There are an unlimited amount of strategies a food truck owner can throw at the wall in hopes of increasing sales; however, the key is figuring out what is actually going to stick.
In the grand scheme of things, the way to increase food truck sales is by gaining more customers and selling more product in the process. But, how can you achieve that feat?
Food truck owners can start with the seven strategies below.
Ways To Increase Your Food Truck Sales
- Raise Prices
- Enter Events
- Take On Catering Gigs During Your Off Hours
- Hold A Weekend Sale
- Add Another Service
- Change Up Your Menu
- Think Of Creative Strategies To Lure People To Your Food Truck
7.) Raise Prices
This is probably one of the last things you want to do and one of the last things your customers want to see. With that in mind, you are running a business here, and to continue to make money on a yearly basis, you are going to have to, more likely than not, raise prices just to keep up with inflation.
If you were an employee, you would maybe receive a raise every quarter, six months, yearly or whenever it might be, and you also might land some bonuses and promotions along the way. However, as a business owner, you are the one who is in control of these types of things.
No one likes to see prices increase, but it’s something you might have to do every now and then … just to break even. With that in mind, you are the one who takes inventory and you are the one who crunches the numbers and you are the one who studies the competition and their prices … and you are the one who has to decide if raising your prices is going to benefit your food truck business or lead to customers going elsewhere.
Instead of increasing sales, you might find a different vendor for your food, one that is cheaper.
Spoiler alert: No one said being a food truck owner was going to be easy.
6.) Enter Events
If you enter the right events, then they can pay off big time, to say the least. Of course, you likely have to pay a fee to enter the event, and you need to make sure it is the right event for your wants and needs and for your food truck concept.
Once you do find the right event(s) to enter, you will have the opportunity to sell more food and attract new customers. If all goes according to plan, you might even increase your brand awareness, which could lead to you getting invited to more events, gaining and retaining more customers, winning awards and the list could go on and on.
If nothing else, a food truck event will, ideally, give you another stream of income on top of your normal business hours at your normal locations.
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5.) Take On Catering Gigs During Your Off Hours
There are many ways to approach catering in the mobile kitchen industry. For example, some food trucks might only do catering gigs, leaving the normal business hours and weekly locations to others. Others use catering gigs as a way to gain another stream of income and get their food truck name out there.
Nonetheless, catering is a great service to offer and it can surely lead to an increase in sales. Not only that but if you rock a catering gig, then someone at the party (or whatever type of event you are catering for) could end up booking you for an additional catering job, and this type of thing can go on and on. Basically, one gig could lead to another one, and at each gig, you are gaining more and more customers and your food truck is becoming more and more popular.
This tactic alone — offering catering — could lead to a big boost in the sales department.
4.) Hold A Weekend Sale
For example, if a holiday weekend is in the air, you can hold giveaways, deals and sales at your food truck business in hopes of attracting more customers.
Of course, you don’t want to always be giving away free or discounted food, but this type of thing — a weekend sale, that is — should only be done every now and then, and it will ideally lead to a boost in customers and more of your delicious meals being sold.
Then again, the choice is yours when it comes to how often you want to hold some form of weekend sale since you are the owner of your own business.
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3.) Add Another Service
Adding another service to your food truck business could lead to an increase in sales and your truck standing out from the mobile kitchen pack.
What are some services you can offer at your lunch truck, though?
The choice is, of course, yours, but just as some examples, you can add mobile ordering, a catering service (like mentioned above) or delivery.
The idea behind these services is to not only make more money but also make eating at your food truck that much easier — and more convenient — for your customers because that’s who it’s all about.
Mobile ordering can help loyal customers skip the lines and receive their food faster, which really comes in handy during the busy hours known as lunchtime. Delivery, of course, makes it so your customers don’t have to go to your food truck, but for this type of service, you need to have enough employees to make it happen (among other things). Catering was discussed in great detail above, but just as an added addition, it can make a customer’s life so much easier when the customer in question needs to serve a ton of people for an event … and this person also needs to serve amazing food, which your food truck specializes in.
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2.) Change Up Your Menu
If you like what you cook and you don’t feel like changing your menu, then don’t. You don’t have to. However, if you want to give your customers something new and spice things up along the way, then adding seasonal menus to the mix is a great idea.
People love certain types of food in the summer and the winter, and going along with those seasonal concepts could help you attract more customers, and it could also lead to you keeping things fresh at your food truck since you will be adding more recipes to the mix.
As a friendly reminder, while everyone needs to make a living, and you chose this path to make your living, it’s important to make this dream everything you ever imagined since you actually have the power to do so. Cooking certain foods when you want to cook them, and also adding new foods whenever you would like, is one of the many ways to do exactly that.
Changing up your menu (and then promoting these changes on your social media networks, and telling your customers about them when they are actually at your truck) could lead to a boost in customers and sales, in its simplest form.
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1.) Think Of Creative Strategies To Lure People To Your Food Truck
In general, if you want to increase your food truck sales, then you need to think of creative strategies to lure people to your mobile kitchen. Some people do this by creating a friendly and upbeat atmosphere and community. Others simply add music, which can be a big boost for your customers and employees.
Perhaps you plan on going big during the fall with a few seasonal treats, and that’s how you plan on luring customers. Maybe you plan on giving away free coffee during the colder months and free water during the hotter months. Maybe you plan on doing a happy hour at your truck that features discounted prices during a certain time of the day.
Whatever you decide, don’t be afraid to let your uniqueness and creativity shine through because that will lead to your food truck business standing out, which will then lead to you gaining and retaining more customers.
This is your food truck business, so do whatever you think is best, but also don’t be afraid to get creative along the way!
While there are plenty of ways to increase sales at a food truck, we hope the seven strategies above can do FoodTruckrs wonders all summer long!
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About the Author
FoodTruckr is the #1 online destination for current and aspiring food truck owners looking to succeed in the mobile food industry. Self described “food truck devotees,” the FoodTruckr team enjoys reading about successful entrepreneurs, salivating over photos of burritos on Twitter, and long walks through food truck parks. Chat with FoodTruckr on Facebook or check out the FoodTruckr School podcast for more awesome tips to level up your business.