Running a Food Truck for Dummies

Summary

The easy way to drive your food truck business to success A new generation of street food lovers are lining up at food trucks and food carts. Though the idea is a long-standing part of American and world culture, the street food industry has never enjoyed so much popularity or publicity. With lower start-up costs than traditional "store front" restaurants, food trucks offer a unique opportunity to entrepreneurs in a business climate where credit is tight and capital is scarce. In Running a Food Truck For Dummies, you'll get all the delicious details needed to start your own food truck business quickly, affordably, and successfully. Whether you're one for the nearly 3 million owners and operators of existing food truck businesses or a chef, foodie, or gourmand interested in starting your own mobile restaurant endeavor, Running a Food Truck For Dummies helps you find your food niche, follow important rules of conducting business on the road, outfit your moving kitchen, meet safety and sanitation requirements, and much more. Help starting and creating a business plan Advice on creating a mobile menu, choosing and outfitting a vehicle, setting prices, and hiring help Everything you need to know about licenses, permits, zoning, parking, and other considerations Coverage of using Social Media advertising,such as Facebook and Twitter, to market your food truck business From choosing and outfitting a business vehicle to franchising and everything in between, Running a Food Truck For Dummies shows foodies everything they need to know to get their business moving toward success!

Author Biography

Richard Myrick is one of the foremost thought leaders on the mobile food industry. He is editor-in-chief and founder of Mobile Cuisine Magazine (www.mobile-cuisine.com), a central resource for mobile street food information.

Introduction 1

Part I: Rolling into the Food Truck Industry 7

Chapter 1: Food on Wheels: The Lowdown on Food Trucks 9

Chapter 2: Deciding What Kind of Food Truck to Run 19

Chapter 3: Understanding and Researching the Food Truck Marketplace 39

Part II: Getting Your Food Truck Ducks in a Row 53

Chapter 4: Writing a Business Plan 55

Chapter 5: Securing Financing for Your Food Truck 79

Chapter 6: Understanding Business Structures, Licenses, and Other Legal Stuff 91

Chapter 7: Parking and Presenting Your Truck 107

Part III: Preparing to Open Your Service Window 121

Chapter 8: Creating Your Menu 123

Chapter 9: Finding a Commercial Kitchen to Use 139

Chapter 10: Purchasing and Managing Supplies 149

Chapter 11: Hiring and Training Your Staff 161

Chapter 12: Setting Up Your Offi ce and Managing Money Matters 185

Part IV: Keeping Your Food Truck Running Smoothly 197

Chapter 13: Running a Safe, Clean Food Truck and Keeping It on the Road 199

Chapter 14: Evaluating the State of Your Food Truck Business 223

Part V: Generating Buzz and Growing Your Food Truck Business 235

Chapter 15: Mastering Marketing and Public Relations 237

Chapter 16: Handling the Art of Social Media 253

Chapter 17: Building and Retaining Your Followers 275

Chapter 18: What’s Next? Considering the Future of Your Food Truck Business 289

Part VI: The Part of Tens 303

Chapter 19: Ten Myths about Food Trucks 305

Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Preventing Food Truck Failure 311

Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Handling Food Truck Health Inspections 317

Index 323

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.