How to start, grow, and succeed in the food truck business.
Food trucks have become a wildly popular and important part of
the hospitality industry. Consumers are flocking to these
mobile food businesses in droves, inspiring national food truck
competitions and even a show dedicated to the topic on The Food
Network. The relatively low cost of entry as compared to
starting a restaurant, combined with free and low-cost ways to
market them to the masses via platforms like social media, are just
two of the reasons that food truck business are drawing in budding
entrepreneurs.
Author David Weber, a food truck advocate and entrepreneur
himself, is here to offer his practical, step-by-step advice to
achieving your mobile food mogul dreams in The Food Truck
Handbook. This book cuts through all of the hype to give
both hopeful entrepreneurs and already established truck owners an
accurate portrayal of life on the streets. From concept to gaining
a loyal following to preventative maintenance on your equipment
this book covers it all.
* Includes profiles of successful food trucks, detailing their
operations, profitability, and scalability.
* Establish best practices for operating your truck using
one-of-a-kind templates for choosing vending locations, opening
checklist, closing checklist, and more.
* Create a sound business plan complete with a reasonable budget
and finding vendors you can trust; consider daily operations in
detail from start to finishname=’_Toc300439970’>, and ultimately expand your
business.
* Stay lean and profitable by avoiding the most common operating
mistakes.
* Author David Weber is Founder and President of the NYC Food
Truck Association (NYCFTA), which brings together small businesses
that own and operate premium food trucks in NYC focused on
innovation in hospitality, high quality food, and community
development.
Jadual kandungan
Foreword xiii
Matthew Geller
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
Plan: Preparing for Success 7
Is the Trucker’s Life for Me? 9
Foundations for Success 18
Playing by the Rules 25
Picking a Concept 31
Assembling a Winning Team 49
The Business Plan 51
Raising Money 63
Start: Making It Happen 67
Administrative Necessities 69
Finalizing the Menu 78
Lay Out Your Kitchen 82
Procuring a Truck 87
Picking a Commissary 99
Branding Fundamentals 103
Hiring 109
Picking Vending Locations 112
The Opening Schedule 117
Succeed: Doing One Truck Right 121
Responsible Vending 123
Vending Locations 126
Managing the Team 132
Put It on Paper 135
Watching the Numbers 137
Refining the Menu 142
Social Media 145
Connecting with Customers 150
Seasonality 153
Maintenance 155
Grow: Moving beyond the Truck 157
Growth Opportunities 164
Contract Packing 171
Building the Right Infrastructure 174
Technology 176
Exiting the Food Truck Industry 179
Afterword 183
Appendix A Templates and Worksheets 185
Appendix B Food Truck Regulations, by City 205
Appendix C Social Media Guides 229
Appendix D Interviews with Food Truck Entrepreneurs 233
Notes 263
About the Author 265
Index 267
Mengenai Pengarang
David Weber is a food truck advocate and entrepreneur. He is founder and President of the NYC Food Truck Association (NYCFTA), which brings together small businesses that own and operate premium food trucks in New York City. David is also a cofounder of Rickshaw Dumplings, a growing fast casual chain that operates multiple food trucks. Prior to his experience in hospitality, David was a technology and business consultant. He holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a BA in English literature from Yale University.