If you are reading this, you are likely ready for a career change and the idea of running a food truck business is appealing to you on many levels. With an upsurge in popular culture over the last new years, buying a food truck is a new goal many people have embraced thanks in part to the numerous shows on TV that center around food truck businesses and creative cuisine. Indeed, owning a food truck business is trendy, and the dining option is more popular than ever before as the industry shows zero signs of slowing down. Buy food truck? Perhaps now is the time to do so, but first you should make sure this is your right move based on your career goals and needs. This article is intended to help aspiring food truck owners better determine if buying a food truck is a smart move.
What is your Current Career and Why Leave Now?
First you will want to assess why you actually seek a change. Though it is fun, the food truck business casts a number of assumptions. If your current job is time-consuming or hard, you may not want to buy a food truck because running a food truck business is not easy, and it demands a lot of time, especially in the first two years of business. The challenges of running a food truck may just be different than the challenges you face currently in your line of work, and if you are looking for a different type of challenge, then buying a food truck may be wise.
Tired of busting your ass for low pay? Then buying a food truck would likely be a smart move, because the average food truck business that has been running for more than three years grosses a six-figure salary for its owner. Just ask yourself why your current job sucks, and do some research to actually see if buying a food truck will present something different and better.
Are You a Creative Person?
Running a food truck is not like running a restaurant. When you buy a food truck you are essentially investing in a food service business on wheels where you are able to go directly to the high foot traffic areas. But to make a profit, you need to get people curious, attract them to your food truck, and compel them to buy all while there are hundreds of distractions going on that don’t exist in brick and mortar restaurants. Let’s look at this from another angle: when people enter a traditional restaurant setting, more than 95 percent will buy food. But less than 10 percent of people passing a food truck will stop to buy something, and this rate is even lower if there are competing food trucks in the area. That said, creativity is needed to attract people. From your marketing and advertising, to the menu items, and to the food truck design itself–everything must be done to resonate with your target buyers, and this requires a high level of creativity.
