One of the most powerful trends in the foodservice in recent years has been the huge surge in the popularity of food trucks. Up-and-coming chefs are finding that they can operate one of these enterprises much more easily and affordably than a brick-and-mortar establishment. Some are content to remain in the food truck business, but others are using their successful trucks to kickstart restaurants.
As a restaurant owner, you may be interested in taking it the opposite direction, gathering your successful recipes and processes into a mobile location to enhance your revenue streams. Using a restaurant to start a food truck can be very profitable. These four tips will keep you on track.
Stay True to Your Brand
Your new food truck will utilize your reputation in two directions. For customers who already know your restaurant, the food truck will be a natural decision for them. For those who only know you from the truck, your restaurant will be a logical destination. Make sure that both establishments use the same branding so that these connections will be made.
Review Health Regulations
No matter how sharp you may be on health code requirements for your restaurant, things may be somewhat different once you take your menu on the road. Open windows, unrefrigerated condiment areas, and a lack of garbage receptacles could all derail your truck with expensive fines. Talk to local code enforcement officials before you start looking for a food trailer for sale so that you can be sure you’ll be able to comply.
Make Good Menu Choices
The preparation capabilities in a truck will never equal those in the restaurant so you need to be wise about what to offer. Do lots of trial runs to make sure that you can maintain the same quality and flavor with each dish in the truck. Items that are too slow to prepare or unlikely to come out consistently should be left off the truck.
Think About Inputs
Another limitation on the truck is storage space. You only have so much area for cooking, prep, and refrigeration. If you will end up with leftover product at the end of the day, you could be wasting costly inputs. Consider converting recipes to “lunch size” items so that you can make more total transactions from a given volume of cooler space.
Tying a food truck to an existing restaurant is a great strategy. You can take the business on the road to new markets that may have never encountered your fixed location, all while bringing in new revenue to both branches.
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