Don’t Be Fooled! Here We Will Bust Some Of The Typical Food Truck Myths
The food truck industry is much like every other, it has many success stories but also has many of failure. It’s crucial to do your homework before entering into this unique yet rapidly expanding industry. Having unrealistic expectations before opening your very own food truck business can create a false sense of security during the decision-making process. By eliminating some of the typical myths about owning a food truck, you can ensure a smooth transition into your new business.
1. Running A Food Truck Is Easy
To run a successful food truck you need to be at events or on the street six to seven days a week, serving breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner. Owning a food truck means working the majority of your waking hours. When you’re not serving customers from the window, you’ll be ordering supplies, cooking food, finding new events and parking locations, and liaising with the city council to ensure you maintain their strict regulations. Remember, just like the catering industry anywhere, a food truck involves extremely long hours. The more time you invest the more success you will receive.
2. You’ll Get Rich Running A Food Truck
The mobile food industry is growing rapidly, however because of this some people believe opening a food truck is the next get-rich-quick business. Yes, food trucks can earn a lot of money but fixed costs don’t change and your bills come due every month. Ingredients, fuel, insurance and staff wages are some of the expenses. It’s important to remember that you can earn a decent living as a food truck owner if you intend to work in it day-in and day-out.
3. If You Love To Cook, You Should Open A Food Truck
Sure, your friends and family keep telling you that you should open a food truck because you’re an amazing cook. They’re happy to grab a free bite to eat when they visit, however catering for a diverse community with different expectations comes with challenges. Before jumping into a big investment, cater for a few parties or individuals to get some honest feedback. Cooking the food is only one of many components to running a successful food truck business.
4. Because You’ve Worked In A Food Truck, You’re Ready To Run The Show
Working in a restaurant or food truck definitely gives you the upper hand when starting your own food truck business. However, running a business from A to Z entails a lot more than just being an employee. Owning a food truck is more than a full-time job. It doesn’t go away when you park the truck at the end of the day.
5. The Health Department Doesn’t Inspect Food Trucks
The idea that mobile food trucks can’t be tracked by the health departments is completely false. Food trucks, just like bricks and mortar, have very strict food, safety and commercial kitchen regulations. Without passing these, you do not have a business.
6. Food Trucks Compete Unfairly With Restaurants
Disgruntled restaurant owners most commonly complain about food truck operators having relatively low costs. However, owning a food truck comes with its own expenses, some of which restaurant owners don’t have, such as licenses, permits, truck maintenance, fuel, storage and sometimes an additional commercial kitchen.