8 Tips for Success That Food Trailer Owners Swear By

Word out there is that hindsight isn’t that strongly liked. To be fair, if you’re looking in hindsight there’s a good chance you’re looking for when a venture took a particular turn.
One man’s mistake is another man’s treasure. Good, or bad, hindsight can put forth some wicked advice for aspiring business owners.
Whether you’re looking to enter the market or you’re already there, insight from successful food trailer owners could make the difference between making money right off the bat or not.
Because as simple as a food trailer may be in terms of getting a trailer and designing your business, there still are moving parts within the actual trailers themselves and the industry that might not spring to mind.
So, if we talked to some insanely successful mobile kitchen owners- what would they have to tell you?

#1- Get Your Paperwork in Order Sooner Rather than Later

The paperwork and permits for mobile kitchens are a little excessive, we admit. For some reason, governments- city, provincial, federal- aren’t sure how to simplify the paper trail for operating food trailers. Make sure you understand the process and every single form is filled out. Make sure you have all the permits required, and absolutely read up on your local guidelines for mobile kitchens, as they do differ from place to place. In fact, most food trailer and truck owners share that the preliminary paperwork is by far the most stressful part of operating a mobile kitchen and that it surprised them how intensive the process is. While the payback is worth it, it can seem overwhelming; if you try to do it in a hurry, you will almost certainly miss things. Don’t rush. Start your paperwork months before you plan to launch and place it as your first task of business.

#2- It’s a Business, Not a Cooking Hobby

Be prepared to invest your time and skills into building your business. Just because the trailers are small, doesn’t mean the business plan should be. No matter how good your product is, you have to remember to consider other elements of a successful business when planning what, where, when, why and how you’re going to operate your mobile kitchen. Do your homework about your market, stay on top of trends and foodie movements, have a robust event calendar. A food trailer is not something to just make a mean burger out of and park anywhere you feel like. It’s still a strategic investment- it’s a reinvention of fast food.

#3- Make Sure Your Market is Ready for a Food Truck

For as big as the industry is, there are still areas that haven’t adapted the idea of food trucks yet. You would assume that they would be small, rural towns and that the big cities consider food trucks a staple.
Not quite true.
Food trailers may be known by most people, but some areas have not yet opened up their culinary doors to a consistent stream of mobile kitchens. It really depends on the social culture of an area, their needs for convenience and speed, and the culinary palette of your market. Bigger cities don’t necessarily mean a robust palette and you may find yourself in a market that doesn’t actually know what they want from that kind of culinary offering.

#4- Trademark Your Name

A lot of new business owners miss this step for some reason- perhaps if you don’t envision your food trailer expanding nationally. However, the mobile kitchen industry is a more tight knit community and your food trucks success may go more viral than you anticipate.
Got a cool name? Someone might just swipe it from provinces away.

#5- Don’t Upset Your Fellow Food Truckers

Food trailer owners have found that a huge chunk of their success has relied on the cooperation of other mobile kitchens in your operating area. With the market being tighter than some, networking is crucial and can make the difference between a well oiled machine (no pun intended) and a struggle to do things well.

#6- The Beginning Is Hard, So Roll Up Your Sleeves

Successful mobile kitchen owners have seen aspiring entrepreneurs enter the market and very quickly phase out. A common trend among the industry’s drop outs?
The assumption that a food trailer is easy work.
The demand for food trailers is sky high, but it’s coupled with the demand for fresh, unique and on trend food. Executing your product offerings to align with your markets demand means you’re going to have to put in the work from the very get-go. A food trailer will never run itself, and it takes time to get your operations to a point where you can fully staff your kitchen.
And don’t assume there won’t be hiccups with doing that either. When you rely on other people, you’re always running the risk that the don’t execute to your standards. In light of business slipping, if your staff are underperforming, be prepared to get right back in the kitchen.

#7- Don’t Limit Yourself to One Spot or Just Events

Look into catering with food trailers (link to blog). The big bucks lie in using your food trailer several different ways. The functionalities, mobility and size of these beauties make it easy to determine several revenue streams to make your mobile kitchen as profitable as can be. If you leave it up to just events to make money, you won’t be utilizing a really great business tool- that you own.

#8- Make Sure You Have a Great Mechanic on Your Side

Your ability to execute business relies on that engine, right? Without your vehicle, your food trailer is immobile and can’t do much for your wallet. Having your truck fail is like having the POS system at a restaurant fail- it’s just something you can’t ignore. Foster a great relationship with a mechanic in every city you operate in- you might have to pay premium, but the first time missing an event with your trailer because you’re waiting on a mechanic will soon change your mind about forking out for quick vehicle repairs.