If you have already purchased your food truck and are just waiting on some of the finishing touches to take place, then you are in luck, because spring is just around the corner. If you have yet to purchase a food truck, though, then you might want to wait a little while (perhaps until next year) for your grand opening. Unless, of course, you can somehow get your truck up and running by late spring or early summer.
Timing is everything. That is the case for any profession, any industry.
If you are a new food truck owner, you should have your grand opening in the spring, and we are about to break down some important reasons why.
Note: If you decide to have your grand opening during a different time of the year, then so be it. The key is getting started. However, doing your grand opening in the spring is beneficial — to say the least — and opportunities could come raining down as a result.
Why New Food Truck Owners Should Have Their Grand Opening In The Spring
- The Weather
- Starting In The Summer Could Be Too Much To Handle
- On The Flip Side, You Want To Be Established By Summertime
- If You Start In The Winter, You Could Sink
The Weather
With spring comes the good weather. The last thing you want to do is have your grand opening when it is snowing outside. After all, less people would likely travel to your truck if snow were falling, or the temperatures were simply too cold to handle.
While the weather isn’t always perfect during springtime, shiny days and warm temperatures tend to become the norm. Good weather is critical for food truck owners.
Starting In The Summer Could Be Too Much To Handle
If you hold your grand opening in the summer, then you might be too overwhelmed. After all, summer is the busy season in the food truck industry. Tourism is usually booming in hot destinations and downtown areas (you know, where you will park your mobile kitchen). People tend to be more active. Simply put, more foot traffic is out and about in the summer — well, that at least tends to be the case.
If you are in a hot area where a ton of people tend to go, then your grand opening could end up being a disaster in the sense that you are in over your head. You want a lot of people at your big opening, yes, but you also don’t want to be overwhelmed right out of the gate.
On The Flip Side, You Want To Be Established By Summertime
On the flip side, if you decide to start your food truck business in the summer and hold your grand opening during this time, then you might not be established. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme, and most owners don’t see success overnight.
You will not retain an unlimited amount of customers immediately. Gaining loyal customers (outside of your family and friends, that is) might take some time. That is why it’s important to be established before the busy season hits. Assuming the weather is nice and you hold your grand opening in early spring, you will not only be prepared for the busy season, but you will gain a good amount of customers in the process.
If you are, in a sense, established by the time summer rolls around, and if you have worked out most of the kinks, you will be prepared to conquer the busy season in the food truck industry. You will also make a ton of cash in the process, and customers could be flocking to your truck all summer long.
If You Start In The Winter, You Could Sink
If you hold your grand opening in the winter, and if you also live in a place where cold temperatures and snow takes over during winter, then you could sink in no time. In fact, some food truck owners close down shop altogether during the winter months. Winter is the offseason, the down months.
Having your grand opening in the winter is almost like trying to sell product to people who already own said product, or who aren’t interested whatsoever. It’s almost like trying to sell something in a place where there are no people. Of course, success can still be found, but trying to achieve said success becomes that much tougher.
Here’s the deal: If you hold your grand opening in the winter, you might not attract enough customers. This could lead to you not making enough money to keep the day-to-day operations running smoothly.
Spring is the perfect time to have your grand opening (side note: early summer isn’t a bad idea either) because it allows you to get your food truck business established by the time the busy months roll around, and you will also know what to expect on top of that since you will have been running a food truck for a couple of months. The weather, of course, is a major factor as well. Expect less customers if temperatures are lousy — it is typically that simple.
If your food truck is almost ready to go and you plan on holding your grand opening in the spring, then consider yourself lucky. Take advantage of this ideal situation.
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