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How to Open a Food Truck
- 3. The Business Model Canvas pictured can be found at: www.businessmodelgeneration.com
- 5. • There are always legal requirements that must be fulfilled when opening a mobile business or any other kind of establishment. • For a food truck, the city or state will list specific permits and licenses required to legally operate the mobile business. • Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulate these requirements. View the FDACS Mobile Food Permit Requirements here
- 6. Questions to consider when developing your menu: • What equipment is needed to prepare each item? • How much time will it take to prepare one dish? • Where will I buy the ingredients? • Will I use local/organic sources? • What price will I charge for each item?
- 7. • There is limited space inside the food truck, it is suggested to only buy the equipment needed to prepare the items on your menu while avoiding bulky/large objects. • Counter-top equipment can save space such as blenders, grills, fryers, ovens, microwaves, toasters, waffle makers, steamers, rice cookers and sandwich grills. • Low-profile or low-boy refrigerators can be purchased to save space. These come in a variety of small sizes, shapes and have proper airflow capabilities (White, 2018). • Hardware and Software needs to be purchased and tested.
- 8. A marketing plan is a blueprint of how you will advertise your business to your target market. Key questions include: • Goals – What are you planning to achieve weekly, quarterly and annually? • Audience – What is your target market? • Channels- What affiliates you will use to advertise your business? • Timeline – When will you execute each point of your plan? • Success Measures: What are your performance indicators? • Roles: Who will conduct the elements of your strategies? • Budget: How much money will be allocated to each sector? These tips I found within a very thorough guide written by Tiffany Regaudie with TouchBistro. Click here to access the full guide.
- 9. Melinda Dean Find me on Linked In, Facebook or Instagram July, 2020 Thank you for viewing this presentation on How to Open a Food Truck!
- 10. McCarthy, N., (2019). The Cities with the Most Vegan Options Worldwide. Statista. Retrieved from: https://www.statista.com/chart/19612/share-of- restaurants-classified-as-vegan-friendly/ Mobile Food Vendors, (2019-2020). Mobile Food Vendors Regulated by FDACS. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Retrieved from: https://www.fdacs.gov/Business-Services/Food- Establishments/Mobile-Food-Vendors Regaudie, T., (n.d.). The Total Guide to Writing a Marketing Plan for Food Trucks. TouchBistro. Retrieved from: https://www.touchbistro.com/blog/total-guide-to-writing-a-marketing- plan-for-food-trucks/ White, L. (2018). THE FOOD TRUCK PHENOMENON: FE&S FE&S. Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 71(3), 90-92. Retrieved from https://search-proquest- com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/docview/2109259967?accountid=8289
Editor's Notes
- A food truck is essentially a mobile restaurant. Before opening your food truck you should think about your long-term goals as that will help you with the planning phase. Some owners plan to stick with the one truck, others plan to have multiple and some plan to eventually open a brick and mortar location. You should develop a niche which will help you define your customer base, mission statement and marketing plan. You can choose a name for your business early on or wait until after the business plan is established. I choose Mindy’s Munchies based on my childhood nickname: Mindy. Munchies because alliteration is an optimal tool to intrigue clients and make your name stick.
- After developing your niche, it’s time to create your business plan and start looking at the costs of buying your food truck, equipment and supplies. There are several options such as buying used, buying new, leasing, and financing. You must decide what is best for you depending on goals and resources. If you need to take a loan, it is necessary to develop the business plan first for presentation purposes. Your business plan should follow an order as most of the main topics will build on each other. It is up to the individual at what point they will actually buy the truck, though it is suggested to wait until after the business plan is defined.
- A great bonus to owning a food truck is that it can be completely mobile if that is what you want. If you choose a location that for some reason doesn’t work out, then you can research and relocate. Demographics play a large part in your customer base success rate. Doing geographical research will help you pick the best location for the type of food you are selling. I picked Orlando, FL because it is a top location for vegan customers and because I already live in Orlando.
- The government agencies that regulate food permitting will vary from state to state, in Florida it is FDACS. Their website lists step by step instructions and it is recommended in any case to follow this type of guide in its entirety. Step 1 suggests viewing the PDF permit requirements which lists criteria based on a Certified Food Protection Manager (CPFM), commissary, time/temp controls, potable water and food processing/preparation information. Step 2 notes to complete a commissary letter of agreement to be submitted during the initial inspection. Step 3 directs the applicant to apply for the food permit. When opening your food truck, look online for the correct government establishment to fulfill all legal obligations (Mobile Food Vendors, 2019-2020).
- For my food truck example I would attempt to use as much local and organic products as possible. I would choose these options for moral reasons and note the sources for marketing purposes. Keep in mind, a food truck has limited storage space. It is suggested to create items on the menu that can share ingredients. Pricing is somewhat simple after the ideal food cost percentage is determined. This is based upon individual choices but typically ranges from 20-40%. After developing that number, the formula: Food Cost/Food Cost Percentage will give you an accurate price point for your menu items. For example, my food truck’s determined food cost percentage is 30%, the raw food cost for a kale, apple + lemon juice is $3.00. So, $3.00/30%= $10.00 menu price for the juice.
- My food truck example only uses a few items such as: A high-end blender, rice cooker, panini press, small flat-top griddle, and a horizontal refrigerator. It is dependent on the individual what type of hardware they want to purchase. Most software either runs on Apple IOS systems or Google Android systems. It is suggested to define software needs and decisions before purchasing hardware.
- Additional Marketing Strategies: Competition analysis- follow your competitions social media, e-newsletters and promotions. SWOT Analysis – analysis your businesses Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and potential Threats. Create a mission statement by explaining the reason your food truck exists as well as the business’s value. Elevator pitch – create a 60 second description of your business including the name of your food truck, what type of cuisine you offer and something that makes you stand out against competition. Define your target audience by building a demographic and psychographic customer profile. List your goals such as profits attained after one year or customer retention (Regaudie, n.d.).