Independent Operators
Food Truck Lady is all about supporting food truck operators
Nancy O'Leary, principal and CEO of Food Truck Lady, an enterprise focused on helping food vendors, shares insight on why she’s in the business and offers advice to those looking to become a food truck operator.
January 16, 2023 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com
With decades of finance and business management experience Nancy O'Leary knew what it took to operate a successful enterprise when she embarked on a second career path and launched Food Truck Lady, a consulting/marketing/services provider focused on helping food truck operators drive revenue, growth and exposure.
The New Jersey resident launched Food Truck Lady in Nov. 2019 — just five months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit fast in the U.S., and which proved to be a boon to food trucks given restaurant closings, social distancing rules and homebound residents eager for takeout and outdoor food experiences.
Her company serves a growing roster of food truck clients and O'Leary strives to serve as a voice for the food trucks. as well as build relationships with companies related to the food truck industry — from social outreach to a local company providing tire press technology for food truck operators.
In simple terms, Food Truck Lady aims to maximize a food truck operator's income while helping to minimize expenses. That means everything from helping operators find events and grow their brand to working with local officials on rules and regulations relating to food truck operations. While the company is based in New Jersey, it serves Philadelphia and eastern Pennsylvania and Rockland County in New York as well.
In an email interview with FoodTruckOperator O'Leary shared her insight on challenges food truck owners are dealing with, advice on getting into the business and the role technology is playing in food truck operation.
Q. What is the focus of your business?
A. The main focus is to help the food vendors (trucks/trailers/tents) increase the jobs they get to fill their calendars to increase the revenue stream. It has expanded to many more services — a relationship with a major credit card processing company to help the trucks save on their merchant fees (reducing their expenses), ability to offer or own ATM machines, partnerships with mobile generator repair companies and for purchasing equipment and food truck trailers — just to name a few.
Q. How did you get into the food truck industry as a career?
A. My background (25 years) is in the finance world, managing businesses for wealth managers but I always wanted to have my own business. I gained industry experience managing a similar type of company and wanted to follow my entrepreneurial spirit to be able to expand into additional states and regions and increase my services.
Q. From your perspective how is the food truck industry doing at this point — and if it's growing, what's spurring that growth?
A. The industry is booming. There has been a huge upswing in the past several years — and especially since COVID. People lost their jobs during COVID and decided to do what their passion is — cooking for others. What better way to do that than by having your own mobile kitchen and showcasing your cooking talent.
From the perspective of the client — they want to have the food truck experience and since everyone is now able to get together again, there has been a huge increase in festivals, catering events and other opportunities.
Q. From your daily interaction with food truck clients what are some of the top challenges they're dealing with?
A. The daily challenges are finding staff that is reliable and consistent and dedicated. Also, the ever-increasing cost of gas, propane and food is causing them to increase their food costs so that they are still making a profit.
Q. From your perspective are food truck operators embracing technology more or is technology limited for them at this point?
A. I think that for the most part, they are embracing technology. There are many apps in the marketplace now where they can have their truck found by the public when they open in a certain location to help expand their visibility. I also think that while technology can be frustrating, (not having) it can prevent a business from expanding and becoming more efficient. I think there is always room for improvement. I am working on getting an app in the marketplace to help them with submitting the health and fire paperwork more efficiently which I think will be a game changer.
Q. What advice would you give to someone considering launching a food truck?
A. I would say that if cooking is their passion and seeing the happy faces of the customers when their food is eaten and so enjoyed, this is a great opportunity. It allows more flexibility to be mobile over being a brick-and-mortar restaurant. They can be their own boss. But it's a constant living, breathing thing. Like the trucks, I am always available to answer a phone call (seven days a week). It's long days when it's in season but when it's been a good day on the truck, it's truly a wonderful experience.
Q. What are some common mistakes, and missteps you see food truck operators making and how can those be avoided?
A. Understanding right from the beginning that every day is not a success. But every day is a learning opportunity. You have to get out there and find where your successful events will be.
I think that some new owners think this is an easy venture to get into. It's not. It's got its challenges — just like everything else — trucks break down; staff doesn't show up; weather causes events to cancel; very long days. But the reward and the blessing at the end of the day (is) it's yours — all yours and that is the beauty of being an entrepreneur. It's all yours!
I always tell my food truck owners, getting them out there in front of the public for any event is an opportunity because you never know who will walk up to your window to order something. I want to give them more opportunities to do just that, get out there and be known. If they find success in my events, then they trust that I have their back and they want to work with me for more events. It's a very close-knit industry and like one big family.
About Judy Mottl
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