You might have the best food in town, but if customers don’t order it, your food truck is doomed. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your menu is the best it can be. Taking a few simple steps to plan, organize, and design your food truck menu can make a world of difference to your mobile food business’ success. Here are 15 tips that can help you take your food truck menu board to the next level.

15 Tips For A Great Food Truck Menu Board

  • Give your best dishes the best placement. This might seem obvious, but don’t hide your star items. Put them front and center where they’re easy to find! Customers eyes are most often drawn to the upper right hand corner or the center of a menu board, so consider placing your biggest sellers in those locations.
  • Be resourceful. Do you have a burger on your menu? Add a few different toppings or a new sauce and you have an entirely different menu item without adding much cost.
  • Keep it manageable. Simply put, one food truck can’t possibly excel at every dish on a twenty item menu. It’s better to keep your menu on the shorter side and spotlight your strong points. Customers would rather choose from 6-8 amazing dishes than 20 so-so ones.
  • Update when you need to. Food prices and availability change—so should your menu! Feel free to remove something that’s become too costly or to add in a few seasonal vegetables.
  • Choose the right visuals. Don’t decorate your menu board with generic clip-art; this is distracting and doesn’t add much for your customers. On the other hand, if you decide to include photos of your actual food, be sure to choose photos that make your dishes look as appetizing as possible. Food photography is tricky, so you might want to consider hiring a professional photographer.
  • Proofread. What’s more unappetizing than a typo? You definitely don’t want your customers to notice your mistakes instead of your food. Be sure to have multiple pairs of eyes look for errors.
  • Keep it short. Remember, you’re writing a menu, not a novel. Of course you want to include relevant information that will make your dishes sound delicious, but make sure your descriptions don’t get too long.
  • Pay attention to color. What kind of cuisine do you serve? Does your food truck have a theme? The answers to these questions can influence the colors you choose for your menu board.
  • Watch your fonts. Never, ever use a font that’s hard to read! If your customers can’t read your menu, they won’t order anything off of it.
  • Get feedback. Have some customers or social media followers read over your menu and give you their honest opinions. Does everything sound good? Are your descriptions confusing? What needs to change?
  • Use numbers if you need them. Does your food truck serve a cuisine that isn’t necessarily familiar to customers? Customers might be reluctant to order something they can’t pronounce, so consider numbering meals to make it easier on them.
  • Label special dishes. Do you offer vegetarian or vegan meals? What about gluten-free or heart-healthy dishes? Your customers with dietary restrictions will appreciate being able to easily find meals they can eat.
  • Offer a variety of prices. Of course it would be great if every customer ordered your most expensive menu item, but you have to provide choices for people with smaller budgets.
  • Don’t be afraid to change your prices. If ingredient prices have changed, don’t think you have to keep your menu prices the same just to keep customers happy. Chances are good that they won’t even notice a change, as long as it’s a small one.

RELATED: Food Truck Menus: An In-depth Look

The Bottom Line

Creating a great food truck menu board doesn’t have to be hard. Make sure you keep your customers in mind. By creating a menu that’s engaging and easy to read while also reflecting your food truck’s brand, you’ll put your mobile food business on the right track.

Do you have any additional tips for vendors looking to improve their food truck menu board? Share your thoughts in the comment section or social media. Facebook | Twitter