the nights are closing in and sales drop?

Luckily, we do. Ready to find out what kind of holiday marketing you need to do to keep your customer base healthy? Then check out our list of holiday marketing tips and keep on truckin’!

Offer Seasonal Variations of Your Food and Drinks

One surefire way to keep customers hooked is by changing your menu for the holidays. If you’re the only food truck offering that must-have food or drink, customers will come regardless of the weather.

In the UK, food trucks often carry a full roast dinner in a Yorkshire Pudding wrap, complete with gravy, at Christmas. It’s been a huge success over there, and that kind of creative thinking plays just as well this side of the pond.

We’re not only talking about putting pumpkin spice in your coffee, either. Come up with some fun holiday promo ideas, like eggnog lattes, or Christmas-themed burritos. Fit a pizza oven in your truck, and offer holiday-themed topping choices.

Use Ideas Associated with the Holidays in Your Ads

Don’t just stick with the same ads that you use for the rest of the year. Run special holiday ads in your area. Get some photos of your truck in snow, or even add some digital snowflakes to your ad.

Create a cozy atmosphere and get on Google or Facebook Ads and target your local following. Let your customers know where you’re going to be and when, and tell them about your holiday specials.

You should also consider offering coupons. While these bite into your profit margins, creating holiday-themed offers will help attract customers.

You could give customers a two-for-one deal on certain days, letting them share their food with friends and loved ones for free. Market this as promoting seasonal goodwill to all.

Create a Loyalty Program

This is fantastic all year round, but during the holidays, it can really help you out. Give your customers points for every sale, and give them a free dish once they’ve hit a certain number of points. 

When customers sign up for the program, ask for their email. When you’ve got a list of customer emails, create a regular newsletter. Promote your new foods, run contests, and offer exclusive discounts. 

You could also offer customers access to a VIP event if they hit a certain number of points. Organize a seasonal party a few days before Christmas, invite your most loyal customers, and give them free food. You’ll make a bit of cash from drink sales, but most importantly, you’ll increase customer loyalty.

Offer Catering

Your food truck doesn’t have to be out on the sidewalk. Is there a big event coming up, or a wedding? Lots of corporate holiday parties are going on during this time of year. Start offering your services for these celebrations.

During the Christmas season, focus on running holiday campaigns. Let customers know that you can cater to their office Christmas party, or set up shop at a local Christmas market. 

Sure, you’ll have to take a day out of your normal business, but you should make just as much profit, if not more.

Everyone is celebrating during this period. Events offer a steady stream of business.

Keep Your Instagram Profile On Point

You shouldn’t upload the same images to Instagram all year round. Keep it friendly, relatable, and most of all, fun. 

Looking for holiday marketing ideas for your Instagram? It could be as simple as having your crew dress up in ugly Christmas sweaters. If you’ve got a pet dog, upload a picture of them with some antlers on.

Got special packaging for the holidays? Upload a picture of it when you have the stock. Essentially, get people in the mood for two things: the holidays and your food.

Segment Your Customers

Customer segmentation is a key skill. While you should be using it all year round, it’s especially effective during the holidays. 

Facebook and Google both let you segment your customers, and target a certain age group or profession with your messaging. 

Think of what is involved in finding, getting to, and ordering from your truck, and who finds it especially tiring. For example, consider targeting older people who are more likely to be grandparents. Park near the hot spots for holiday shopping and encourage them to come by your food truck while they’re out shopping for their grandchildren’s gifts.

Give a Percentage of Profits to Charity

The holidays are a season of giving, and that applies to businesses too. Think of a cause that you’re passionate about. 

Maybe you’d like to help homeless people stay warm and fed this winter. Maybe you care profoundly about animals or helping the hungry get some extra food in their bellies.

Take a small percentage of your profits and donate them to charity. This is great for a number of reasons:

1. You’ll getting more involved in your community and helping others.
2. Customers will prefer buying from you, knowing that you’re helping out the less fortunate.
3. Featuring your donations in your holiday marketing will help spread word of mouth about your food truck.

Final Thoughts on Holiday Marketing

Holiday marketing is essential. You want to make sure that your content is relatable and fun. Share in the holiday spirit, and offer additional incentives to get customers to your food truck. 

You’ll have to get creative if you want to hit summer customer numbers, but it’s possible!

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 Best Holiday Marketing Ideas for Your Food Truck appeared first on Custom Concessions.

If you run one of the 23,551 food trucks in the U.S. as of 2019, you know it’s a more affordable way to get your food in the hands of your fans than a traditional restaurant.

But the outdoor nature of your business also adds a challenge as temperatures drop in the winter. Customers aren’t as willing to line up in cold and snowy weather, even if they love your food. Without a warm dining room, you may see a slump in sales.

But instead of packing up for the winter or looking for a regular job, you can use winter food truck strategies to encourage increased off-season sales. From special promotions to expanded business offerings, slight changes in your business model can keep your cash flow going.

