Using a food truck to supplement your restaurant business.

Business tips
Ryan Gibbons


Not so long ago, food trucks were considered to be a fad that would quickly burn out. Back then, entrepreneurs typically chose to go the food truck route if they could not afford the overhead of a regular brick-and-mortar eatery. These days, however, more and more people are viewing the mobile food phenomenon as a great way to expand their physical restaurant and satisfy the cravings of new groups of consumers. 

Experiment with new offerings.

One advantage of mobile culinary spots is that they enable you to be nimble. While your brick-and-mortar customers might have a firm idea of their favorite dishes and demand that you provide them, you can use your truck to test out new ideas and flavors. What becomes a big hit on the street could one day translate to robust sales inside your building.

Meet customers’ various eating tempos.

While your indoor site might provide a great place for people to relax and enjoy a leisurely meal, it may simultaneously be unable to serve people who are on the go, or who may not have more than a few minutes to grab a quick bite. That doesn’t mean, however, that you need to sacrifice flavor. Today’s food trucks are famous for serving up a global variety of taste sensations to their customers. 

Provide a barometer to measure market expansion.

If your stationary eatery has remained in the same location for several years, you probably have a very good idea about the neighborhood and the local customer base. Even so, you might be wondering if the population across town would be equally receptive to the delicious offerings you provide. A food truck equipped with an easy-to-use payment processing app can give you the answers you seek, while eliminating the need to rent a building.

Advertise your brick-and-mortar restaurant.

In addition to providing a compelling taste experience in and of itself, a food truck that is connected to an established restaurant can act as an ambassador to tourists, working people, and other potential customers who may have never laid eyes on your building. Once they have tasted your delicious take-away options at your food truck and loved them, a percentage will be back with friends as family, not to mention curious about what fare your brick-and-mortar restaurant has to offer.

Directly engage with your community.

When you are preparing items right in front of your customers, you have a unique opportunity to cultivate a real relationship with customers. In the process, you will learn what people like, what the competition features, and what is most and least popular. Armed with that information, you can incorporate it into the menus for your truck as well as your stationary eatery.

Food trucks do not come without their challenges. Bureaucratic red tape, as well as time and cost commitments can drain your resources. However, when managed correctly and under the right circumstances, a mobile eatery can serve to enhance your established culinary hotspot!

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