While poking around the web, we ran across an article on Yahoo detailing the 5 Most Common Mistakes New Food Trucks Owners Make. The article was written by Rosie Lee, the author of Concession Connections, a start-up guide for food trucks.
After reading the article, it turned out there were actually 6 items mentioned, so I guess being good at math is not one of the requirements. But seriously, there are some good points in the article.
New food truck owners may not realize how long it takes to set up before serving the first meal of the day, and how long it takes to close up shop, too. This may not matter much if you don’t have to move around during the day, but in NYC, food trucks are constantly getting chased away by the police. Factoring in set-up and break-down times is an important time management tool.
Menu development also gets some attention. Unless you have something really special or different than the food trucks around who already have a following, you may find it difficult to attract customers. That was the problem with Marrakech Chefs. They basically copied the menu of Bistro Truck, who did it much better.
You can click here for the entire article, but there is something else we would like to add.
New food trucks have been known to jump right into the fire and get burned. We know you laid out a lot of cash and need to do some business right away, but you need to start slowly. When Mexicue first opened, they started in midtown and were slammed with 45-60 minute lines. The same thing happened with Mexico Blvd.
Open for a week or so in a less-trafficked area. This will give you time to work out the kinks. Doing it in your kitchen or garage is a lot tougher than doing it for a paying, waiting crowd. Try turning out poached tilapia with olive oil & herbs while a bunch of other orders are being taken, cooked and packaged. It looks a lot easier than it is!
