13 Best Tips to Know Before You Start a Food Truck

Posted on 01/21/2021 by Tammie Nolte, Big Fat Writer

Everybody starts a food truck from a different angle and a variety of experiences. Some have more business experience, some more cooking experience. FoodTruckBooking follows lots of trucks, trailers and Facebook groups where we collect the best tips and experiences from across the country and world. What would you change if you were going to do it all over again?

Garret Rempel has a family owned restaurant Country Cousins in Canada. He put together all of his best tips that he wished he had known when he started with his food truck. In a Facebook group called "Food Trucks & Trailers - Tips & Tricks", Rempel shared several tips for those about to start a food truck.

These practical tips should help with fewer stumbles. Scroll down for the list and explanations to help startups make fewer mistakes. "This is just a small list of what I would do differently. I think I could literally write a book on it," says Rempel.
EXPLANATIONS OF THE DO-OVERS

"Someone asked me what I would do differently if I were to do it all over again. Here’s a small list, and know, I would definitely do it again!" says food truck owner Garret Rempel.
- First, I would definitely not finance my trailer, nor spend as much as I did.
- Start small, and work your way up.
- Price your menu so you don’t need small change! This will save you a TON of time during a busy service.
- Don’t pigeon hole yourself with a very specific name or wrap/paint. It can be hard to get into some venues if you are too specific, and they feel they already have your menu covered.
- Go with decals/paint rather than a wrap. Wraps don’t last, and they are huge money.
- Go with as many gas appliances as possible. Steam tables, and hot water both take a lot of juice, and running your generator too close to max will make you want to pull out your hair.
- Spend the money on a good generator. Honda or Yamaha were the best ones we came across. Running those cheap shitty LOUD ones will get old in a hurry!!
- SAMPLE, SAMPLE, SAMPLE! Get your food into peoples mouths. I didn’t figure this out until later in the game. It’s a game changer.
- Do free give aways for promoting your page/website. We have found a much greater return on dollars doing this rather than paid advertising, specifically Facebook.
- Get together with fellow trucks/trailers to do “Food Truck Friday”, or something along those lines. If you can get 3-4 vendors together, there will be a WAY bigger crowd draw than trying to do it yourself.
- Get a route, with specific days and locations, AND STICK TO IT RAIN OR SHINE!!! Nothing pisses people off more than counting on lunch from you, and you not being there.
- If staying in one place, more days is not necessarily better. We found that 3 days/week was the most profitable.
- Selling out is a good thing! Don’t kick yourself for what you perceive as “lost” sales. People will learn to get there early, to get what they want.
- A hard and fast 2 hour service is way better than a n easy slow 4 hour service.
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