Have you been thinking about how you should start selling your grandmother’s biscuit and gravy recipe? The industry is still booming, and a good introduction into the restaurant world is with a food truck. We’ll lay a few critical steps to show you how to properly start your own food truck.
Plan Costs and Find a Truck
Starting a food truck is not a cheap investment. A few cost considerations to keep in mind are:
- Insurance
- Salary and benefits for employees
- Marketing, advertising, and more
- Ingredients and food
- Technology to operate your truck
The truck itself is the most significant expense you’ll have to worry about. It’s not a bad idea to talk with other food truck owners to get a sense of different layouts and find one that works best for you.
Appliances tend to break more often on food trucks, so that’s something else to remember.
Board of Health Approval
You’ll need to abide by a set of rules and regulations. When you own a food business, there are more things to consider.
Learn and understand the different regulations you’ll need to follow. Most inspections at least check the following:
- Store food at proper temperatures
- Have records of food purchases
- Proof of district-issued Food Manager Identification Card
- Meet health and fire codes
- Proof of ownership, license for the vehicle, and identification
Gather Correct Permits and Licenses
After you’ve discovered your health requirements, the next step of how to start your own food truck is to figure out the correct permits and licenses you’ll need. You’ll likely have several permit and regulation requirements. It will significantly depend on the city and state where you’ll operate the food truck.
These processes could take time, so have patience.
Decide How You’re Going To Prepare Food
This step is arguably the most crucial. A food truck has limited space in comparison to a brick-and-mortar store. You have to decide what food you’ll serve, the food preparation process, and what your menu will look like.
Is it best to prepare food beforehand? Can you replicate your recipes in large quantities? These are a couple of critical questions you’ll need to answer.
The food truck business is still gaining popularity, and it’s never too late to join the race. Follow this guide for properly starting your own food truck and have fun!
