First things first, buying a food truck from a top food truck builder requires some important considerations. Remember, your food truck will be the biggest investment you make in your business, and it will also be the platform from which you are able to create your menu items–really, it will be the heart of your business. Therefore, knowing what to look for in food truck builders to ensure your profitability means getting good buying tips, but also knowing how to identify red flags that could indicate a bad investment. This article will help you identify just what the common pitfalls are.

1. Avoid Buying Used or Second-Hand Food Trucks

Last year it was reported that more than 80 percent of first-time food truck businesses failed within their first two years of business. And one of the main reasons for epic failure equated to all the thousands of dollars spent on repairs used food trucks and the time they spent off the road in the shop getting repairs. Simply put, buying a food truck that’s new from a reputable builder set you up for success right out the gate knowing that the platform has been customized to help you achieve your goals, and knowing the equipment and engine is 100%.

2. Buying a Food Truck with Cheap Materials to Save a Buck

Avoid buying a food truck from a builder that creates the illusion you are saving money by buying low-grade materials. Many food truck companies actually make more money on their end by peddling poor-quality materials while giving their customers the impression they are saving money. For example, some countertops are porous and are known for collecting mold and getting a bad grade from the Health Department, or worse yet, cause you to lose your license. When buying a food truck look for a builder that uses stainless steel materials, as they are resilient, easy to clean, and promote a healthy prosperous environment.

3. Buying a Food Truck that Barely Provides Enough Space

Right now you may have eight items on your menu, a few select pieces of equipment, and enough floor space for two people. But if you have growth goals and dreams of expanding your business, you will need a food truck with enough space to serve its purpose a few years down the road. When buying a food truck, talk to the builder and share your goals. If you have a goal three years from now to expand your menu, add some technology, and hire on a few more people, you will need a food truck big enough to comfortably and legally accommodate such plans. Make sure your food truck builder has your long term goals at heart when building a food truck, or you set yourself up for some problems down the road.

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Buying A Food Truck with a Platform You can Grow Into

It goes without saying that you need a food truck platform that provides enough space for your employees, prep area, and food truck equipment. But never forget that you are buying a food truck for a business you want to grow. This means your food truck platform must also accommodate your future needs. As your business grows you will be able to hire more people and extend your menu to serve a larger community, and more customers at once. Naturally, when buying a food truck, your builder should have a solid understanding of your business model, market and customers and design your food truck based on projected models so it will serve you well now, and in the years to come.

New VS Used: The Food Truck Option that Really Saves Money

Unfortunately, most people think they save money by buying a food truck that’s used as opposed to the new one with the more expensive price tag. But here’s the problem: used food trucks are commonly associated with expensive repairs and unreliable businesses. In fact, more than 80 percent of new food truck businesses fail in their first year of operation, and one of the leading reasons includes repetitive expensive repairs on food truck equipment and engine repair on used vehicles, and all the time these trucks spend in the shop simply sends customers to the competition. When you weigh the risks and do the math, a new food truck is significantly cheaper in the long run and saves food truck businesses thousands of dollars and a series of headaches.

Get A Food Truck Design that Speaks to Your Buyers

Make sure that when buying a food truck you work with a builder who can design a food truck that speaks to your target customers. The better you can get customers to form an emotional connection with your menu, the greater your profits. For example, if you plan to start a food truck business down by a popular beach known for surfing and scuba diving, you can design the vehicle with an image of a couple scuba divers eating a fish taco with a surfer. Basically, you want to appeal to the people you are trying to feed. In addition, by creating familiarity in your design other beach goers in this scenario would be drawn to your food truck because they too can make that local connection. Visual representations of your customers, nearby landmarks, and other visual components can be reflected in a hand-painted food truck design, or in a vinyl wrap.

Call your local food truck builder today, and review these talking points with them to ensure you are buying a food truck that makes sense for your business needs.  

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Here are three problems people often experience when they go to buy a food truck with some tips on how avoid the common pitfalls that complicate the food truck buying process for others.

1. When You Buy a Food Truck and Pick the Wrong Financing Option

Unless you plan to buy a food truck using cash, you will likely need to finance it. The best food truck companies help their clients find the right financing for food trucks. Working with the food truck builder is ideal because they can help you avoid the typical problems other food truck buyers run into. For example, some people try financing food trucks through auto loan financiers, and two outcomes usually happen: the rate is ridiculously high, or lots of time is invested into trying to finance the food truck but it falls through due to the nature of the commercial nature of the vehicle. When you buy a food truck with financing as an option, make sure it is tied into a business loan option with the right insurance.

