If your family is about to start a food truck business, then not only are you about to enter what can be a highly profitable venture and a great way to support your household, but you can carry on the traditions of family through amazing recipes by sharing them with the public. Once you have a concept and a menu planned, your first big step is buying a food truck designed to grow your business and make you profitable for decades to come. This article is intended to help family-owned businesses make the right decisions when it comes to buying a food truck so that the next generation can take over a profitable business and continue the tradition.
1. Buying a Food Truck that’s New or Used
When it comes to buying a food truck, one goal is to save money. But this often overshadows the other thing people should actually place first, and that’s ensuring the food truck is right for your needs and will help you hit your growth goals. Unfortunately, a large number of family businesses will go the used route for buying a food truck, and they will spend a few thousand on having it re-painted or they will get a vinyl wrap to brand it to their business. And while this option saves you money upfront, it is very risky and sets you up to lose even more revenue in the long run. In fact, last year more than 80 percent of new food truck businesses had to close their doors after only running for less than two years. The main reason was due to food truck equipment malfunctions, engine problems, or the need for other repairs. Not only did these recurring bills cause family businesses to lose thousands, being off the street and out of business caused the loss of income, food waste, and regular customers wound up going to competitors. Simply put, business never picked up for these people and they kept hemorrhaging money.
When it comes to buying a food truck, invest in a new custom design that makes sense for your business and individual growth goals.
2. Buying a Food Truck from a Builder that Sets You Up to be Successful
When buying a food truck you will want to work with a builder that has marketing chops, and that understands growth-driven food truck design. When you want to learn how to choose a food truck design, your builder should be your partner and help you come up with a concept that’s fully grounded in understanding your menu, business model, your customers, and your growth goals. The platform needs to be just the right size to help you run a successful food truck business right out the gate but also allow for enough room to add additional employees and extra equipment as you expand your business. When buying a food truck make sure a growth-driven design meets future needs, but don’t go too big, as this can add to operational costs.
3. Choose High-Quality Materials
Buying a food truck that promotes profitability means working with a food truck builder that only uses the highest quality materials. The interior should be stainless steel, as it is easy to clean, keep clean, and highly durable. Avoid porous materials like plastics and fiberglass that can trap moisture and food debris thus forming mold and causing sanitary problems that can shut you down and destroy your reputation. Also, choose technology that makes sense. If you plan to operate in the Downtown area during lunch hours, you will get people who are in a hurry to place their order, pick up their food, and get back to the office. Investing in an app that allows for early order placing, and having a display screen showing orders that are ready, or in process, will create a user-friendly experience and usher in more customers.
Discuss these options and others with your food truck company, and make sure that when buying a food truck you take these points to heart.
