Food truck business has caught a great attention since 2013 in some big countries in Indonesia. The trend of selling food in a car is apparently moderately difficult to do. Moreover, for you who are still newbie in business world. Interested to have a food truck business? You better know these 8 tricks first!
1. Choosing Carrosserie
Building a food truck, you surely need a car including the cooking tools inside it. You also need to modify the car exterior so your food truck design can be as attractive as your brand concept. To ‘beautify’ the food truck car, you can ask for help to carrosserie services. Of course, you need to compare prices first between one carrosserie to another before finally decide which one that suits your food truck needs.
2. Preparing Fund
Seeing from the first point above, of course you need a big fund to start it. It is even nearly similar to the fund you need for making a restaurant. Besides using your own savings, you can give a business proposal to investor if you have not prepared budgets since long time.
3. Deciding Concept and Menu
The chosen food truck concept will affect the car exterior design, so you have to think about it carefully. You can do a survey first about how the common food truck concept expected by the customers. It’s better for your food truck to have a unique concept so consumer can see the specialty of your food truck. The menu offered does not have to be a new kind, but you can package an already common dish to a modern and more practical one. Try to think outside the box!
4. Choosing Location
Location determines the market target you want to reach. You surely don’t want to sell desserts in cold area like highland, right? You have to consider whether your location is strategic to crowded area, or for example near to college student’s boarding houses, if you want a food truck with the college student as your market target.
5. Get the License Done
Although food truck is mobile, you surely don’t want your business to be distracted by a license problem on the way. That’s why you should know first about the license procedure for a certain area. You can see the Minister of Home Affairs Regulation No. 41 of 2012 about “Pedoman Penataan dan Pemberdayaan Pedagang Kaki Lima” (the guidelines of street food sellers), which includes the regulation for sellers in four-wheel motor vehicle.
6. Make Sure of the Cleanliness
Because you will be moving round and round with the food truck, doesn’t mean you can put aside the cleanliness aspect. A clean kitchen in your food truck will certainly make you more comfortable to do the business, right? Also for the consumer’s hygiene. Make sure you provide enough trash bins so your food truck doesn’t receive a title of a “trash source”.
7. Use the Online Promotion
Nowadays, social media can become a free online promotion that can really affect your business development. So, make sure your food truck has social media account and make some gimmick that can attract people to visit your food truck. Also put the social media sites on your food truck car or the banner you have. You can also make a creative promo to make consumer come to your food truck.
8. Experience Sharing with the Former Ones
You can ask about tips and trick to someone who has already experienced in the food truck business. You can also join the Association of Food Truck Indonesia (AFTI) that can be your learning place. AFTI has now supervised 35 food truck businesses from the total approximately 70 food truck businesses operated in Jakarta. Good luck on starting your food truck business!