2. You are Tempted to Buy a Food Truck that is Used

Another common problem people face when they buy a food truck is trying to decide whether to get a used one or a new, custom food truck. Unfortunately, people buy a food truck that’s used because the cost is significantly less and they think they are saving money. Here’s the problem: while they may be saving money up front on a used food truck, in the long run they will likely bleed out thousands. In 2018 more than 80 percent of food truck businesses failed in their first year of business. The main reason was they bought used food trucks that constantly broke down thus requiring thousands in repairs while they were off the street losing additional money to their competition. Though new food trucks cost more upfront, they are more reliable and only require routine maintenance. More so, they keep a food truck business running. Be sure to buy a food truck that’s new and customized to help you achieve your growth goals.

3. The Food Truck Size and Specifications

Another concern faced by those entering the food truck business is what size the platform needs to be. Also, when many people buy a food truck, they either under-invest in space and equipment in their quest to save a buck, or they go too big and wind up going home.

When you partner with the best food truck companies they should take your business goals, business model, geographic area, do some market research, and build a food truck that will not only accommodate your current needs but also offer room for adding equipment and team members when you grow and add new team members while extending your menu.

Follow these tips when you buy a food truck and you will be in the best possible situation to make a great investment while securing years of growth.

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Buying a Food Truck from the Right Company

Finding the right food truck builder is, obviously, crucial. But most people fail to recognize how value is defined. You may not know it, but your goals revolve around buying a food truck from a builder who understands your business model, market, growth goals and provides you with the best solution to achieve all business objectives.

Therefore, the first thing you should be cognizant of when buying a food truck is the actual strategy and process the builder embraces when constructing the heart of your business. All too often, people buying a food truck focus on the price tag. But what they don’t know is that real value lives in the approach. A food truck design must be customized to your menu, target customers, and goals. And if you can find a company that takes the time to understand your customers, local market, and that focuses on your growth goals, the value of your investment will be significantly greater.

Buying a Food Truck that’s New VS. Used

There is a big misconception that when buying a food truck people save money by purchasing a used vehicle. The fact of the matter is that used food trucks are unpredictable, and when running a successful business, there is no room for the unknown.

A significant number of failed food trucks never achieved their growth goals due to technical and mechanical problems, and inadequately designed food truck designs. In fact, food truck businesses have reported losing multiple thousands of dollars in repairs. Not only did they have to pay to have their used food truck repaired multiple times throughout the year, but the time the food truck was off the street business was lost and customers went to the competition.

This is why buying a food truck that is new, reliable, and custom to your business model is crucial for success. Your custom food truck should be built to accommodate your current capabilities, but also provide room for future growth. In other words, if your food truck business revolves around fish and chips, and your current menu offers fried fish, and one of your growth goals is to expand and offer grilled fish, your food truck must have the space to accommodate new or upgraded equipment, as well as have enough floor space for additional employees.

Therefore, buying a used food truck does not present the most value even though you might be paying a lower sticker price. Instead, when buying a food truck, look for a high-quality custom food truck that will facilitate growth.

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How Long have the Food Truck Builders Been in Business?

Unfortunately, some food truck builders make shortcuts in the quality department. And this isn’t usually discovered until well into the first year of a food truck business when failures occur. These companies don’t last very long because word travels fast, especially when we use technology to research and shop for food truck companies.

In order to avoid working with these shady types, look for food truck builders that have at least 20 years of experience. Two decades is a great run and testifies to the fact that the food truck company has been producing quality builds loved by its customers.

Look at the Portfolio

One sign you are speaking with the best food truck builders is a vast portfolio with multiple client types. Look for a food truck builder who has supported entrepreneurs setting out in the food truck business for the first time. These can be challenging clients to work with because they are new to the industry and they may not know what they need in a food truck in order to hit their growth goals. If a food truck builder has successfully worked with a significant number of these clients, you know they are thorough and client-focused.

You should also look for a food truck builder with a number of mom and pop clients under their belt. Many of these clients have family traditions and expand their business, so knowing your food truck company has supported these client types is a testimony to their abilities.

Finally, look for a food truck builder that also has a number of large corporate food trucks in their portfolio. Corporations are extremely particular when it comes to food truck builders. Every detail must reflect their branding, take legal considerations into the function and build, and focus on satisfying their employees and customers. If you talk to food truck builders who have repeat work from restaurant chains and from large companies, you know you have found a quality food truck company that can help your business grow, with a client roster to prove it.

How Interested is the Food Truck Company in Your Growth?

When a food truck company asks probing questions about your business, they intend to use that information for the building process. So if the food truck builder asks you questions about your operation size, cuisine, and market, you know they are going to be very methodical and detailed. Avoid the silent builders who just want to roll out the product and move on to the next one; work with a food truck company that treats you like a partner.

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But how do food service distributors know how to shop custom food truck companies for a single vehicle or fleet of food trucks that can meet their specific requirements? These tips will help.

