Start a Food Truck with No Experience
Start a Food Truck with No Experience
Starting a food truck can be an exciting, fun, and profitable prospect. There are a variety of different food truck options to choose from.
Food trucks are only getting more popular for aspiring business owners as real estate prices across the country crush even well-established businesses. Indeed, starting a food truck has many benefits and can be a lower-cost alternative to a full-blown restaurant.
If you want to start a food truck but don’t have the experience, things can be intimidating. However, with a bit of effort, research, you can quickly get up to speed on starting your food truck with no experience. In today’s post, we will talk about how to start a food truck with no experience.
Further Reading: What Do You Need to Start a Food Truck.
Start a Food Truck With No Experience
Catch Up On Your Food Truck Experience
No one is born a food truck owner. However, every current food truck owner needs to start somewhere – and you can start from where you are.
While not every food truck owner had experience operating a food truck, they may have had some other experience contributing to their confidence and ultimate success.
If you are thinking about starting a food truck and aren’t sure if you are ready, consider the following recommendations to help “get you up to speed” and start your business.
Be Purposeful in Your Research
Start researching what type of food truck you would like to operate. Remember that a food truck is still a business and every business has to address specific areas. For example, you will need to understand inventory management, accounting, payroll, expensing items, marketing, etc. Be purposeful in your research and become familiar with the skills and things that will need to be addressed in your food truck business.
Be a Food Truck Customer
One of the best ways to experience running a food truck is to be a food truck customer.
This is a fun way to get to know food truck cuisine, product offerings, and capabilities. Be a customer and explore the incredible variety of food truck offerings. Consider what type of food truck and food you would like to offer your customers.
Figure out what things you would do differently – or do the same. Take note of the food, customer service, plates and packaging, branding, and everything in between.
Attend Events With Food Trucks
Before starting a food truck, check out events where food trucks might be. Food trucks can be found at various musical concerts, art walks, folk festivals, sporting events, and other local places.
Consider whether or not working a food truck is the kind of work you would like to do? Then, try and spend time talking to food truck owners and get tips on starting your food truck. By asking questions, learning more about the food truck industry, you will boost your confidence and increase your food truck experience.
Work in a Kitchen
Nothing beats working in a food truck, fast food, or restaurant kitchen to get the food truck experience you need. Indeed, working in the kitchen can give you a pretty good idea of what life would be like operating a food truck.
Whether you work at a restaurant, diner, or food truck, the experience you get can be invaluable.
You can learn essential skills to help you with your food truck business by cooking or serving – or both. In addition, you can learn a lot about working in a food truck by working in the kitchen or restaurant – from choosing the proper inventory, seasoning, prepping, cooking, to equipment maintenance.
Experience in the kitchen before starting your food truck will give you a good insight into the work involved and the fast-paced environment that might not suit some.
Get Help Catching Up
Getting the experience working on a food truck can also come with getting additional help.
Explore talking with food truck owners. Food truck owners are the most underutilized resource for those aspiring to own a food truck of their own one day. We encourage you to read our food truck blog for in-depth articles on starting a food truck and other essential topics.
Further Reading: Steps to Starting a Food Truck
How to Start a Food Truck
Planning Is Key
While a food truck isn’t located in a traditional restaurant, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a real business. Therefore, you need to plan for your food truck as if it was a conventional retail food business.
A well-thought-out business plan can ensure that you leave nothing to chance. In addition, your project will help you address elements of your mobile food truck business that we’ll talk about more in a moment.
Planning and researching your food truck options will help get your business on the right track.
The more planning and research you do, the less money you will ultimately spend.
Pick Your Food Truck Concept & Food Menu
Now comes the fun part. First, pick the type of food that you’re going to serve from your food truck. This is where you stop being vague and get into the nitty-gritty details of your menu.
Develop your menu with specifics because you will likely have to give that information to your health department. Additionally, developing your ingredient list early will help build your spending budget.
Work out a menu that you can easily prepare, store, cook, and serve from a mobile vehicle. While pretty much anything can be designed in a food truck, the reality is that simple is better. Having a detailed list of ingredients and easy preparation will help you streamline your food truck operation.
