First, it was old delivery trucks that were converted into gourmet food trucks. Today, an increasing number of food vendors are serving meals from a converted school bus that’s been transformed into a commercial kitchen. In today’s post, we evaluate some of the best menu ideas we’ve seen on these converted school buses often referred to as food “skoolies” to help you determine if this type of build is the right choice for your business. Before jumping on the school bus bandwagon there are some important considerations to think about. First, a converted bus is a lot larger and longer [...]

The starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, Carson Wentz, has a new side gig as a food truck vendor. Well… Sort of. Wentz has a new charitable food truck named Thy Kingdom Crumb offering free meals to those in need in the Philadelphia area. The food truck made its debut in late August at Acme Markets in Philly. For the grand opening both Wentz and super-star teammate Zach Ertz distributed meals. If you live in the Philadelphia area, you can view the truck in person at regular season home games at Lincoln Financial Field throughout the year. The goal of [...]

Signing a long-term lease in a high-traffic shopping mall can be extremely expensive and risky if your food concept isn't proven. According to this article on MarketWatch.com, you should expect to pay between $50 - $100 per square foot monthly for the most desirable retail spaces in America. In smaller shopping malls in mid-size metro you can expect to pay more $15 - $25 per square foot. Either way, the monthly dues are significant. That means if you decide to lease a modest sized location, you can expect to pay $1,500 - $5,000 in rent minimum each month. This obligation [...]

A loncheras truck is a food truck serving Mexican faire like tacos and burritos. The rough translation of lonchera from Spanish into English is “lunch box.” These roaming vessels are often referred to as taco trucks as well. If you live in Los Angeles or the surrounding area the sight of a loncheras truck is nothing new. They’ve been serving affordable meals decades before the gourmet food truck movement took ever hold in the United States. Loncheras are small businesses owned by a Mexican or Mexican-American family and employing only members of the family. You can often spot these trucks [...]

Pho is a traditional Vietnamese soup. With the popularity of foreign food increasing each year, it is not surprising that Pho is gaining a lot of attention. There are even Pho food trucks now that serve this savory dish. Here are the four best Pho food trucks that you can find anywhere. What Is That Pho? Before we visit the top Pho food trucks out there, we need to talk a little about the food they serve. As mentioned earlier, Pho came from Vietnam. While Vietnamese cuisine may not be as popular as Chinese or Japanese, it is gaining many [...]

In a recent episode of The Dave Ramsey Show, the financial expert of the same name took a call from a prospective food truck business owner. True to form, Ramsey offered candid advice on the next steps the caller Isabelle in Houston should take to improve her personal finances and operate the food truck business profitably. Click the play button below to listen to the full 8-minute segment of the show. If you're unfamiliar with Dave Ramsey's program, listeners call-in seeking advice on a variety of personal finance topics. Many of the callers to Dave's program are looking for ways [...]

Do you love the idea of starting a mobile food business, but are looking for options beyond a basic food truck? In that case, we've got you covered with some of the most popular alternatives available! At M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks we've had the privilege of custom building all kind of food units to meet our client's vision. What we've learned in our 15+ years in the industry is that every business has different goals and unique needs that require outside-the-box planning to accomplish. Some of our customers are on strict budgets and need to a unit that will [...]