The Best Custom Food Truck Builders Serve Wide Consumer Audiences

The trademark of top food truck companies are those who manufacture vehicles for a wide buyer audience. When custom food truck builders have deep portfolios from working with companies like Google and Disney, to family-run food truck businesses and single entrepreneurs, being able to win repeat business from various clients with opposing needs is a true testimony to the food truck company’s ability to make loved, custom work where any challenge can be overcome.

Look for Food Truck Designers with an Eye for Marketing

The food service distribution industry is extremely competitive, so knowing how to market yourself through your food truck is paramount to hitting your growth goals. The best food truck designers will take your current operations into account, your growth goals, and research your market before designing a food truck.

A good food truck design is never limited to colorful graphics. Rather, it should begin with the platform type. In order to stay profitable, food service companies will need food trucks that allow their employees and chefs the space and room to function, with a little room left for growth. You never want to go too big, as the larger your vehicle, the more money you spend in gas and powering the platform. Ideally, you want something with a tad more space than currently required to facilitate growth goals.

In addition to choosing a platform and its equipment, food truck designers make the vehicle attractive with art work and messaging designed to resonate with your target buyers. If you are a corporation like Kraft and you have a food service division that prepares meals for a large movie studio, you will want food truck designers who consider target clients, their employees tastes, and design a food truck that speaks to their demands. Whether they use a vinyl wrap or they hand-paint a food truck with catchy call-to-actions and bright, head-turning artwork, food truck designers must always look through a marketing lens at all times.

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If you have been entertaining the idea of expanding your restaurant’s brick-and-mortar presence to those customers on the streets who have yet to taste your cuisine or know your brand, get a quote from a custom food truck builder for corporate clients with the experience to help you hit those high-revenue targets and expand your brand awareness. Still not sure if this is your best move? Here are some reasons why investing in food trucks has helped numerous restaurant brands grow and expand at highly profitable rates.

Food Trucks Boost Catering Quality

While many of the best restaurants offer catering services, few use food trucks to make the process and experience better for clients and their own internal. The fact of the matter is that food trucks make catering a lot easier for restaurant staff and their internal operations while providing a fun and more efficient experience for the customer. Rather than have to use up space in your restaurant’s kitchen to prep for the catering gig, a food truck allows staff to prep, cook, and serve food all from one convenient platform. Food trucks also prevent those common problems where food runs low and someone has to sprint back to the restaurant to prep and cook another batch. Having a food truck to run your catering events also allows food to be cooked and served on demand thus cutting food waste and ensuring top freshness to clients.

Keep in mind that most people at catering events will likely have had zero exposure to your food, so using a food truck branded with your restaurants logo, social media hashtags, and contact information will make your brand stand out more in the minds of those who taste your food for the first time. In essence, food trucks are branded advertising on wheels; when you roll up to a catering event, your food truck’s very appearance does a part of your marketing for you.

Each Food Truck can Function as Its Own Business

In the same sense that multiple restaurants under the same brand name run, basically, as their own businesses, so too do food trucks. Each food truck your business invests in has the potential to attract and maintain cross-sections of your consumer audience–an ideal way to expand your restaurant’s presence and earning potential. When investing in food trucks to offer more intimate menus directed at specific eaters in your customer database, you can tailor each food truck differently to attract these customers while your brick-and-mortar location likely sticks to a more broad, general approach to customer attraction. This will allow you to run multiple strategies, and run optimization tests to maximize earnings.

Food Trucks Increase Your Locations

Whether you have a single brick-and-mortar location or a few restaurant spots, investing in food trucks will offer a low overhead opportunity to expand your presence. The best part is that your mobile locations can move around. This is highly advantageous because it allows you to go where your customers are based on seasonality and other factors such as outdoor activities, concerts, and festivals.

One more restaurant location means you can attract and serve more customers while getting your name out there.  With a food truck, your target audience and reach will grow, especially because it is mobile.

A business on wheels can do you wonders in expanding your visibility. Make sure you partner with a food truck builder that has a strong portfolio of big restaurant clients and large corporations and prepare to re-enter sections of your market that have been left in the dark.

The post Why Restaurants Should Expand and Invest in Food Trucks appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

Work with a Food Truck Builder that Knows Corporate Law

When you look at various builders in your quest to buying food trucks, be sure to partner with one who has a solid understanding of how food trucks need to comply with corporate laws. Though many state and national laws overlap with private business laws, there are certain regulations that apply. If you ignore these laws when it comes to building a food truck or operating one on your property, you open yourself to some pretty big lawsuits in the event a food truck cook or crew member claims injury, not to mention a PR issue with potential fines. Any company that looks into buying food trucks is clearly an innovative one that wants to stand out in its space. Make sure you have a consultation with a food truck manufacturer who knows corporate law in relation to owning and operating a food truck on company property.

