However, these types of events are highly competitive and you will have to compete with other food trucks as well as the other types of attractions if you want to win. This article will explain how to make a food truck stand out.

How to Make a Food Truck Stand Out

Getting creative with your food truck design is the best way to stand out and get the attention you deserve. Here are some tips for making your food truck stand out:

Use Colorful Vinyl to Make the Food Truck Eye-Catching 

People are naturally attracted to anything conspicuous, and a vinyl that stands out from the rest is likely to get their attention. A vibrant vinyl with bold, visible writing will have customers flocking to your food truck as they strive to see what’s on offer. Washed-up or faded vinyl won’t cut it, so get a new fresh- looking, customized vinyl wrap with colorful food photos alongside a striking brand name and image that will draw potential customers to your section. 

Spruce Up the Area Around Your Food Truck 

Consider providing a good dining experience by sprucing up the area around your food truck to enhance the mood. For instance, if you serve seafood, you can offer a complementing atmosphere by setting up beach chairs and umbrellas.

Offer WiFi to Customers 

A mobile WiFi hotspot at a festival will give you a competitive edge, especially if the area does not have a stable WiFi connection. You simply have to get a mobile hotspot router that works well on smartphones with 4G and 5G capabilities. 

Providing WiFi increases sales as customers trying to maximize on free WiFi will have no qualms about ordering a bite if it means that they will stick around for longer. Social media-loving customers are also likely to share their meals and experiences online if they have access to free WiFi, providing free promotion for your business.

Incorporate Technology 

Employing technology such as digital menu boards allows you to enhance a customer’s visual experience and drive sales. The use of motion and food videos is likely to whet a customer’s appetite more than staring at a picture of food. A digital menu board also allows you to enhance the readability and contrast of text and make it visible from a distance.

Use Apps and Readers

You could also consider adding a credit card reader to your food truck to make the payment process convenient for customers that prefer credit card payments to customers. Acquiring a point-of-sale system will enable you to process payments quickly, thus reducing customer wait-time and enhancing their overall experience.

An app that tracks upcoming events and festivals helps you prepare in advance by hiring additional staff or increasing the number of items on your menu to thoroughly cater to potential customers’ needs.

Build Your Truck Online 

You have ever wondered how to make a food truck that meets your specifications? You can do precisely that with Legion Food Trucks. We allow you to formulate the designs, measurements, and relevant details of your proposed food truck and then bring your concepts to life. What’s more, we can also get all the licenses, permits, and health approvals for you, allowing you to get down to business straightaway.

Contact us today and have your food truck stand out from the rest!

The post How To Make a Food Truck Stand Out at a Festival appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

If you wonder how running a food truck in winter can maximize your sales, here are five tips to keep your business from taking a loss during the off-season. 

Offer Delivery

Outdoor events may be few and far between during the colder months. Your normal hotspots will probably see less foot traffic, as well. But that doesn’t mean people aren’t craving your food. 

Online delivery is all the rage right now so use that to your advantage. Consider hiring a delivery person to make deliveries to your customers’ offices and homes. You can even consider using some of the more popular online delivery platforms if you don’t want to manage deliveries yourself.

Promote Your Business

Ensuring that your customers have access to their favorite food even during winter should be your priority. Consider giving special offers, as this will provide customers with every reason to dine at your place. 

You can also get creative and offer something unique besides what every other food truck offers. For instance, you can subsidize food prices for every customer who brings a friend to dine at your place. Subsidization will go a long way in boosting your sales during the off-season.

Partner with Other Businesses

Collaborating with other business owners can be mutually beneficial for both parties. Consider talking with commercial property managers to see if you can set up in their parking lot during lunch hours. 

Local bars and breweries are also great spots for food trucks to set up. You will benefit from having access to customers who get the munchies while the brewery benefits by keeping their customers onsite longer.

Grow Your Online Presence

People might not be out and about as much as they were in the summer, but they are definitely still looking at their phones. Consider using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to share pictures and videos of your menu items. 

