3 Steps To Take To Get Your Food Truck Business Up And Running
While the only two options of getting food used to be dine-in or take-out, food trucks have revolutionized the food industry in a unique way. The fun thing about food trucks is that when you get a bunch of them together at an event or venue, it gives customers the opportunity to try out a bunch of different styles of food all at once because the portions tend to be a bit smaller. If you want to try your hand at a food truck, there are a few first steps you should take.
Create a Business Plan
Once you have business idea, you may think you are good to run with it, but there's a little bit more to it. Every smart business owner will come up with a business plan that will hopefully help them succeed and guide them through the process. A business plan will help you do a variety of things including setting financial goals, looking at your needs and demands, establishing who your customers are, and defining both long-term and short-term business goals. Once you have your business plan in place, then you can see what is financially feasible and what is not.
Get a Food Trailer
Your biggest asset in a food truck is going to be your food trailer itself. The great thing about food trailers, in particular, is that you can hook them up to a pick-up truck to haul it from place to place. Whether you are going to buy a new food trailer or a used one, there are a few things you will want:
- A generator to power the whole thing
- A gas stove
- Enough electrical power and outlets on the inside to support appliances like a refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave, and freezer
- Enough counter space to prepare food on
- Proper ventilation to help air things out when you are cooking
Just remember that you're going to be spending a lot of money every week in gas because of how heavy it is to haul a food trailer around, but you can typically write it off as an expense on your taxes. To learn more about food trailers, contact other food truck owners.
Get a Food License
Almost every state will require you to have some sort of food license in order to sell food that you've prepared. Depending on the state that you live in, you may have to go through a bunch of food handling classes and certifications to get your license in the first place. Contact your local food safety department to learn more about what the process entails.
