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About Food On A Truck

Mobile Point of Sale & Marketing App specifically for Food Trucks!

Winter Tips for Food Trucks

winter food truckFreezing temperatures and icy roads can be very troublesome mobile food vendors during winter. Not only do we have to deal with the snow, ice, and cold temps – but mobile food businesses have the double whammy of lower sales too!

But despite these setbacks, you can use the winter season to maximize the other aspects of your business instead of putting your food truck in hibernation.

Truck Maintenance
The down time during winter months gives opportunity for owners to do maintenance work on their trucks. It can be easy to put off having symptoms looked at and especially when your current sales are down. But a clicking sound now could turn into a broken CV joint in summer – and it could break and leave your truck not running when you need it the most. During winter is a great time to do maintenance work not just to take advantage of the down time but also as a precaution against the drastic effects of cold weather to food trucks.

Work on Recipes
Even if Mother Nature insists on trapping people indoors, you can still push your food truck business forward by creating new or improving current recipes. Test variations of dishes or incorporate new ingredients give interesting twists that attract more customers or enable you to increase prices. Improve or streamline food preparation process to save time and effort. The winter is also a great time to do experiments and test recipes to lower costs without sacrificing quality and taste.

Network and Connect
Some food truck scenes have more of a sense of community than others. Even though you can look at restaurants and mobile food vendors purely as competition, having a relationship with them can also benefit your business. Customers tend to try other offerings and it is highly unlikely that they will only eat from one type of food truck.

During the lean times of winter, make connections with non-competing businesses (like those offering a different category or cuisine than yours) that can compliment your products. Having a relationship with other entrepreneurs can also give you vital information about great vending spots and suppliers you did not know before.

TLC for Family and Yourself
Running a mobile food business year-round can become so demanding that some entrepreneur put all their time in the venture. Though dedication is great and a key to success, even the most hardworking entrepreneurs deserve a time off. Winter can be the best season to spend more time with your family or take a personal vacation. Some people think that taking a break can hurt their business and feel guilty to do it.

Having time off should not be seen as a liability but as an investment. Use the down time afforded to you by the winter season to strengthen relationships and most importantly, recharge your mind and body. Studies have shown that respite activities can improve productivity and creativity. Even if you already do this, don’t feel guilty recharging yourself for the next season.

Hunt for Deals
Another great thing one can do during winter is deal hunting for equipment and supplies. Finding great suppliers can take a lot of time and effort that entrepreneurs may not have during busy months. Price, reliability, stability, and competency are key indicators in finding business partners for your equipment and supplies.

In addition, suppliers can be an important source of information about competitors’ actions, evaluation of new products, and promising trends or opportunities. Strive to create lasting partnerships with great suppliers that can help you cut cost (offering discounts or free shipping), improve your products or services (by suggesting good alternatives), and even spread the word about your business. A great supplier wants you to succeed as it can lead to more business for them.

SPRING IS COMING SOON!!!

As harsh as the winter has been these past months, food truck owners should not be dissuaded by the cold temps and lower sales volume. Just like the seasons with its highs and lows, running a mobile food business can be cyclical. Just stay positive, proactive, and passionate because, whether in nature or in business, those who can adapt are those who will survive.

What tips do you have? We’d love to hear them. Tweet to us or comment below!

By |March 1st, 2015|Categories: blog, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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How To Grow A Family Run Mobile Food Business

Food-truckGrowing a food truck business can be very challenging. But having your family involved can lessen the stress of running a demanding venture. Success in the food truck industry do not happen overnight but a family working together offers advantages that can lead to the success of your business.

Here are some ways to leverage your family’s relationship to grow your business.

  • Streamline operations. Understanding each other in a personal level can benefit your business processes. Divide and compliment responsibilities according to each member’s strengths to ensure the efficiency and quality of your service. Simplify recipes so that other family members can learn them and help out when needed.
  • Simplify and mix up. A complex menu can overwhelm customers and preparing multiple products can get exhausting. Specialize on limited products and focus on delivering top quality. Develop dishes that do not require too many components or special ingredients to make keeping track of inventory easier. Mixing up the menu can keep people interested and attract new customers.
  • Innovate your service. Book events that you can cater during the truck’s off hours with the help of other family members. Share your route and schedule to customers then offer deliveries while changing locations. Offer special promos to create a following.
  • Develop relationships. Build connections and cooperation with suppliers, local businesses, and other food truck owners. It is best that some family members work to create connections to find reliable suppliers, companies to cater, and take part in the food truck community as a representative of your business.