You may also consider contacting food bloggers to write something about your food truck business that will inform people about the existence of your business. As you do so, new customers are likely to find you and even make orders that will keep your business running.

Offer “Limited Time” Seasonal Menu Items

Running a food truck in winter may be a challenge, with many food trucks known to perform best during warmer weather. With limited outdoor activities, maintaining sales during winter can be hectic. 

According to the Entrepreneur, changing your menu to suit the weather may be the trick. As such, consider offering seasonal menu items that suit people’s moods and the weather. For example, warm beverages, hot foods, and holiday spices are going to pique your customer’s interest more so than an iced lemonade or cold sandwich.

Winter is Coming!

Winter can be bleak, but it isn’t hopeless! Following the tips above will help you make the most out of your off-season and keep your balance sheet looking healthy.

Of course, you might want to take some time off and make some improvements to your kitchen before things pick up again. If you decide to upgrade your truck and/or kitchen equipment, contact us today and let us know how we can help!

The post Running a Food Truck in Winter: How to Make Money During Off-Season appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

1. It’s Your Food Truck Business, but The Customer Is Always Right

Customer satisfaction is one of the most important key performance metrics in the foodservice business. Old wisdom has it that no matter the situation, the customer is always right. A better way to put this into perspective is that a customer is never wrong.

It is important to understand that tastes, expectations, and preferences vary from one customer to the next. If the customer feels that your food is not salty enough, is undercooked, or overcooked, they are not wrong. It is what they want and how they feel. Understanding this important difference will offer you the right mindset to excel in customer satisfaction. Also, train your staff to have this mindset when handling upset customers.

2. Listen

If you want to calm down an angry customer quickly, pay attention. Carefully listen to your customers when they complain about your food truck service or menu. Maintain eye contact with them to make them feel that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say. Remember to say, “I understand.”  Such simple words can be enough to calm them down.

3. Put Down Your Defenses

You may have put your heart and soul into planning your menu, preparing the meals, and making other arrangements. This effort may make you take your customers’ complaints personally. Be careful not to fall into this trap. While you should be proud of yourself for all the tireless effort you made, you have to drop your defenses when handling an angry customer. 

4. Acknowledge the Complaint

It does not matter whether or not you feel you are responsible for the complaints made by the customer. The customer has chosen to complain to you. Notwithstanding the nature of the business, the buck stops with you as the owner of the food truck business. Offering a sincere apology is the best way to handle such complaints.

5. Propose a Solution That Benefits Your Food Truck Business

In any foodservice business, offering a solution is the only way to de-escalate a raging customer. Once you have carefully listened to the complaint and apologized, you need to offer a solution, and quickly. Sometimes it may mean preparing another meal. If this is not possible, you can offer them an alternative dish at no additional cost. At other times, neither of the suggested solutions will appease the upset customer. When this happens, you must refund them their money.

An Optimist’s Perspective

Unfortunately, there will always be a dissatisfied customer no matter how much of a perfectionist you are. The good news is, upset customers are the best learning tools a mobile food business can have. At Legion Food Trucks, we are aware of this and that is why we put our customers at the center of everything we do. Contact us today to help you turn your angry customers into invaluable assets.

The post How To Deal With Angry Customers at Your Food Truck Business appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

In a nutshell, a food truck is a sizable vehicle comprising a kitchen that makes and serves food in different locations. And because food trucks have become popular in the United States, there are daily habits you should adapt and thrive as a food truck owner. This allows you to serve everything on your menu hassle-free and run a worthwhile business.

5 Daily Habits to Help You Thrive in The Food Truck Business

1. Sticking To a Daily Routine

Creating and sticking to a daily schedule is one of the best things for any food truck owner to do, regardless of unforeseen circumstances. Besides, having a routine helps juggle the different tasks and obstacles, making life stress-free and comfortable. Hence, it is crucial to plan each day adequately to achieve more as well as make everything more manageable and organized.

