A decade ago, social media wasn’t a big part of business strategies—most advertising was done through TV, billboards, and other traditional methods. But today, having a presence on social media is essential for any successful business, including food trucks. Customers now expect constant updates, including links, funny quotes, and attractive pictures, to stay engaged and aware of our presence. For food truck owners, letting people know where you are is crucial. While managing social media can seem overwhelming, especially if it’s new to you, it doesn't have to be. Posting regular updates, sharing your location, and highlighting your food are [...]

Food trucks and breweries make a great team. They complement each other perfectly—food trucks provide tasty street food, and breweries offer unique craft beers, creating a great experience for customers without the hassle of each business offering both. Partnering with a brewery can be a smart move for food truck owners. It draws more customers to the brewery, encouraging them to stay longer and buy more drinks. For food trucks, it's a guaranteed spot with a steady stream of customers, without competition from other food options. If you’re starting a food truck, building relationships with breweries should be a key [...]

At M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks, we're big fans of BBQ. In fact, many of our customers have gone on to win regional and national competitions with our line-up of New South Smokers and Grills. Whether you've got plans to participate in a community BBQ or hit the regional circuit, I asked multiple top-ranking BBQ teams for advice you can use. Whether it’s your first time or want to gain an advantage over the competition, I hope that this little collection will improve your grill game. Suffice it to say it’s a heck of an atmosphere to survive and win [...]

If you're trying to come up with a food truck menu, starting at the most popular concession items is a good place to start. Veteran concession owners at fairs and carnivals across the United States have been selling items like kettle corn, hot dogs, and amped up waffle fries for decades. Not only are these food items sharable, but their extremely high-margin as a vendor. With that being said, here are some of the timeless menu items you could add to any concession or food truck business. Best of all, any of these these concepts could be used for decades [...]

Figuring out the menu prices for a concession business or food truck isn't as simple as guessing what looks right. Every price in any food establishment is based on a variety of factors that the owner must consider before landing on a price that will satisfy customer and your business. Keeping these profits up through menu pricing is another important duty of any food truck owner or you might end up losing money. The Math Behind Menu Pricing At the end of the day, pricing is mostly determined by numbers and finding that sweet spot that helps you break even [...]

At some point you’ll need to write a press release for your food truck. Press releases are a communication tool journalists and editors use to find stories to cover. This applies local media in particular. Local news and newspapers find out about local events like new restaurants opening, fairs or programs through these communications. Newsworthy reasons you might want to submit a press release to the local media in your area include grand openings, special events, charity work, or awards. But you'll need to make sure the press release includes the right information and is formatted correctly. We've published a [...]

Over the years, we've helped hundreds of mobile food business owners get on the road and the entrepreneurs with the best odds of success are the ones who invest time and effort writing a business plan. It's essential to invest time developing your plan, following a guide to understand what you need to discover and how it should be put together. Copying and pasting into template sections is not advisable unless you fully understand and can justify the estimates based on the realities of your local market. Developing a Business Plan for a Food Trailer Business Plan Sections for Food [...]

One of the recent solutions invented to raise money for a project or new business is called Crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing is often associated through the well-known Kickstarter platform that allows users to post projects online and ask for donations. But dozens of sites based around the idea of crowd funding have joined the movement, including GoFundMe.com and Launching a crowdsourcing campaign successfully, however, is easier said than done; I mean, you’re just asking people to give you money for an idea that hasn’t even proven to be successful yet. Even though crowdfunding isn't an easy way to pull together startup funds, [...]

Catering is one of the primary ways food trucks make money. And there are benefits to focusing on catering. Unlike vending at a fair or parking on the street in a busy downtown area, you know exactly how much revenue you'll make for an afternoon. You also know exactly how much food to prepare and serve. When you book a catering gig, you know exactly what your revenue and profit will be, which is appealing for a business owner. Someone with a lot of experience doing catering events is Dante of Dante’s Inferno Dogs, a hot dog cart based out [...]

When done well, newsletters offer an excellent way to keep your growing customer base engaged and informed about every big event and promotion. They provide a direct feed to advertise, sticking more effectively in people’s minds than a fleeting update on Facebook or Twitter. Receiving and reading an email sent directly to YOU feels personal and intriguing. If you haven’t implemented a newsletter strategy yet, it’s something to consider for your food truck business. Here’s how to get started and key considerations to keep in mind. Why It’s Worth Your Time As a food truck owner, you've already got a [...]