Most Important Factors for Food Truck Success
I work with over 200 food truck buisnesses, and I wanted to share my thoughts and tips for success with other aspiring food truckers. I've noticed that there are quite a few different factors that can make or break your business: from your location to your social media marketing. Here are some of the key things you'll need to think about before you launch your business.
- Location - This will be one of the most important considerations when it comes to deciding where to set up shop, as it can have a major impact on how much traffic you receive. Sometimes, pricing may also come into play if the cost of rent is high in particular areas (although this may not always be a negative thing). If you wish to avoid high foot traffic locations such as shopping malls, take advantage of less popular hours rather than peak times. Key things to consider include the competition in your area and the price of rent.
- Competition - It's important to note that it's not always about how much effort you can put into your business, as there are likely to be more successful businesses in your area. If you feel that the competition is a bit too strong in an area where you want to set up shop, consider looking for a different location first.
- Social Media - This is a huge part of marketing your business, so it's crucial that you set up a social media presence for it. You will need to do this whether you intend to sell food or not, as some people may still be hesitant about trying out your food truck, even if there are other trucks in the area. It's important to have some sort of presence on social media, but you don't necessarily need to have a dedicated page for your business. You can use other social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. There are plenty of apps that will help you automate the process of posting your new products as they are added to the menu, and which are also great for sharing pictures of your food truck in action.
- For the love or money? - There are generally two options when it comes to deciding whether you want to start up a business or not: one is that you do it for purely for fun, while another is that you're doing it because you need money. If you want to do it for fun, then there is no harm in that, but it's important that you recognize the limitations of a food truck business. Although a food truck can bring in decent profits when everything is going well, there are likely to be times when your income is quite low compared to your living costs. Yes, you may have customers who are willing to line up for your food, but that doesn't necessarily mean the revenue will be worth it. So if you're looking to start a food truck business because you need money and want something fun to do at the same time- then this may not be the best route for you. However, there is something very satisfying about being able to provide jobs for people when you start a food truck business.
On the other hand, if you want to start a food truck business just for fun, then this is absolutely an option to consider. Although it won't pay off in the long run, it will be a lot of fun and allow you the freedom to do what many people could not do with a regular job. It will also help your social media presence and help you build up your reputation as an entrepreneur (although you might be pretty tired after your 6 hour shift).
- Location, location, location - Getting the best location for your food truck can be a bit tricky. You'll need to plan your route ahead of time on Google Maps or Scoutmob, or get advice from other people who have been doing it for awhile to find out where they think you should go. If you don't want to drive around all day looking for places to sell food, you can use a service such as Vendasta which can help match up food trucks and event planners in an automated fashion. If there is a specific place that you are looking to cater to (a popular tourist spot or business office), then there are also services such as Mobile Cuisine which will help match up food trucks and companies in an automated manner.
- Equipment - The equipment that you need for the business will depend on what you plan on doing with it. For example, if you're only going to be selling food, then a food truck is most likely what you want. However, if you intend to sell other things such as drinks and merchandise, then making use of a trailer could be better since it would be easier to transport. It would probably also be cheaper in the long run due to the fact that trailers are cheaper than trucks when it comes down to the actual cost of machinery.
- Food prices - You'll need to decide how much you want to make each day you're open for business. If you're doing this for the money, then you'll need to think about how you can make your business profitable. For example, if you have a sandwich for $10, people may not want to pay that much. But if you make the exact same sandwich and sell it for $5, then more people will be willing to give it a try. To increase profits, one strategy would be to sell your food in bulk such as by the pound or dozen rather than per item. A general rule of thumb is that people usually eat with their eyes before they taste with their mouth. If you're sitting in front of them, there is no way you can see if they're interested in the food that you're making. Therefore it's better to make it look more appealing by preparing large quantities.
- Handling money - Finances are a very important aspect of the food truck business. If you end up buying items on credit, then those goods will have to be paid for long after the sale has been made. You will also need to handle all of the expenses that come with running your business such as paying salaries, rent, etc... There are also tax implications when it comes to running a business, so you'll need to decide whether or not it's worth it or not. You should also get someone to help you out with the numbers so that you don't make a mistake that will cost you more money in the long run.
- Marketing - You'll need to come up with a good marketing strategy for your food truck. You never know where your next customer is going to come from so it makes sense to spread around as much information as possible (for example, on social media). This will also allow people who haven't heard about your food truck to find out more about what you're doing and get excited. You can also use social media to let people know when you're opening up shop.
- Safety - Food trucks are very popular and this means that there's a very good chance that you will be getting lots of customers. It's important to make sure everyone that comes in the truck is safe so make sure you have an employee watching the entire time (perhaps with the assistance of a security camera). You'll also want to keep your truck hydrated and fully stocked so that you don't miss out on any sales.
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Consider your personal needs when looking at what tools and equipment you need for your food truck. It will be a lot easier to come up with a plan if you know what you need. That being said, you may want to hire someone that can really help you out, especially if it's been a while since you've done something similar.
One of the first things that you'll need to decide upon is the type of vehicle that you're going to use for your food truck. You could go with a van, minibus or even your own car. This is called a white van food truck and it usually has raised seating and shelves on either side so they can be used for storage. If you don't want to purchase your own vehicle, you can always opt for a rental. This will be especially helpful if this is going to be a one-time event and you won't need to use the vehicle after.
You'll also need to think about all of the other tools and equipment that you're going to want. You only have so much room in your truck and so you're going to have to choose what's more important than others. For example, it would be smart to stock up on some trash bags and a broom. This way you can use the broom to sweep up the remains of your project and then you can use a trash bag to collect it all and throw it into the garbage.
You will want to have some toilet paper with you too. It might be unpleasant to think about, but it's not fun when you're in a public restroom and there's no toilet paper. Just be sure that your truck doesn't get so full that you can't see out of your back window!