10 Tips For Culinary Entrepreneurs Investigating The Food Truck Industry

As far as food startups go, it doesn’t get any more fun than opening a food truck. Constantly on the move and learning how to do more with less, successful food truck vendors know how to pivot their business models. This is what seems to be attracting a whole new generation of culinary entrepreneurs, interested in making their mark in food service.

When it comes to an culinary entrepreneur’s success in the food truck industry, there are many steps in doing it properly. Many of the steps can be done before you spend a dime on your choice in mobile platforms.

Start with why you want to start a food truck business. Knowing the why before you jump into the food truck industry is your first step in the process. Make sure to focus on your new mobile food startup as much as your schedule allows. Once you have a clear mission, you will be able to work through other challenges.

Before you spend any time or money on a food truck, culinary entrepreneurs need to do their homework. Build a strong repertoire of menu items that will thrill the consumers of your area.

10 Tips For Culinary Entrepreneurs

Figure out why you want to become a food entrepreneur in the food truck industry. What do you want to accomplish? It needs to be something you must do, not just want to do.
Learn about food truck regulations, permits, safety, labeling for your state.
Get certified to work with food. Become ServSafe Certified.
Test your recipes and track measurements to ensure accuracy when you move out of your your home kitchen.
Hold focus groups to get feedback from consumers in your market.
Meet with local food suppliers to sample your products and get their feedback.
Find a local commercial kitchen. Places like share-use kitchens, restaurants and churches have commercial kitchen spaces you can rent.
Figure out what your food truck brand will be.
Investigate plating and packaging design.
Spend the time working on a business plan to make sure your concept can actually make money.

The Bottom Line

A new generation of street-food fans is lining up at food trucks and food carts around the world. If you are one of the new culinary entrepreneurs entertaining entrance into this fantastic industry, do your homework. While it is much less expensive to open a food truck than a restaurant, if your don’t research properly, you can still lose a lot of money. Follow these tips to help you get started on the right foot.

Do you have any additional tips for culinary entrepreneurs who want to enter the food truck industry? Share your ideas in the comment section or on social media. Facebook | Twitter

By Richard Myrick|2018-06-05T08:28:59-04:00Jun 5, 2017|Business|

About the Author: Richard Myrick

Richard Myrick is an architect by degree (Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan) who began his career in real estate development and architectural planning. In September of 2010 he created Mobile Cuisine Magazine to fill an information void he found when he began researching how to start a mobile hotdog cart in Chicago. Richard found that there was no central repository of mobile street food information anywhere on the internet, and with that, the idea for MCM was born. Richard also wrote the "Running a Food Truck for Dummies" available in bookstores everywhere and Amazon. You can reach out to Richard by email at: [email protected].