Starting a Food Truck by Jason Cafarelli

Author:Jason Cafarelli
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mobile, business, food, truck, starting, small, cart, entreprenership
Publisher: Jason Cafarelli

Other trucks whose themes, logos and menus were clear, identifiable and memorable had a better instant connection with customers. We lost a percentage of our customers on confusion alone.

Remember, it’s all about the experience!

Chapter 3: Equipping Truck and Obtaining Licenses

The foundation is set. At this point, you’ve created a menu. You understand the importance of the customer experience and even picked a name and branded your product.

Now it’s time to equip the truck – not only with items you need but in the most efficient way possible.

Rookie food-truckers sometimes miss the concept that you’re not on the road for eight hours serving food. You’re only there for the lunch and dinner rush. The window for business is just 2-3 hours per day – tops!

That means your food truck must be equipped to move fast and efficient to handle that rush. Trucks that operate slowly get left behind, lose money and eventually go out of business. The goal is to make sure that doesn’t happen.

My uncle and I built “Pinos Auto Grill” for volume, not efficiency. The food was prepared in the morning and ready to put in to-go containers. We kept it on a food warmer or in a refrigerator and served it as customers ordered during lunch time.

As we adjusted the menu, we added sandwiches and needed a place to make them in the truck. We still needed an area to serve lasagna. We squeezed it all in a 22-foot truck in the least-efficient way possible. The workers on the truck, including myself, were twisting around. Space was tight and we didn’t think it through beforehand of how to make the truck run smoothly. That created high wait times, and customers remembered that. Some didn't return. We tried to make small improvements. However, it was difficult to do anything major because heavy equipment already was on the truck. Do not make the same mistake we did!

First, think about all the equipment that is needed to prepare your food. It’s easier to create a layout for your truck using that vision. This is not a one-size-fits-all scenario. What worked best inside my food truck may or may not work best for you. There are dozens of ways to design the inside to best fit your individual needs. The key is planning ahead of time. There is limited space and little room for adjustments later on. For example, you can’t move the grill from one side to the other after the fact. Get the design right the first time.

That brings us to licenses and permits. DO NOT TAKE SHORTCUTS IN THIS AREA!

Lack of permits, training and the inability to follow code are likely to hinder your success. It doesn’t matter how terrific your product is and how much money you’re raking in. If you don’t have the proper paperwork, the government can levy heavy fines or shut you down immediately. Do yourself a huge favor and do your homework. It can save a major headache down the road.

Most of the information in your jurisdiction can be found online.

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