Decide on Your Target Market
Whether you have a full-blown coffee shop, café, or food truck, you need to be able to focus on your target market. Who you will serve will pretty much dictate your entire food truck operation.
Of course, if you are parked in different locations, you may have a different target market. However, if you already know which area you would like to park and serve your food, consider the type of customer you will have. For example, will they be office workers, university students, or tourists?
In every case, consider what they would be looking for. For example, if you are parked at the beach serving customers, will you want to do soup and tamales – or hot dogs and tacos?
Whatever you decide to do, develop an avatar of your customer and keep them happy with your food, service, and experience.
Write a Business Plan
You might not be familiar with some items detailed in your plan, so go out and find that information to address it.
Your business plan will consist of the following:
- Concept
- Vision
- Management and team
- Target market
- Menu
- Competitive analysis
- Budget details
- Financial projections
- Marketing strategy
- Ongoing analysis
- Exit strategy
Writing a food truck business plan will help cover the bases and determine those elements of your food truck business that you need to know. Then, once you know what you need to learn, you can get the knowledge and experience to succeed.
Develop Your Brand
As a food truck, your brand will play an essential role in your success. Your brand can develop trust with your customers and a positive association that keeps them coming back.
The first thing you need to settle on is your food truck name. Choosing a name for your food truck will be an essential first step. I encourage you to choose a name that is easy to remember, spell, and pronounce. Your name is the first step in your overall branding, so consider what your food truck branding will be like in the near future.
Develop a Food Truck Budget
Before you start your food truck, you will want to have two different budgets.
The first is your food truck startup budget. The second will be your food truck operational budget. Your startup budget will be based on what it takes to get your food truck running and ready to roll. This includes everything from the food truck to your equipment, branding, legal and administrative costs, and training.
Your operational budget is more focused on the food truck costs associated with your day-to-day operations. This includes your gas, inventory, labor, paper products, monthly commissary costs, insurance, and rental space, among others.
Start Looking for a Food Truck
After determining your food truck menu and budget, you can start looking for a food truck.
There is a first time for everything. Unfortunately, not everyone is born with the experience of obtaining their food truck. The best thing you can do is prepare – and know what exactly you want – and, most importantly, what your business needs.
You’ll have several options to obtain a food truck. Let’s talk about them below:
1 Buy a new food truck
2 Customize a food truck to be made for you
3 Buy a used food truck
4 Buy a used truck and refurbish it
Practice Your Food Truck Menu
In the process of setting up your food truck, you never want to lose your cooking mojo. Therefore, you should consider practicing your menu. Maybe make additions or changes to the menu. Write down all the ingredients you are using.
Practicing and fine-tuning your food offerings will not only give you experience in learning your craft more efficiently but will allow you to explore new flavors and menu items.
Secure Your Funding
Now that you have developed your budget and have a good idea of the equipment and money you will need to launch, the next step would be to secure your food truck funding.
Again, there are several different funding pools that you might have access to. They may include getting money from family, friends, investors, bank loans, crowdfunding, and your personal savings.
Consider how much money you will obtain from each pool, and then determine how much money you can contribute using your own source of funding (savings or checking).
Next, you want to determine the gap between your existing funding and the funds you need to launch. Then, make a financial strategy to close the financing gap by diving further into each financial pool.
Shop for Food Truck Equipment
Depending on how you purchase your food truck, you might have to buy your equipment separately. Your equipment will be primarily based on your menu, your spacing needs, and your power needs.
Like your food truck, you can buy your equipment new, used, or even rent your equipment. When shopping for food truck equipment, consider your space needs and the power draw that each piece of equipment requires.
Additionally, you want to ensure that your food truck equipment is commercial-grade. Commercially-made equipment means that your equipment is built with appropriate safety standards in place for heavy use.
Parking Your Food Truck
You are going to need a secure location to park your food truck at night. While some of you might be able to park in your home driveway or out on the street, some residential areas may not permit parking of commercial vehicles.
Finding a secure lot to park your food truck, as well as wash and maintain it, might be a good idea. Preferably, you might want to get a parking lot that has secured fencing, lights, and cameras.
