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'How to' operations management topics drove reader interest in 2019

Food truck owners often find themselves challenged in running a business. Hence, they are anxious to know how other operators manage their finances, find employees, create marketing plans and other management skills, as evidenced by the top 10 most read Food Truck Operator stories in 2019.

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December 26, 2019 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Food truck operators take great pride in their culinary excellence, but they're also anxious to learn as much as they can from fellow operators about how to run their business. That much was evident from a review of the most read Food Truck Operator stories for 2019.

Since many food trucks are launched by entrepreneurs driven by a passion for culinary excellence, these business owners often find themselves challenged in running a business. Hence, they are anxious to know how other operators manage their finances, find employees, create marketing plans and other management skills.

Four of the top 10 stories profiled individual food truck operators and examined how they established and maintained their businesses. The rest of the top 10 articles focused on specific business topics such as how to purchase kitchen equipment, marketing and financing.

Here are the 10 most read stories in 2019:

1. Taco John's deploys food truck to introduce new look

The most read story explored how an existing quick serve restaurant chain, Taco John's, launched a food truck to support a rebranding effort in conjunction with the company's 50th anniversary. The truck's initial purpose was to continue serving customers at the site of a corporate-run restaurant in Cheyenne, Wyoming that the company demolished to replace with a new prototype restaurant. Another goal in launching the truck was to meet the growing requests of franchisees interested in having a Taco John's food truck.

2. 10 most-popular food trucks on Instagram

Social media has become the most important marketing tool for many food trucks. So it's no surprise the second most read story was a listing of the 10 most popular food trucks on Instagram compiled by Compare the Market, a U.K. based price comparison website. The top 10 food trucks are: 1) Astro Doughnuts, Los Angeles, 2) Island Spice Grill, New York City; 3) Vchos Truck, Los Angeles; 4) PDX Sliders, Portland, 5) Sugar + Spoon, Seattle, 6) Word of Mouth, Los Angeles, 7) Uncle Gussy's New York City, 8) NYC Mac Truck, New York City, 9) Ruby Jewel Ice Cream, Portland, 10) Neapolitan Express, New York City.

3. Wing it On finds chicken wings a natural fit for food trucks

The third most read story explored how Wing It On, a Waterbury, Connecticut-based fast casual chain, created a food truck to make available to its franchisees. The company owners launched the truck to help market the brand on behalf of its franchisees. A second story on how the company marketed the Wing It On Wheels food truck was the tenth most read story in 2019.

4. Restaurant on wheels comes to life in a double-decker bus

The fourth most read story was about an entrepreneur who converted a double decker transportation truck into a food truck that serves walk-up customers from the ground level and offers a sit-down restaurant on the upper level. Billy Lavelle of Carson City, Nevada was inspired to build the truck after seeing pictures of a double-decker bus serving as a mobile bar in the U.K. Creating his Bus Boy Mobile Cuisine was a three-year process.

5. Technology and other foodservice trends to watch in 2019

A February blog on trends to watch in 2019 by Richard Traylor, an SEO content writer for Webstaurant Store, was the fifth most read story. Traylor cited the growing importance of mobile POS, touchscreen tablets, text-based notifications and cryptocurrency payments.

6. How to select the best frying equipment for a food truck

A blog by Greg West, senior vice president of marketing and innovation at Broaster, on what factors to consider when buying food truck frying equipment was the sixth most read story.

West said any fryer selection needs to follow the requirements to execute the menu. Critical attributes include capacity (pounds per hour), electric or gas power source, type of oil filtration system, type of computer controller and overall reliability or level of outside service needed. 

7. Food truck marketing 101: how to find and attract customers

An overview of the best food truck marketing tools by Will Hodgskiss, co-founder of food truck builder Venture Food Truck, was the seventh most read story. Hodgskiss cited the four "Ps": having the right product, having the product priced correctly, finding the best places to serve, and promotion. In addition, he cited the importance of creating an experience beyond having the right product.

8. Top 10 food truck cities in America for 2019

A listing of the 10 best food truck cities in the U.S. by Webstaurant Store was the eighth top read story. The blog listed three of the best food trucks in each of the 10 cities, which ranked as follows: 1) Los Angeles, 2) Austin, 3) Portland, 4) Seattle, 5) Washington, D.C., 6) New York City, 7) San Francisco, 8) Miami, 9) Chicago, 10) Minneapolis.

9. Startup costs by the numbers: Food trucks versus restaurants

A detailed comparison of startup costs for restaurants and food trucks provided by Compare the Market, a U.K. based price comparison website, was the ninth most read story. Startup costs can include vehicle cost, premises insurance, cooking equipment, seating and layout and point of sale system.

In addition to startup costs, the comparison also explored recurring costs, such as fuel, serveware, parking and a commissary kitchen. Recurring costs unique for a restaurant include rent and utilities, and licensing costs such as business registration, permits, a foodservice license and a liquor license.

10. Chicken wing food truck finds a waiting audience

Having the only chicken wing food truck in their market was a great competitive advantage to begin with. The owners of Wing It On then also leveraged existing relationships with local breweries to get the word about about their Wing It On Wheels food truck. They also used Facebook, Insatgram and Google calendar to further promote their activities, which include festivals and catering events. They have also utilized a food truck booking service.

About Elliot Maras

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Elliot Maras is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. He brings three decades covering unattended retail and commercial foodservice.