Try these winter food truck options for the winter months.

1. Partner With Local Businesses

Collaborating with other businesses is a mutually beneficial way to drum up more business. If you prefer the lunch crowd, find a large employer in the area who lets you set up in the parking lot. You get the captive audience of the company’s employees to keep you busy during the lunch rush.

You might also set up a table inside the business. Prepare food in your truck, and pack it up in a warmer. Head inside the business to sell to their employees.

Another option is to partner with local breweries and similar businesses that don’t serve their own food. Many breweries focus only on their beverages. That leaves patrons hungry while they’re drinking.

By setting up just outside the door of the brewery, you give those customers a quick food option. Consider hiring a runner who goes into the brewery to take orders then delivers them when the food is ready. 

The brewery can promote your food truck to help draw more customers into the establishment. Both businesses benefit from increased sales.

2. Set Up at Outdoor Holiday Festivals

Not everyone stays indoors in the winter, but you’ll need to be strategic about where to park to find those customers. Outdoor holiday festivals, such as outdoor Christmas markets or holiday tree lighting ceremonies, attract people who expect to stand out in the cold. Signing up as a food vendor for those events puts you in a prime spot to make sales during the winter.

3. Offer Delivery

The traditional food truck model involves parking your truck and waiting for customers to swarm. Since winter weather makes people want to stay indoors where it’s warm, consider flipping that model. Instead of making customers come to you, go to them.

If you park in a busy commercial area, your truck can serve as your hub. Hire a delivery person to run the food to the nearby office buildings. Adding online ordering to your website for this delivery service makes it even easier for your customers to get their food.You can also use established food delivery services, such as GrubHub, DoorDash, and UberEats. Your customers can get their food delivered, and you don’t have to manage the delivery process yourself. 

4. Create Winter Specials

Customers may need a little incentive to line up outdoors for your food. Offer special winter discounts to give customers that push. You’ll take a small hit to your profits, but you’re not making any money if no one shows up to your food truck.

You might offer a meal bundle for a cheaper combined price or a freebie with a meal order, such as a free coffee or hot chocolate with every entree. Encourage customers to bring friends by offering a buy-one-get-one-free promotion during the winter. 

5. Embrace Winter

Instead of fighting the cold and flurries, use it as part of your seasonal food truck marketing plan. A winter menu or a few additions to your normal menu help draw crowds. Consider dishes such as soup or coffee drinks to help customers stay warm.

Get the customers who brave the cold to help you promote your food truck by offering branded winter gear. Scarfs, ear warmers, and gloves are examples of items you can print with your logo as a special winter promotion.

Have fun with winter activities by putting out a few sleds that customers can use on a nearby hill while they wait for their food. Offer a free coffee to anyone who makes a snow angel, or start a snowman-building contest among your customers. These activities make the wait more enjoyable and make your food truck memorable.

6. Ramp Up Your Online Presence

When business is slow, take the spare time to focus on promotional efforts. Growing your online presence can help drum up new business in the winter. It can also help expand awareness about your food truck in the coming months.

If you don’t already have a website and social media channels, set them up and start posting. Share information about your menu, your business, and your employees. Post about any winter specials you create to encourage people to visit.

Another promotional option is to approach local food bloggers, newspapers, and other media outlets about your food truck. Invite them to try your food or do an interview with you. Being promoted on those local channels can help new customers find you.

7. Expand to Catering

Shift gears in winter toward catering instead of individual sales. Your food truck can work as the headquarters for your mobile catering service. 

Waiting for customers to stop by your truck is often unpredictable, especially in colder weather. A catering gig gives you a guaranteed amount of business. You know in advance if it’s profitable and worth your time.

Your truck offers a mobile kitchen option for cooking food on-site at the event venue. You can also use it to transport food, ingredients, and equipment to the location if you plan to cook the food in a commercial kitchen space.

Promote your catering services on your website and through your social media channels. You might cater weddings, birthday parties, fundraiser events, and other celebrations.

8. Head to Warmer Weather

One of the benefits of food trucks is the mobility aspect. When you’re the boss, you decide where to set up the truck.

If cold winter weather severely cuts into your business, consider heading to warmer climates for part of the year. Think of yourself as a business snowbird instead of a retired one.

This option works well if you already own a home or have relatives in a warmer climate. You can also find a short-term rental in your new location.

You’ll need to find temporary employees once you get to your new destination if you can’t run the truck yourself. You’ll also need to get permits and follow food truck regulations in the new area.

Use Winter Food Truck Strategies

What are your favorite food truck strategies for beating winter sales slumps? Getting creative with your food truck advertising, menu planning, promotions, and services can help keep your income up during colder periods.

If you’re in the market for a new food truck, check out our mobile kitchen galleries to fuel your inspiration!

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 8 Clever Winter Food Truck Strategies to Bring in New Customers 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.