If you have ever thought about cooking food for a living (or actually have traveled along that path), then this question has likely reared its head a time or two: Should I open a food truck business, or a sit-down restaurant?
If you have pondered that question, then you probably want to be a chef and manage your own kitchen above all else — you just need/want an actual kitchen, and an opportunity.
Well, to those people, we say this: When it comes to a food truck business and a sit-down restaurant, you should go with the mobile kitchen industry. Why? Well, while everyone is different, meaning everyone’s situation is uniquely different, there are three major reasons why folks should open a food truck over a sit-down restaurant, and they can be found below!
RELATED: 7 Random Things All Prospective Food Truck Owners Need To Consider
The Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Open A Food Truck Over A Sit-Down Restaurant
- The Money Factor
- The Customer Factor
- The Managing Factor
The Money Factor
Unless funding isn’t a factor for you, meaning it doesn’t matter how much it costs to open a restaurant — because you are going to do it no matter what, and money isn’t the issue — then the money factor is going to come into play when deciding between a food truck and a sit-down restaurant.
Here’s the deal: Not only does a mobile kitchen tend to cost less money to open than a regular restaurant but the overhead costs tend to be less as well. That means it won’t only cost you less money to buy a food truck and all of the equipment but your business will also cost less on a day-to-day basis.
That is a huge win!
After all, even a high-end mobile kitchen can cost as much as $70,000 … at minimum. Not everyone has that much cash flowing around, and if a food truck is less money initially than a restaurant, can you imagine how much a restaurant will actually cost, especially one in a nice area with high rent?
No one said owning/buying your own kitchen was going to be easy, but owning a food truck tends to be less money than a restaurant. Plus, and this is a really important point, mobile kitchens are less of a risk than sit-down restaurants as a result of the money factor.
The Customer Factor
If you have a sit-down restaurant and you also are in a prime area, then you will likely be able to attract customers with ease (okay, so it isn’t always that easy, because things like marketing, quality/tasty food and customer service also come into play). However, if you aren’t in a prime spot, then hopefully you have some really reliable customers, and otherworldly food. If not, then no one is going to come to your truck, even if the food is amazing.
Now, with a mobile kitchen, your business is on wheels, meaning you can park that bad boy wherever you wold like…
Okay, that isn’t necessarily true, and here’s why: Permits, regulations, laws and rules will come into play, and you can’t just simply park wherever you would like. With that said, you can have more than one location, and you can easily travel to food truck events and catering gigs. If you aren’t happy with your location, then you can find a different one.
If you want to move your sit-down restaurant, then, well, good luck during that process.
It tends to be easier to attract customers when you can go where they are, which is why mobile kitchens are so awesome, and this is just the beginning when it comes to the customer factor.
RELATED: 10 Awesome Reasons To Become A Food Truck Owner
The Managing Factor
In most cases, it’s easier to manage a food truck than a sit-down restaurant.
For starters, you will have less of an area to overlook, which means you can literally have your eyes on your entire business at once. The same thing cannot be said about a restaurant — well, at least not in real time, because cameras do exist.
As a food truck owner, you will likely also have less employees to manage. That is a huge plus because said employees will not only get more of your time (which means more time to train them to become the best food truck employees of all time) but it tends to be easier to manage one to two people than five to 20. Less employees also means less people you have to pay.
No matter which option you go with—a food truck or a sit-down restaurant—you are going to have to be at your business constantly.
While managing a lunch truck is still going to be quite the feat, it should be easier than managing a restaurant for the simple fact that you can always keep an eye on your employees, and this could lead to you giving them better training, making sure they are always doing a good job, etc.
Opening a food truck is still a risk, but it is less of a risk than opening a sit-down restaurant, and as a result of the money, customer and managing factors, you should definitely open a mobile kitchen over a sit-down restaurant!
If you are thinking about becoming a food truck owner, then we highly recommend you going with a high-end food truck, one that is customizable and will fit all of your wants and needs. To find out why, make sure to head on over to this article.
Nonetheless, good luck becoming a chef (in food truck fashion) in the very near future!
Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!
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