How To Choose A Food Truck Design

Food truck design is one of the major factors you need to work out if you’re planning to start a food truck business. As a responsible future food truck owner, you have to carefully plan how you’ll make your food truck business stand out. Out of all the options, your food truck business stands a chance if it manages to capture the customers’ attention. 

One way to keep your food truck business apart from others is by implementing an exemplary food truck design. Keep in mind that there are also food trucks with the same size, same route, same location, and same menu as yours. Aside from customer service, choosing a unique and creative food truck design will keep your food truck business different from others. 

This article aims to provide future food truck owners and those who are planning to explore street food business proper and basic knowledge about the food truck industry and street food industry. Here are some of the basics you need to know to keep driving that food truck business into a success. 

FOOD TRUCK GUIDE

Before deciding which food truck design works best for your concept, it is important to know other factors that will affect your food truck business’ success. Here’s a list of the essential parts of a food truck.

FOOD TRUCK CAPACITY

A food truck owner must first know its food truck’s dimension to determine its capacity and load. The most common sizes of food trucks are 14 feet, 16 feet, and 22 feet. Food truck design might also be affected because it will depend on the vehicle’s size and measurement. 

FOOD TRUCK INTERIOR

Having great knowledge about what type of food truck equipment is necessary for your food truck concept is also crucial for every type of food truck business, especially if you’re not planning to hire a food truck designer and will just do everything by yourself. 

Since food trucks are known for their limited space, maximizing every space and storage is a challenge. Ensure that the food truck equipment will help you maximize your service and the space your truck provides. Here are some of the most common food truck equipment and areas needed to start a food truck business.

• Cooking equipment
• Prep station
• Refrigeration equipment
• Serving space
• Cleaning area
• Ventilation
• Storage space
• Cash register
• Holding of equipment 

Learn how to properly put everything inside your food truck and help improve your workflow. 

FOOD TRUCK MARKETING

You need to work out your food truck design to market your food truck business easily. Just deciding what’s best for your food truck concept will help customers to identify your brand quickly. And even though food trucks provide limited space, there are still many ways to market your food truck, here are some of the most common ways to effectively do it.

• Using bright paint colors
• Logo
• 3D name signs
• Handwritten menus
• LED color changing lights
• Speaker systems

FOOD TRUCK DESIGN: IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER

TYPE OF VEHICLE

Though other experts think that choosing a vehicle must come first before deciding a food truck design, others think otherwise. And there’s no wrong answer between the two, though it’s much easier to tweak your design according to your vehicle compared to adjusting your vehicle just for the design. 

Here are some of the factors you need to look out for in choosing the right vehicle for your food truck business:

• Exterior. It should match your concept and theme for your food truck business. 

• Size. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of both smaller and larger vehicles, and decide based on what would work best for your food truck business and staff.

• Fuel. Though there’s a great growth with electric cars, fuel and biodiesel also have their own benefits. Look into which type would compliment your concept best. 

• New or renovated. Whether you’re buying a new one or choose to renovate a vintage vehicle, as long as it works for your branding, there’ll be no problem. 

FOOD TRUCK LAYOUT

Having an excellent grasp with your food truck layout is important in deciding for your food truck design. Knowing which and where the equipment is to be placed will make the designing process easier because you know the free spaces and those that need to be covered up. 

FOOD TRUCK BUSINESS CONCEPT

Your food truck design must reflect your business concept. Customers and diners should have a better understanding of your brand once they see your food truck design. Starting from the lighting, colours, logos, vehicle wrap, and font styles, the overall design should be aligned with your concept. 

If you plan to evolve into a mobile catering business, your food truck design should be distinct enough to make it easier for guests to separate you from the other food truck and food stand. 

FOOD TRUCK BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS

And now that you’ve worked out on your food truck design, it is now time to know the other requirements needed to start a food truck business. 

• Food Truck Business Plan
• Permits and licenses
• Equipment lease
• Costing 
• Labor
• Routes/Areas to cover
• Technology
• Marketing 

PRACTICAL TIPS TO OPERATE A SUCCESSFUL FOOD TRUCK BUSINESS

• Invest in an efficient vehicle.  It is better to pay a bit more upfront for a good truck rather than paying for the expenses associated with fixing and breakdowns in the future.   
• Try out the mobile catering option. Widen your customer base by also giving your customers a chance to book your food truck into private events and gatherings. Prepare a catering menu if you opt to offer catering as well. 
• Hire staff with experience in the industry. Your team will help you drive your food truck business into success, that’s why they also need to be equipped with proper skills and knowledge with food handling and food service. This also allows you to save expenses from training. 
• Know your local community. This is why it’s ideal to conduct a proper market research before launching your food truck business in a particular community. Identify which type of cuisine has a great demand but low competition in your chosen area. Knowing how to connect and communicate with your potential customers is a must. 
• Invest in proper technology. There’s no need for fancy technology when running a food truck business, but a modern POS system might be a huge help to streamline your entire work process.
• Complete your permits and licenses. It is vital to secure your customer, as well as your staff, by making sure you have all the proper permits and licenses to operate a food truck business. Here’s a list of the permits and licenses to process to start your food truck business.
• Be active in social media. Especially now that outdoor gatherings are limited and restricted, there’s no other way to reach out to your customers other than being active on social media. Post your menu and your real-time location for your customers to stay updated about your food truck business. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Food truck business is one of the evident results of how hungry the food industry is with improvement and innovation. It is one part of the industry that affects the local community and adds diversity to it. That’s why food truck owners are pressured on how to do it right the first time. 

Checking out where to park the truck is one issue, but knowing how to attract customers is also challenging. Cross that challenge off your list by knowing how to choose which food truck design works for you. 

source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/how-to-choose-a-food-truck-design/