How to Start a Food Truck Business

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Food trucks are different from a regular restaurant in
some ways – you get on the road and go to the
customer.
You don’t have a physical location with an address so
you don’t wait for customers to come in your front
door.
But like restaurants, service still needs to be topnotch.
The truck needs a little niche so people have a reason
to purchase. It’s also important to be consistent.

Food trucks come in all shapes and sizes
which varies the cost.
A basic used food truck with bare bones
equipment and lots of miles could run you as
little as $10,000 while a full equipped truck
could run you several hundred thousand
dollars.
If you’re looking to bootstrap the business it’s
best to look for a used truck, likely finding
one from another food truck business that is
maybe moving up to the next level and
getting a new truck.

Equipment works much the same as the actual food truck.
You’ll need the equipment you need to make your food
specialty and from there you have to figure out if it’s possible
to put in a truck or trailer.
Most trucks run on gas just like your average outdoor grill.
Your average food truck can use around 1,000 gallons of
propane a year, but it all depends on the amount of business
you’re doing.

Like any vehicle, you need insurance and it can be
expensive.
You’re not running a typical Toyota Corolla so be prepared
to insure the truck for all the equipment costs and potential
loss of revenue if something were to happen.
It doesn’t have to be much more than a regular
vehicle, but the more you leave off the more risk you take
on.

Like any other business, there are permits. Each city or location varies in how they operate with
permits.
Some have more strict rules such as limits on the number of trucks that can operate in any given
area.
There might also be local requirements for inspection and where you can park the truck. You’ll
want to look for public parking areas because private parking can be tricky unless you’re buddies
with the owner.

You can go in full guns with a food truck, but
bootstrapping might be the better option.
Find your customers first before getting a truck or
equipment by asking a local business if you can
bring some of your food to their break room for
lunch and see if anybody will give you cash for
your food.
There is nothing wrong with bringing food to
businesses for a few months in the backseat of
your minivan before finally stepping up to a truck.

• When people like your food and service they’ll tell their friends so make it
easy for people to email or message friends.
• Create an area where people can leave comments on your site.
• List your typical locations on the website so people can find you.
• Have a responsive website as people looking for lunch or quick meal
ideas are likely using their smartphones.
• Integrate social media into your website - photos from Facebook &
Instagram, Twitter tweets, and sharing buttons.
• Capture email addresses on your site with a signup form.

Food trucks aren’t a new business idea, but there is still tons of opportunity. If you have a
unique product to offer and you know there is demand you have a great chance of succeeding.
Follow the basic steps for starting your truck, start out small if you can and build from there.
When things get some momentum you can start looking to expand and that includes getting
your own website.

Get a beautiful website for your restaurant,
without the hassle.
Learn More

How to Start a Food Truck Business

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