Commentary

Top 10 end-of-the-season food truck upgrades

As the summer comes to a close, food truck operators start thinking about upgrades to make their vehicles more comfortable to work in and more appealing to customers. Some of these things require professional help while others can be done on your own.

Photo courtesy of Luv PIzzas.

August 12, 2019 by Will Hodgskiss — CEO, Venture Food Trucks

Every year at the end of the season, I hear from food truck owners who ask about certain upgrades they wish they had, but either didn't consider to be crucial at the time they launched their truck or didn't have their finances in place. Some of the top options that people wish they had included are:

Air conditioning

It can get incredibly hot in a food truck! We all know what the hottest day of the summer feels like — multiply that by 10 in a food truck! An air conditioner will take the edge off the sweatiest of food truck days and make food prep in the truck much more comfortable.

LED menu screen

People love watching things! LED screens are a fun, attention-grabbing way to present your menu items and mouth-watering food pictures to your customers. Any size screen can be built into a stainless frame with tempered glass to protect it from the elements.

New York skylight

The huge, peaked skylight adds sophistication to a food truck and lets natural light in for your staff. Customers will comment on the unique style as they can see the skylight when they walk toward your mobile business. Skylights work particularly well for dessert trucks and mobile boutiques.

Drink display

A beautiful drink display that extends the length of your service window presents drink options in an appealing way and customers can look at their options while they wait in line. The drink display encourages customers to purchase a beverage when they might not have if they couldn't see what is available to them.

Exterior lighting

While this is a small upgrade, it makes a big difference for music festivals, weddings and other events that go into the evening. You won't regret being able to shine some line on your customers as they wait in line!

Sometimes, there are certain upgrades that you would love to have but just can't justify the cost before you are making money. Here we share some ways you can jazz up your own truck inside and out without spending a fortune:

Hanging potted plants or herbs

Add some hooks to the outside of your food truck for an inexpensive, cute way to show customers just how fresh your food is. Imagine how much clients will love seeing herbs outside the truck that can be freshly picked and added to their lunch!

LED lights around the service window

At night, string up some LED or twinkly lights to stand out. You can get solar-powered lights, or just feed the electrical cord through the service window to the plugin.

Residential chest freezer

Commercial refrigeration is very expensive. If you need a bit of freezer space but it isn't crucial, you could get an under-counter residential freezer for a few hundred dollars that also functions as extra counter space.

Customer seating

Some cute folding chairs and tables is an inviting way to welcome customers and allow them to be comfortable while they enjoy your menu items. At the end of the day, just fold them up and slide them into your food truck.

Chalk board menu

LED menu boards are great, but a chalkboard is a functional and trendy option for sharing your menu on a budget. It is not hard to install metal brackets to easily slide the menu board in and out.

About Will Hodgskiss

Venture Food Truck is a 29 years established premium truck builder, we also build containers, trailers and carts. Founded By Niki and Will Hodgskiss Venture ships internationally.

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