With fall almost here, the temperatures are going to start dropping. If you live in a colder climate, then this could mean bad news if you are a food truck owner. If you live in a place like Southern California or Florida, then the slow season (otherwise known as the offseason) doesn’t really come into play. Nonetheless, food truck entrepreneurs have to be prepared.
That is why we have come up with some great practices that your food truck should incorporate during the slow season. There are plenty of mobile food trucks that close down for the winter; however, there are plenty of mobile kitchens that can’t afford that luxury.
The key takeaway is this: You have to attract people to your catering truck. When the temperatures are dropping, culinary entrepreneurs can’t expect said customers to just flock in. Yes, every food truck has a good amount of regulars, but you have to make people want to come to your truck (more from that later).
While the offseason can be rather tough on mobile kitchen businesses, there are still ways to move inventory. In other words, there are still plenty of ways to sell your tasty foods.
Great Practices Your Food Truck Should Incorporate During The Slow Season
- Give People A Reason To Go To Your Truck
- Don’t Take Your Foot Off The Social Media Gas Pedal
- Get Customers Pumped For The Spring/Summer
- Serve Up Foods/Beverages That Go Hand In Hand With Cold Weather
Give People A Reason To Go To Your Truck
During the slow season, you have to give people a reason to go to your food truck. There are many ways to do this, especially if you have a strong following on social media. You can tell people that you are serving up a new menu item, a new special or are bringing on a festive drink and/or meal.
Everywhere you turn — at least this time of the year — there is pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that. Telling people your truck is going to serve up its own version of this seasonal treat is a great way to get customers to come to your truck.
Above all else, owners have to get creative during this time. You can’t just stand by and accept the fact that the slow season is brutal. While your numbers might not be as good as they are in the summer (that’s kind of how this industry works), you can still give people a reason to stop by and order something amazing, something that can’t be had anywhere else.
Don’t Take Your Foot Off The Social Media Gas Pedal
This is pretty typical of people who operate social media accounts. During the offseason, whether we are talking about sports, event pages or food trucks, social media managers (or the owner of the truck) will stop posting on networks like Facebook and Instagram. Don’t do that.
If you do that, then people will forget about your truck by the time spring rolls around. Plus, if you continue to post pictures of great meals, inspirational quotes or whatever it might be, every now and then, a customer will go to your mobile kitchen because he/she saw that post.
While it is okay to post less during the slow season, it’s still crucial that you are posting, and have a strategy in place. And no, not posting until the weather gets nicer is not a proper strategy.
Get Customers Pumped For The Spring/Summer
It is never too early to get excited about the spring and summer. After all, so many people start to look forward to the summer the moment snow starts dropping from the sky during the cold season. Even if you close your food truck for the winter, it’s still a good idea to use your social media accounts to your advantage by — you guessed it — getting people pumped for the summer.
You can do this by showing summer treats that you have to offer, or reminding customers what your No. 1 sold item is. People love pictures (and videos) of food. So keep the posts coming during the slow season.
Serve Up Foods/Beverages That Go Hand In Hand With Cold Weather
How do you get people to come to your food truck business when cold weather starts taking over? You start serving up foods and beverages that go hand in hand with cold weather. You can get as creative as you want with this idea, or you can keep it simple by serving up simple soups and hot chocolate — the choice is yours, entrepreneurs.
This practice should be a no-brainer, because it is so important for owners to tweak/change up the menu for every season.
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About the Author
Jeremy Adams is the President/CEO of Prestige Food Trucks, which is the world's leading custom food truck manufacturer. In his current role as President/CEO, Jeremy manages dozens of employees, interacts with clients, and maintains a healthy relationship with all of his business partners. Since Prestige, Jeremy has launched many other successful companies.