Equipment is Everything When Buying Food Trucks

Make sure your food truck builder has the right connections to outfit your mobile kitchens with the latest and greatest in equipment. There are many reasons why companies invest in food trucks with all the high-end equipment complete with bells and whistles–they want to stand out. Make sure your griddle, range, fryer, freezer, oven, dishwasher, and any other equipment pieces not only make sense for the type of food you plan to serve but are the best in the industry. Not only will you get maximum performance, but you will also turn heads. Ask your food truck builder to share previous plans on other corporate food truck orders so you can see exactly what other big brands are doing in the world of food truck equipment and specs.

Look into Food Truck Technology

Having a few food trucks with big LED screens and sound systems will certainly make your mobile kitchens stand out while providing a lively atmosphere at lunchtime. But there are other cutting-edge ways to use technology that will make your corporation the talk of its space, and delight your employees by making food orders fun and easy. Talk to your food truck builder about a POS system that connects to a mobile app with menus and customization order forms. This will make your employees more productive in the office because it will eliminate long lines that eat up time on the clock, and it will simplify things while giving workers the ability to engage with a fun interactive digital platform. Being able to order from your mobile phone will also increase food truck sales, as it will be more user-friendly than having to queue up and wait as people do at most other company food trucks.  

Research Food Truck Builders Portfolios

We already talked about why it is important for corporations buying food trucks to focus on getting the best equipment on the market. You also want to make sure you have the right truck for your needs and one that displays your corporate branding in a fun, contagious manner. Big brand needs are far and many; make sure you work with a food truck company that has to build multiple projects for the biggest brands. Also, see how many of them are repeat customers. The true sign of a top-end food truck manufacturer is one who forms solid relationships with the biggest companies and earns their business again and again.

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A company’s culture is what makes it truly unique and identifiable. It is like a fingerprint in that it may look like others, but it is clearly your own and there is no other like it. And just as is common with fingerprints, some are linked to negative practices while others are not.

Innovative branding and published mission statements help others understand a company’s culture, but it’s the employees who really revert rate an organization’s energy and ethos from the inside out. Therefore, providing employees with tools, strategies, and fringe benefits that align with the culture a company is trying to build is paramount to the brand perception of an organization.

One of the best ways a company can define, grow, and promote its culture is by buying food trucks from a top manufacturer with an impressive portfolio of corporate clients. Here are four reasons why your company should invest in food trucks if it is actively focusing on its cultural identity.

Buying Food Trucks to Encourage and Embrace Diversity

The hallmark of a great company is found in its employee diversity. At the end of the day, skills, personality, and professional goals play huge parts in hiring. But when companies are able to source the best people while demonstrating a diverse roster of men, women, transgender individuals, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, gay, straight, etc. a human rainbow of human beings adds value and multiple perspectives to an organization.

When large companies with 500+ employees invest in a few food trucks, not only are they profiting from the sales but they are also opening up opportunities to serve cuisine that reflects the diversity of their team members.

Encourage Employee Creativity

The old saying “you are what you eat” is so true. If you order a burger that comes in a plain white bun with no seasoning and sad, common condiments, are you going to feel energized and excited eating it? Now imagine a burger with a southern twist that comes on a bun made from cornbread perfectly seasoned with okra instead of pickles, roasted corn relish, and cajun mayo. You would likely get curious, excited, and come up with ideas of your own to make the burger even better. Food trucks are known for making creative craft food. When your employees eat something made with an artist’s touch, that creativity will help feed their own when it comes to performing their work tasks.

Restore Community and Collaboration

Think about the various companies you have visited and how people ate their lunch. Was there a crowded, noisy cafeteria that made having a conversation challenging? Or did you see small groups of people all over the campus with a few loners off to the side eating a sandwich?

Food trucks help companies restore community by providing exciting food in an outdoor, open-space area where cross-departmental people can meet, share ideas, and begin a valuable collaboration process. We all know how challenging it can be to get people from the marketing department to mix with the sales team. Having food trucks on-site will allow people to have valuable conversations with those they normally wouldn’t talk to.

Help to Promote Employee Values

One great way for a company to promote its cultural values is through the food it serves its employees. In some cases these values can be very general, like “help make the world a place where every child has an opportunity for an education”. Then there are some companies that get narrow in larger values. For example, they might have ongoing fundraising efforts to help send Sub-Saharan African children to school and put food on their tables. Your food trucks can rotate menus to reflect your cultural values. For example, one day each week a portion of food sales can go towards specific charities your organization supports. The food can even reflect the cause; African cuisine is healthy, popular, and can help remind employees (in this example we used) that providing food and education to young people in parts of Africa begins with companies that care, and the people internally that keep values strong.

Learn more about your financing options at the moment of buying food trucks by downloading our free guide:

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