Our food truck posts have been so consistently popular that we thought we’d revisit the topic after reading this article from the Minneapolis City Pages.
Seems like Toronto and Hamilton aren’t the only burgs that are (slowly) adopting the food truck culture: the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) are looking at a mobile food renaissance as well.
So what are the tips from south of the border?
- Make sure you have enough money to start. No matter where you tootle in your truck, you’re going to need money for start-up costs: the truck, the permits, the food, the labour, and a host of other expenses can all add up to a significant chunk of change. The article suggests checking out unconventional sources of building up capital, like community-based project-funding website Kickstarter.
- Find a hole in the market, and fill it. Start with the food you like to eat. Figure out a creative spin. Make sure no-one else is doing it. (Just so you know—cupcakes have been done, and done well. Macarons, on the other hand…) Voila: you’ve created a niche. Whether you’re serving gluten-free gourmet, raw food, or Icelandic cuisine, figure out a way to distinguish yourself in a marketplace that’s rapidly becoming—pardon the pun—stuffed.
- Build relationships. Other food truck owners can be a huge source of information, support, and commiseration. Organizations like Ontario Food Trucks, for example, bring together different trucks for events, publicize locations, and work to lobby municipal governments for better legislation.
- Use social media to its fullest potential. (This is our tip, but it’s worth remembering!) Yes, tell people where you’re going to be, but extend the utility of social media by really using it to put a human face on your operation. People like to do business with other people, so put yourself out there in all your food-trucky, possibly geeky coolness and let your fans see the real you.
What do you think? Do you have tips to share? Post your thoughts in the comments.