Buy Your Food Truck
The time has come to purchase your food truck! This is an exciting and nerve-wracking time. You might have lots of mixed emotions, but if you’ve done your homework, know your budget, and have a plan – you’ll be good to go.
Getting your food truck might be the first step in launching your food truck business. Depending on the truck, you might need to start the process of building it out with the equipment and power you need. Additionally, you might also need to focus on the exterior paint or wrap that you will want to have.
Consider the additional time, money, and resources you will need to get your truck up and running.
Build Out Your Food Truck
Now that you got your truck, you will need to make some changes to suit your needs. Your food truck buildout will require you to know about the specific regulations required by your local buildings department and health department code.
You want to ensure that you fully understand the requirements for the buildout before you start. In addition, health and building regulators want to check that you use the proper materials and type of construction to ensure the safety of your business, workers, and customers.
Make Sure You Have Power
Your food truck needs to run on power. You can either plug it into shore power or run it off a generator. The amount of energy you need depends on your type of operation and the ability each piece of equipment needs. In addition to a power generator, you may also have propane tanks that can help you heat water, ovens, and stoves.
Find a Commercial Commissary
The chances are that you will need a commercial commissary as part of your food truck operation. A commercial commissary is where you will prepare, store, and even cook your food in your truck.
Depending on your city, you may have several options. For example, if there is a thriving food truck culture, you may have several commissaries to choose from. You might also use the kitchen and storage of an operating restaurant.
Choose a Great Location For Your Food Truck
The great thing about mobile food vehicles is that you are mobile! That means that any number of locations will be possible for you to serve your customers.
As part of your mobile operation, you may need to make arrangements with different property owners and agencies to get permission to operate your food truck.
Get Your Food Truck Permits
Running a food truck operation means you will need to get permits from several different operations. For example, your menu and type of food truck may require additional licenses (from the fire department).
In addition, you will need various departments to sign off on your operation before you can legally operate. These departments might include your buildings department, health department, and department of transportation. Finally, you will also need to get a business license for the city or cities you plan to operate in.
Start Your Food Truck Marketing
Marketing your food truck will mainly be necessary for your mobile operation, precisely because you are mobile. Having a website, social media, and phone number will be critical to maintaining communication with your customers. Additionally, you might want to have a POS system that takes your customer’s phone number or emails. Finally, you can connect with your customers through text messaging or emails – offering discounts, coupons or letting them know where you will be.
Your food truck exterior will also play a significant role in your marketing efforts. Take the time to investigate professional paint jobs and food truck wrapping to give your food truck the best professional look possible. Additionally, investing in A-frame sidewalk signs and menu boards will be necessary.
Hire Great Staff
The chances are that you are going to need help serving and running your food truck operation. Hiring staff will be a crucial part of running a food truck business. As a result, hiring honest and reliable staff will be essential to your success. Unfortunately, hiring great food truck staff (cooks and others) might not be as easy as it seems. Therefore, long before you open your food truck, start looking for help early. Consider hiring someone who has the experience and understands the intensity of working in the food industry.
Congratulations!
If you have read this far, you are interested in getting help starting your food truck. As you can imagine, a food truck can be an exciting opportunity for you – and a profitable business. We want to offer to continue your research and read more food truck business articles.
Start a Food Truck With No Experience
Additional Questions:
Is starting a food truck profitable?
Yes! Starting a food truck can be very profitable. Of course, several elements are essential to your food truck revenue. Your profitability depends on your food truck’s overhead costs, your number of sales, and your average receipt price. You can safely bet that it might take a year or two to reach profitability after paying off any startup expenses.
Is running a food truck hard?
Running a food truck is the same as running any other type of mobile business. It takes work! However, it can be very satisfying and very profitable. As you start your food truck business, you will be on a learning curve.
The further along the curve you get (with the help of time and experience), running your food truck will get easier. In addition, as your food truck operation gets easier to manage, your experience, efficiency, and growing customer base mean more profits.
Do you need experience to open and run a food truck?
Having the experience to run a food truck is helpful in every situation. There are elements of a food truck business that can only be mastered with getting appropriate experience. Yet, there are things that you can do today to get the kind of experience you need. You can start by exploring how to write a food truck business plan, visit food truck businesses, and talk to food truck owners.