There are many family-run food trucks that work like well-oiled machines, leveraging their close relationship to achieve success. But your efficient business operation can take a hit when one of you becomes unavailable due to an emergency, illness, or needs some time off.

Your family may work seamlessly together but it can be hard to find an employee that will work as well. If you really want to grow your food truck business, you will need to have as many processes that are easy to learn as possible. This is one of many reasons why we are building a mobile point of sale application from the ground up that focuses entirely on the mobile food industry.

To learn more about how your business can benefit with the Food on a Truck app, join our email list at https://www.foodonatruck.com/stay-updated/.

By |February 16th, 2015|Categories: blog, family owned, growing a food truck business, starting a food truck|0 Comments
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Should I Start a Food Truck with My Spouse?

There is a lot to consider when starting a food truck, more so if you want to do it with your spouse. There are advantages in running a business with your spouse but there are also disadvantages that can affect the success of your business and your relationship.

Here is a list of pros and cons that you can weigh to see if starting a mobile food business can work for you and your other half.

Pros:

  • 3800467037_1c0bf2ee3c_nSave money. Working together means you don’t have to spend on hiring another set of hands, at least in the beginning. Because your spouse know that the business revenue will benefit your family, he or she will most likely work for free.
  • Quality time. Unlike couples with separate jobs, you get to spend more time with your beloved working together and this can even strengthen your relationship. Even if you get busy with work, your partner will understand and see what occupies your time because both of you are involved in it.
  • Better communication. Being a couple, you know each other; your mindsets, moods, and motivations. Using this knowledge, you can plan and design a system for your business, saving time and eliminating stress.
  • Emotionally invested. Having your spouse as a business partner means you are working with someone you know is passionate for the food truck. He or she will be the most dedicated co-worker you will ever have.

Cons:Food Trucks

  • Too much time together can get smothering. Working and living together day-in and day-out can get overwhelming. Remember the saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
  • Business problems spill-over. Both of you will not always see eye to eye. You might not agreed on how to achieve the same goal. If disagreements are left unchecked, these business tensions can adversely affect your relationship and food truck business.
  • All your eggs in one basket. Working together in a single business can be risky. If your food truck experience a lean month or if the business does not work out, not having an alternative source of income can become an issue for your family.

Starting a food truck with a partner, be it a friend, an investor, or your spouse, has risks and rewards. Plan your business, debate the pros and cons, and see which path will take your food truck dreams to success.

What are your thoughts and experiences? We would love hear them! Leave a comment or email us at info@foodonatruck.com.

By |January 20th, 2015|Categories: blog, family owned, starting a food truck|0 Comments
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Food Truck Propane Tank Safety

Serving high quality and delicious food to customers must always be a top priority for food trucks. But in addition to providing great products, mobile food vendors must also ensure the safety of consumers.

Propane tanks are convenient and economical, which make them the preferred fuel source of food trucks. Even though they are considered stable and safe, propane tanks still possess a certain degree of danger, just like any type of fuel.

6129068772_fe84eda4cf_nBut mobile food vendors do not have to fear as there are simple steps that can be followed regarding propane tank safety and prevent harm to your business or customers.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) offers an informative webinar to guide food truck operators on propane cylinder safety. Watch the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcTAdYrD3Eo

Thank you PHMSA (www.phmsa.dot.gov) for providing such a great resource!

As a quick guide, here are the things food truck operators should keep in mind regarding propane tank safety:

  • Understand the markings on your propane cylinder. These may include symbols that show what type of tank you have, the original manufacture date, and the re-certification date.
  • Know if your tanks need to be re-certified and understand the different kinds of cylinder re-qualification.
  • The age of the tank can affect its performance. Ensure that your cylinders are not beyond their certified number of years.
  • Be familiar to what propane smells like. Propane tank retailers offer scratch pads that can help your employees know the distinct odor of the fuel in case of leakages.
  • Flammable liquids like cleaning agents or gasoline should not be near a gas-burning equipment. Fumes from these can get ignited by the pilot burner.
  • Know where the gas lines are located inside your truck so that they do not get damage when moving kitchen appliance. Also, check the condition of connections to see if there are any leaks.
  • Never attempt to fix a leak yourself. If you suspect a leak, call your supplier immediately! Any appliance connected to problematic cylinder must not be used until the leak is resolved.

