A quick note before I jump into this week’s articles and links. We recently learned that some of our contact form messages were not making it into our email inboxes. If you emailed us and never received a response, please accept our sincere apologies. We’ve fixed the problem—if you’re still waiting for a response, please email me directly at mindy@foodtruckr.com or use our contact form.
Useful Reads
Fast Company has a post on the food that keeps Silicon Valley running. Food trucks make the list, but there are some other interesting concepts, from delivery to pre-packaged options. Take a look if you’re trying to come up with ways to cater to the local big businesses in your area.
In our last Business Bites, I shared an article about the design of Chipotle’s paper cups and napkins—and mentioned my surprise at sharing a good idea from a fast food chain. Well, darn it if Chipotle doesn’t have another lesson to teach us.
The HelpScout blog has an excellent dissection of Chipotle’s commitment to customer service. Here’s the takeaway lesson: good customer service starts with treating your employees well. Their focus on creating a career path for their employees and staffing based on employee strengths rewards employees for providing superior customer service. It’s a valuable read that will challenge you to think about your hiring practices.
Favorite YouTube Channel
Did you know that PBS favorite America’s Test Kitchen has a YouTube channel? It’s packed with recipes, techniques, and equipment reviews—but my favorite section is their Super Quick Tips, like this advice for quickly shucking corn:
Genius.
App of the Week
This week’s app is a twist on grocery store coupons. After you go grocery shopping, upload a copy of your receipt to Checkout 51 and you’ll get a rebate based on your purchases. Lifehacker has a write-up about it here.
This app, along with other coupon apps like Ibotta and Target’s Cartwheel tend to emphasize the boxed, canned, and prepared stuff—not what you’re as likely to use—but they can be good for emergency trips when you’ve run out of produce or paper goods. And goodness knows, during an emergency grocery run, you’re not going to want to fuss with coupons. With these apps, you can claim your savings later.
If you have a topic or a challenge you’d like to see covered, leave us a comment below.
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Image by Karin Dalziel
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About the Author
Mindy Holahan is a staff writer and the #FoodTruckFan columnist. Indeed, she’s a big ole fan of food trucks, particularly if they sell fish tacos. She has a background in the hospitality industry, loves working with writers, and gets positively giddy about the intersection between cooking and science. Follow her on Twitter @HolaMindy for daily bouts of enthusiasm or on Instagram @HolaMindy for her adventures and epic failures in gluten-free baking.