Do you like food and business? If you’re tired of your corporate job and looking for a business, starting a food truck might be a good alternative. It offers a lower cost as compared to building a traditional restaurant from scratch and has all the integral parts that make it a successful food business.
Here are some things that you need to know when starting a food truck business:
- Location, Location, Location
When it comes to food trucks, location is everything. An advantage of food trucks is the ability to be able to bring food to the customers. Unfortunately, there are some restrictions and licensing that doesn’t allow food trucks to set up shop wherever you want; there are special permits and licenses required in specific areas for food trucks.
That’s why the first thing you must find out when starting a food truck is the areas that allow food trucks. You don’t want to have all the plans laid out for your food truck, and then find out, at the last minute, that you aren’t apparently allowed to set up shop in that area.
- Be Prepared For Emergencies
Having a food truck, there are lots of things that can go wrong with the equipment or the truck itself. Because of this, you need to be prepared for any kind of emergency that might strike. This includes saving money solely for emergency purposes. Although it offers lower overhead costs, the damages or emergencies that come with a truck can be very expensive. As a standard procedure, go through your food truck kitchen equipment list to make sure that all your equipment is working.
- Get Ready For Days When You Need To Put In Extra Hours
Having a food truck business can be very stressful. Maintaining a food truck can be very tedious. You need to prep all the food that you need to cook and clean up your truck. While doing this, you also need to do bookkeeping and serving the food. When you open a food truck business, you need to be very hands-on with it.
On the other hand, when you’re just starting the food truck, you’ll need to be very hands-on with the things you put inside your food truck. The design and layout must be at optimal usage. Since you’re going to be working in a small space, you need to make sure that all the things are put in a specific location with purpose and according to functionality.
- Check Your Competition
Food trucks don’t only serve sandwiches or hotdogs. You need to differentiate yourself and know your target market more. Check out the competition and find out how you can serve a different kind of dish while appealing to your target market. There are several concepts that you can experiment on.
Here are some ideas that you can dabble with:
- Healthy and organic food – Paying attention to health and what you put in your stomach has become more trendy than ever. You can veer away from the traditional food truck that serves burgers and fries to something that serves salad, acai bowls, or cold pressed juice.
- Fusion dishes – This also brings something new to the table. If you like different cuisines, you can combine the two to create something new. For example, you can make sushi burritos, which appeals to both Mexican and Japanese cuisine.
- Pizza – Everyone loves pizza. Why not sell pizza in food trucks? This is also a dish that you can easily prepare inside food trucks.
- Plan Out Your Financing For The Food Truck Business
The great thing about food trucks is that the overhead costs and start-up costs are relatively cheaper than a traditional restaurant. But, you still need to plan out the nitty gritty details of the financing.
For example, you need to decide whether you would buy a used food truck and build a new food truck. Now, this depends on the food truck concept that you have. If you have a relatively new concept that’ll need new functions in the food truck, then it would be more advisable to custom build a food truck.
Conclusion
Food trucks have revolutionized the food business. It’s time for you to take advantage of that opportunity. Now, you know the necessary things you need to start a food truck business. Just keep learning about it. The next thing you know, you’re already starting your second food truck business. Good luck!