2. Bolstering Customer Service

While cooking in your mobile kitchen, you intend to serve more customers, generate profits, and grow your food truck business. This means providing exceptional services to meet your customer needs because your business wouldn’t survive without them. Therefore, it is essential to learn what your customers want, market your business and create a friendly environment each passing day.

3. Learning And Adapting Endlessly

Learning from your business gives you more insights into what to improve and focus on to become more productive on a daily basis. The food truck industry is unique as you have to move between different locations depending on the occasion, daily events, or season. Hence, food truck owners have to learn and adapt to these changes on a daily basis. You can also read books, articles or listen to audiobooks regarding food trucks and how to succeed as an entrepreneur.

4. Making Room for Downtime

As a food truck owner, you have a lot more responsibilities than operating a mobile kitchen. There are times you need to drive several miles to specific locations, change a tire at some point, be an accountant, and more. All these errands can be tiresome, hence the need to prepare adequately before starting your day. Creating room for downtime every morning is necessary to keep you active and productive during your working days. Watching TV, relaxing, reading a book, or having quality time with your family can help stimulate your day and make you more productive.

5. Parking The Truck at High Volume Locations

Your food truck has access to different locations where you are likely to get more customers. This allows you to choose places that suit your food truck business and better your sales. If you have a location where you are preferred, parking in such an area is ideal. Contrarily, you can park your track in spots where you’ll find more buyers to maximize your profits, provided you have clearance.

Developing Good Habits Is the Key To Success

With the popularity of food trucks, being productive and running a successful business depends on your daily activities. As a food truck owner, it is crucial to do these things every day to grow your business and thrive. For more information, contact us here at Legion Food Trucks to learn more or get started with professional food truck ideas today!

The post 5 Things Food Truck Business Owners Should Do Every Day appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

Moving to the Suburbs

Most businesses have seen their business dry up since the pandemic struck in March. Industry insiders note that there has been a steep decline in office workers and street traffic, leading to loss of business. However, smart food truck business owners are taking advantage of their flexibility to change location, markets, and menus.

They have moved from financial districts and office areas to parks, boroughs, and streets in residential areas. These operators aim to take advantage of the large number of people working from home. Others are targeting customers in catered events, small private gatherings, and drive-in movie theaters. For customers, this approach enables them to maintain spontaneity in outside catering without needing to plan ahead.

Increased Demand for Sustainability

Millennials and Generation Z are the largest customer segment for food trucks. These customers are conscious of the devastating effects of climate change and the need to take proactive action. Consequently, food truck operators who want to grow have to source food sustainably and increase their organic options. They may also need to provide labeling that indicates that most of the ingredients are sourced locally.

New Technologies

The reduced use of cash in transactions has led to the increased use of digital ordering and payment methods. The increased adoption of technology reduces contact and minimizes the risk of spreading COVID-19. For food truck business owners, technology has the added advantage of reducing lines and waits. Many operators have introduced customized apps and are collaborating with food delivery companies to increase sales.

At the same time, more food truck operators are increasing their visibility on social media. They are no longer satisfied with traditional platforms like Twitter and Facebook and are quickly adopting new platforms more flamboyant platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. In addition, most food trucks now offer wi-fi services for customers to use while eating.

Increase Order Ahead Sales

Since March, the proportion of revenue that food truck operators make from order ahead sales has increased to 50%. This has given operators respite after social distancing rules hurt their business by prohibiting long lines and reducing foot traffic. It is likely that operators will leverage technology to increase order ahead volumes in 2021. 

Improved Business Prospects

The pandemic has devastated the restaurant industry in 2020. However, the mandated closures and social distancing rules have not stopped people from eating out or enjoying outside catering. Food trucks offer a creative alternative to brick-and-mortar restaurants to reach out to customers who want outside catering near their homes. Food trucks come with the advantage of high mobility and low overhead costs.

Legion makes customized food trucks for customers in the catering and restaurant industry. We go from concept to design and construction and adhere to the strict health codes in the food industry. Contact us today to turn your dream food truck into reality. 

The post What Will 2021 Look Like for the Food Truck Business? appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.