Food trucks are one of the hottest growing trends in dining, but you already own a restaurant. Buying a food truck could be a great investment for your small business!
Food trucks began as a low cost way for entrepreneurs to make money in the food industry, but they have quickly evolved into a staple in many areas. Adding a food truck option to an already established brick and mortar restaurant can grow your business in so many ways.
New customers
Having a food truck out and about is a great way to get your food into the mouths of people who may have never had the opportunity to visit your location. A few reasons people aren’t coming into your restaurant might include that It’s too far or that they don’t even know it’s there. A food truck solves both of these problems! You’re getting your name out there and reaching customers that may not want to drive 45 minutes to try a new place to eat. Once they know how great your food is, they may be more willing to make the trip. Another way a food truck may help boost your business is that you are reaching customers that do not want to have or pay for the sit down restaurant experience. Food trucks save busy families time and money on eating out. Some neighborhoods regularly have “Food truck nights” which is a great way to try new foods.
Business promotion
You probably already pay to advertise in several ways like billboards, commercials, print ads etc. Owning a food truck with your logo is a fabulous way to advertise your business while making money, instead of giving it to somebody else. People get to see your logo all around town so be sure to include your social media handles and website for more info on your brick and mortar.
Prep at the restaurant
You will save money, time and energy by doing all of your food prep at your brick and mortar location. This gives you the upper hand in the food truck circuit because it’s not a luxury many food truck owners have. They have to prep in a cramped food truck area.
Offset lulls
It’s an easy way to make money when people just aren’t making it into the store. Leverage staff that would usually lose hours in your slow season and put them on the truck. Doing this may also get more business into the brick and mortar during the usual slow season.
Go to events
Many food trucks get booked up quickly by people hosting events or food truck nights. Make sure your truck is regularly attending these events so that you become a must have staple at any of these local events. Events are a great way to reach a ton of new customers in a place they already planned to be and can be a great source of revenue outside of your brick and mortar. Other places to look into with large crowds may be beaches or parks that get crowded in the summer. Just be sure to get permission from the property owner before you set up shop.
Don’t let budget be the reason you decide not to add a food truck to your business plan. Quikstone Capital can help. Quikstone Capital Solutions provides business cash advances to help businesses just like yours grow and increase their profits.
