Catering Trucks - Tips For A Successful Business

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Mobile catering is one of the most lucrative businesses in the present times.  It is the business of selling prepared food from a truck.  The type of catering truck is defined as a Industrial Catering Vehicle (ICV).  This truck only sells pre-packaged/prepared foods as opposed to a Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle (MFPV) seen here.

A Catering Truck is a great business to set in motion.  Not only are the hours of operation generally limited to 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM, but the business can also generate a combined income and profit earnings of $50,000 per year or more.  The food products can be purchased from restaurants, catering services and wholesalers and marked up by as much as 150%. 

The following tips are the keys to a successful Catering Truck business:

• Keep your truck and yourself clean and organized

  • In recent years the industry has worked hard to clean up the image associated with mobile catering units.  These catering units were often referred to as "roach coaches", "maggot wagons", "vomit comets", or "gut trucks". 

  • People are turned off by mess especially where they buy their food. Clean your Catering Truck daily before and after use. Clean all the equipment including condiment trays and bottles. 

  • Customers are also more likely to purchase food from a clean, friendly, and respectable driver.  Keep your garments and personal appearance clean and neat. You may also want to consider a uniform that will distinguish you from other drivers.

  • Greet each customer. Be cheerful and smile. It costs nothing but makes a huge difference. Get to know your regulars by name. That builds loyalty. They will spread the word about you and draw more customers to your business. The best advertising is by word of mouth and it costs nothing.

• Plan a menu that will satisfy your customers' needs.

  • Planning a menu for your Catering Truck is one of the hardest parts of the job.  You can fill up the truck with various items, but may be stuck with them if your customers are not interested.  Knowing what items will sell is the key to a successful business, so plan your menu carefully.  Click here for a complete list of tips on planning a menu.

• Plan a catering route that will attract hungry customers

  • Oftentimes, Catering Truck owners will plan a route and provide breakfast, lunch, and/or coffee & snack service to several hundred people in just a few hours each day.  All people love food and if you provide the type of food that your customers demand, owning a Catering Truck can be a very rewarding experience.

  • The ideal stopping points for any mobile catering business are construction sites, factories, industrial offices, fairs, trade shows, parks, beaches, and sporting events.

  • Plan your stops throughout the day carefully according to either breakfast, lunch, or coffee breaks.  Make sure you keep to the schedule as your customers will begin to expect you at certain times.  Become a part of their daily routine.  This will build a loyal customer base.

  • Speed of service is important; most customers only have a few minutes to grab food and get back to work. 

• Advertise

  • Your customers rarely have the time to review all the items you stock.  Create a flyer with the items you have stocked along with prices.  A flyer would also allow you to announce tomorrows specials and possibly attract new interested customers.

  • Displaying what you sell will save you time explaining especially during a busy lunch hour. It enables your customers to decide before they order. Attach your Menu / Price List to your Catering Truck with Velcro under a plexiglass cover (to protect it from dirt, rain, and facilitate easy cleaning and changing). Get it made professionally at a local vinyl graphics sign shop. It won’t cost much and it will look professional.

  • Many catering truck drivers are now offering advertising space on their catering unit.  You may want to consider a poster, "Your AD here! (555) 555-5555" to attract a company to advertise on your catering unit.