The Ins and Outs of the Food Truck Business
Everyone has a favorite taco truck. Food trucks are great ways to get a fantastic bite to eat, end a wild night, and explore the cuisines of different cultures. Food trucks are fast, cheap, and nothing short of delicious. The people who run food trucks truly love what they do and have a deep love for cooking and serving the public. Running a food truck can be rewarding and fun while also being insanely stressful and tiring. It’s a tough but rewarding business. Owning and running a food truck definitely has its ups and downs, and we are here to take you through all of them. Let Productos Real guide you through the metaphorical rollercoaster that is managing a food truck. After all, who would know more about the food industry than us?
Getting Started
This part is a lot harder than a lot of people think. There are so many steps to getting your new business off the ground, that it can be extremely difficult to keep track of it all. Let’s get one thing straight. You need to be doing this for the right reasons. Food trucks have become very trendy in the past ten years or so, and many think of starting one a quick and easy way to get lots and lots of money. This process is anything but quick and easy. It can take several weeks to several months to get everything set up and ready to go. Be prepared to work grueling hours and deal with stressful situations, because there will be a lot of them. In order to run a successful food truck, you need the right comn=bination of great cooking skills and a great business sense. What many people tend to forget is that this is more than just serving amazing food.
Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way and talk about permits. You need a permit to run a food truck. You need to have all your paperwork in order and up to date in order to work within means of the law. Here’s the thing. Obtaining a permit can be extremely difficult. Some cities and counties make it tremendously hard to legally own a food truck. Be prepared to jump through hoop after hoop to get everything signed and ready. If you plan to drive your truck to different counties and cities to expand the business, you need permits for those as well. Many food truck owners have often expressed how they sometimes feel that the government was trying to encourage them to stop chasing their dreams. This can really set you back for weeks and even months.
Trucks are big, bulky, and sometimes, they break down. Be prepared for the worst. Food trucks are hard to come by at affordable prices, so many times business owners will opt for a cheaper and older model. This can sometimes turn out great and be the perfect solution to a budget problem, but that’s not the case for everybody. Some people end up paying more in unexpected repairs than they would in a brand new truck. So just keep your eyes open and be wary. Also, expect to have a gigantic budget for gas money and emergencies. These babies run at an average of 7MPG.
The Fun Part
What’s the one thing every food truck needs? Food, of course! Always have a plan for how to get your produce and meats. This is also the point where we’d like to mention that our meats and Latin American inspired food products are available at fantastic prices and at the best quality in town. Unfortunately for the food trucking business, it is very difficult to purchase items in bulk like a normal restaurant would because trucks only have so much space. You will always have to run around buying groceries. Creating recipes that are fast, easy, and delicious is a great way for a chef to really let their creativity flow and flourish. Some of the best food and some of the latest food trends have come from the great minds who have owned food trucks.
Serving customers and seeing how much they enjoy your food is so rewarding and makes all of your hard work worth it. As they say, if you love what you do, you will never have to work a day in your life. This kind of thing takes a lot of dedication and drive to do right. This definitely isn’t a place for quitters. Cooking for that many people takes a lot of passion, and remember that Productos Real is here to help you fulfill your passions. Working long hours and fixing flat tires is just a part of the gig.