Independent Operators
Food truck business advice from those in the trenches
The best way new food truck operators can avoid issues and pitfalls is to learn from successful food truck operators who have hurdled top challenges.
January 24, 2022 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com
There are many great reasons to launch a food truck business. You're your own boss. You can express and share your love of a specific cuisine. You decide when, where and how your food truck will serve its customer base. You do the hiring and firing and set the standards.
And it's a great time to jump into the food truck business as food trucks are surging in popularity even as the world enters year three of a pandemic. Consumers are hungry for new fare given all the homemade meals due to restaurant shutdowns and mandates to limit social interaction. So visiting a food truck, typically set outside, lets foodies enjoy new or favored fare with less angst during COVID-19.
But for all the positive reasons to be a food truck entrepreneur there are also just as many challenges and critical decisions.
A good strategy, as with any self-owned business, is to learn as much as possible before buying a truck or investing in any aspect.
And the best way to learn is to hear from those already proving to be successful. In fact more than a few food truck operators profiled in FoodTruckOperator's Spotlight feature mention the need to meet, talk and even work alongside food truck operators before becoming a food truck operator.
Here's a list of advice points that will help avoid pitfalls and give you a step up in your quest to be a food truck operator.
Put on your research hat
The first step, according to Adrienne Benedetto, owner of Hotdog Hideout, is all about doing due diligence.
"Research, research, research!!! It all starts with finding the right place to make your truck. It's not easy work, whether you are behind the scenes or on the truck, it's hard work," she shared in a profile on her food truck business.
Rex Bernales, who runs the Project BBQ truck echoed her advice.
"Do your research on great locations! That's the key!!!," he said in the profile of his food truck.
And if you've never been involved with a food truck one operator believes the best first step is to work on a food truck before making the leap.
"Ask a food trucker if you can work on their truck first. Make sure you really like it before you invest money in to it," advised Shannon Garrows, owner of EZ Cheezy, said in a profile of her food truck.
And, once you've decided to move forward a good initial step is to investigate what the regulations are for the town or city you want to operate in.
"The best advice I can give is to investigate and understand the permitting processes of the areas you will be covering. Go into it with an open mindset and remember to be positive with everyone you encounter, say yes to everything even when it's a no. There is salesmanship involved with saying no in a positive way," said Blake and Lisa Daniel, operators of the Frios Gourmet Pops Haslet food truck.
Create a plan
When you've decided to start a food truck venture a good next step is answering a slew of good questions, said Sam Burgess, operator of the Pineappetit food truck.
"To create a plan. Before you start a business there are so many questions you have to ask yourself: How are you gonna reach your customers? How will you conduct your business? What events will you attend? Where will you park your truck? How many employees will I need? Thinking about everything beforehand will help you stay calm when things don't go to plan."
Then it's time to start sketching out a plan, according to Mohammad Altawaha aka Abu Omar, who runs the Abu Omar Halal food truck.
"Have a clear plan in mind. You can't be all things to all people. Figure out your specialty and stick to it. Experience in the kitchen and restaurant management is also a plus."
A big aspect of the plan, according to Ethan Cisneros and Alex Winder, who operate the food truck Wetzel's Pretzels powered by Thirst, is thinking very hard about how to lure foodies to your food truck once it's up and running.
"[Think about] How are you going to get people to your truck? I think when people start a food truck, they have a mentality of "if we build it, they will come" and it's just not true. Equal or greater focus must be put into how to drive traffic and create traffic for the truck. Will you be trying to drive prepaid catering leads and how will you do that? How much do you need to bring in on any given day to break even after labor, cost of goods, and all other event/truck costs? Think big picture about all aspects of how to make the food truck dream a reality before jumping in," the duo shared in a profile of their food truck.
An important element in developing a loyal following, according to Jesse McDonald, Cole Forrest and Jonah McDonald, who operate the New Wing Order food truck, is making a solid connection with customers.
"We've seen a lot of great cooks with great menus come and go because they only see that side of it. As good as your food may be, word of mouth will only get you so far. Put efforts into marketing and making sure people know where you'll be. With no permanent address to direct customers to, it's better to over communicate than to assume they'll seek you out. Making a connection with customers can be the difference between them being one-offs to regulars. Knowing what their typical order is or if they have any preferences (extra ranch e.g.) lets them know you remember and value them and can keep them coming back," the trio shared in a profile of their food truck.
Devise a successful menu
While location is critical, as is connecting with customers, one of the biggest decision made early on is the food truck menu.
BurgerFi International, which runs the BurgerFi food truck, offered insight to their success.
"Choose menu items which are widely popular. Prepare with the highest quality ingredients. Hire culinary focused and hospitality focused team players to operate the food truck."
For Tammy Levent and Robert Lenair, who run the Heavenly Puffs truck, the key is not thinking so traditional.
"Think outside of the box. The product has to be simple and on-point. The more you add, the more complicated it becomes. We have one product with 10 toppings, we will be adding more products but introducing them one at a time. Unique sells!! Also we have a great looking truck, so make sure it's aesthetically appealing and tells your story and brand by looking at it," they shared in a spotlight profile on their food truck.
About Judy Mottl
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