Contact your propane tank retailer for any concern you have regarding your tanks. When each vendor does their part in providing a safe and exceptional experience to customers, it benefits not just their business but also the food truck community and industry as whole.

Related Post: Two Food Truck Explosions on the Same Day

By |January 5th, 2015|Categories: blog, food truck safety|0 Comments
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Lower Oil Prices Benefit Food Trucks. But will they last?

Anyone who owns or manages a mobile food business knows how difficult it can be. Competition is tough, food prices change, and consumer preferences can quickly change. Mobile food vendors need all the advantages they can get to grow a sustainable mobile food business.

Thankfully, mobile food businesses got a welcome reprieve with the recent sudden and sharp decline of oil prices!

The effects of plummeting oil prices give many benefits to food truck entrepreneurs. The savings in diesel, propane, and gasoline expenses, are huge and will be felt every single time you fill up the fuel tank. Food trucks will have benefit even more compared to stationary restaurants.  Cheap fuel also decrease in prices of supplies and ingredients that mobile vendors use, as overall shipping costs decline. 
3273-crude-oil-refinery

But fuel savings also increase the purchasing power of mobile food customers. According to the EIA (Energy Information Administration), the average US household will spend $550 less on gasoline in 2015 if oil prices remain low. That’s half a grand that consumers have burning in their pockets that may show up at your food truck.

At the moment, many believe that the price of oil will stay low for the coming months. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries stated that their production will remain the same for the next six months as they watch how the market behaves. As the current rising supply exceed the present weak demand, and if OPEC do not cut back on production in the following months, 2015 will be a great year for food truck businesses.

Mobile food vendors can leverage the low oil prices today to create lasting business opportunities With the savings gained from lower operating costs, food trucks can invest on their business by expanding the menu, replacing old equipment, or increase spending on marketing. Try new locations that are a further away but might yield higher sales.

Food-truckThis is also a good time to invest in your business and not just pocket any extra income.  When is the last time your food truck has spent some quality time with a mechanic?

Finally, one of the best way to take advantage of this reprieve is building an emergency fund for your mobile food business.

Predicting oil prices is always challenging. Hopefully the experts are right with their forecast of lower fuel prices staying well unto next year. Yet, despite the unpredictability of oil prices, there is something that food truck entrepreneurs really excel on and that is creating opportunities out of uncertain and challenging situations.

Food on a Truck hopes lower fuel prices stay and continue to benefit mobile food vendors!

 

By |December 29th, 2014|Categories: blog, fuel prices|0 Comments
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Food Truck Friday

We admittedly aren’t the first to use the hashtag #foodtruckfriday, but yesterday we had a blast promoting its use on the internet. We started with this tweet which was quickly retweeted and embraced by the food truck community.

Why #foodtruckfriday? Here’s our reasoning:

hashtag1. It just rolls off the tongue and has great “stickiness”. People will remember it.

2. For new customers it’s a little reason for them to try grabbing lunch from a local food truck for the first time. Sometime people just need a slight nudge to try something new.

3. So many customers have their own social media following, it’s a great way for customers to share the food truck experience with a solid hashtag.

4. For many customers and especially 9-5ers, fridays are perfect to take a longer lunch than usual. It’s so close to the weekend, people are more apt to try something new.

5. The more the entire food truck community embraces this hashtag, the more the community can grow as a whole.

Even though most people are just familiar with #throwbackthursday (#tbt for short), there are many more weekday themed hashtags. The important point is that the concept has been embraced by the internet for a long time…..well as far as internet standards, since 2011 or so.

 

Because people are familiar with the weekday hashtag concept it will be easy for them to consume and embrace it. This survey by Mobile Cuisine shows Monday as being the most busy day for food trucks. We potentially could make friday the biggest day. But more importantly it will help spread awareness which will help food trucks beyond just fridays.

Because as most of us already know, once a customer has fantastic food truck experience they will be back again and again regardless of what day it is!

What do you think about #foodtruckfriday? If you are a food truck, what’s your busiest day of the week?

Feel free to leave comments or catch us on twitter.

By |October 25th, 2014|Categories: blog, social media|Tags: |2 Comments
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