Well planned and creative food truck menu descriptions make a huge impact on vendors who are interested in: increased revenue, providing customers with a great experience, and repeat business. These three points are the keys to running a successful food truck business.

A study by the University of Illinois achieved a 27% increase in sales by manipulating menu wording to more comprehensively describe items, ingredients, and how food was prepared. This is a huge increase for the restaurant industry considering how difficult it can be to build profits. Typically, a food service businesses have three ways to boost revenue:

  • Raise prices.
  • Increase head count.
  • Increase average ticket price.

In a highly competitive market, the first two options might work for vendors. Number three is where improving you food truck menu descriptions can help.

Improving Food Truck Menu Descriptions

Food descriptions play a huge role since consumers have become more sophisticated in the selection of the food they purchase. The customer gets a better idea of what a dish is by describing it better.

While more descriptive phrasing can help, you should also be wary of being too cute with wording if it fails to provide meaningful information. Gimmicks can be dangerous.

The study showed that descriptor terms can do more than determine whether an item is ordered. Adding just two descriptors to an item such as “seafood pasta,” renamed “succulent Italian seafood pasta,” and most consumers will rate their dining experience more positivity.

An added bonus to increasing the descriptors is that it can provide a vendor to maintain higher menu prices. People may be willing to pay more depending on the item’s label. For instance, a customer may be willing to pay $8 for ‘roasted chicken sandwich’ but for $10 for ‘tender glazed roasted chicken sandwich’.

RELATED: Food Truck Menu Engineering Can Increase Your Profits Quickly

Using Psychology On Your Food Truck Menu

Once your customers are standing in front of your menu board or holding a menu in their hands, you have the opportunity to tap into their needs and desires. This is known as psychographics in marketing. Some diners simply want a taste experience that’s different from other options in the area, while others may actually have health concerns that a well-written menu can address.

When people track down a food truck they typically have a number of expectations:

  • Quality food.
  • Great service.
  • Fair prices.

Many food truck vendors do very well covering these points, but many also overlook the importance and value of a menu that highlights their food ingredients, methods of preparation and how various menu items are served.

Of course these descriptions must be reinforced by your service window staff, but this approach can take a bit more time than you would want during a busy lunch rush.

Why not let your customers answer their own questions? A well written menu provides them with the key information they want, and it boosts staff efficiency and productivity.

RELATED: Increase Food Truck Sales With The Words You Use

The Bottom Line

A great menu with well thought out descriptions can literally make the customer’s mouths water in anticipation. If your food truck menu descriptions reach that goal, it becomes part of your brand and can help boost your mobile food business revenues at the same time. What food truck owner doesn’t want that?

What say you? If you have some examples of your food truck’s menu, we’d love to hear them. Share your thoughts in the comment section, our food truck forum or social media. Twitter | Facebook