Five Ideas to Convert a School Bus into a Mobile Kitchen
First, it was old delivery trucks that were converted into gourmet food trucks. Today, an increasing number of food vendors are serving meals from a converted school bus that’s been transformed into a commercial kitchen. In today’s post, we evaluate some of the best menu ideas we’ve seen on these converted school buses often referred to as food “skoolies” to help you determine if this type of build is the right choice for your business. Before jumping on the school bus bandwagon there are some important considerations to think about. First, a converted bus is a lot larger and longer [...]
The Starting Quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagle's Just Opened a Food Truck
The starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, Carson Wentz, has a new side gig as a food truck vendor. Well… Sort of. Wentz has a new charitable food truck named Thy Kingdom Crumb offering free meals to those in need in the Philadelphia area. The food truck made its debut in late August at Acme Markets in Philly. For the grand opening both Wentz and super-star teammate Zach Ertz distributed meals. If you live in the Philadelphia area, you can view the truck in person at regular season home games at Lincoln Financial Field throughout the year. The goal of [...]
Starting a Mobile DJ Trailer Business in Florida?
Thinking about starting a mobile DJ trailer business in Florida? A trailer can help you safely transport audio and visual equipment, while setting your business apart from other DJs in the local market. Below is an overview of this high-profit business model. Mobile DJ Trailer Business Model Explained Being your own boss and becoming entrepreneurial disc jockeys (AKA DJ) is something most on-air talent considers during their career. After all, most small radio markets pay on-air talent under $40,000 annually if you’re just entering the workforce. It’s not that small-market radio wouldn’t like to pay their employees more, it’s simply [...]
Six New Revenue Stream Ideas to Grow Your Food Truck’s Brand and Business
The last time you visited a local Starbucks or Caribou Coffee shop you may have noticed something: There’s a whole lot more for sale than a simple cup of coffee and breakfast sandwich. The last time I frequented my local Starbucks location (a location I visit about 3 times per week) the store had a variety of items available for purchase. Here are a few items I observed at my location: Mugs and tumblers with the Starbucks branded logos selling for between $12.99 - $19.99 on average. Gum and mints strategically placed by the cash register to remind me that [...]
Should You Offer Free Samples From Your Food Truck?
Offering free samples is one of the oldest ways to market and generate interest in a new food product. You see this all the time when you visit the giant discount retailers like Costco. Part of the attraction for many Costco members is visiting the store is to see what type of snacks, entrees, drinks and deserts will be on display to try for free. Offering a free sample is an effective way to get potential customers to experience your product without risk. But does it make wise business sense to offer freebies from your food truck like bigger businesses? [...]
101 Food Service Kiosk Name Ideas, and How to Find Yours
For many aspiring food kiosk owners, dreaming up the perfect name for your new business was probably one of the first things you did. After all, once you've established a concept for your new restaurant idea, picking out a name should come easy. Right? RIGHT? But what if you've headed down the path toward opening day, secured some investment capital, roughed out a viable business plan that seems to hold together, and maybe even secured licensing, insurance, and a few vendors to get your started, and you STILL don't have a name for your restaurant? What if you're marching toward [...]
Top Four Most Profitable Food and Beverage Kiosks in Shopping Malls
Signing a long-term lease in a high-traffic shopping mall can be extremely expensive and risky if your food concept isn't proven. According to this article on MarketWatch.com, you should expect to pay between $50 - $100 per square foot monthly for the most desirable retail spaces in America. In smaller shopping malls in mid-size metro you can expect to pay more $15 - $25 per square foot. Either way, the monthly dues are significant. That means if you decide to lease a modest sized location, you can expect to pay $1,500 - $5,000 in rent minimum each month. This obligation [...]
What is a Loncheras Food Truck?
A loncheras truck is a food truck serving Mexican faire like tacos and burritos. The rough translation of lonchera from Spanish into English is “lunch box.” These roaming vessels are often referred to as taco trucks as well. If you live in Los Angeles or the surrounding area the sight of a loncheras truck is nothing new. They’ve been serving affordable meals decades before the gourmet food truck movement took ever hold in the United States. Loncheras are small businesses owned by a Mexican or Mexican-American family and employing only members of the family. You can often spot these trucks [...]
Four of the Best Tasting Pho Food Trucks on the Planet
Pho is a traditional Vietnamese soup. With the popularity of foreign food increasing each year, it is not surprising that Pho is gaining a lot of attention. There are even Pho food trucks now that serve this savory dish. Here are the four best Pho food trucks that you can find anywhere. What Is That Pho? Before we visit the top Pho food trucks out there, we need to talk a little about the food they serve. As mentioned earlier, Pho came from Vietnam. While Vietnamese cuisine may not be as popular as Chinese or Japanese, it is gaining many [...]
The Best Food Truck Refrigerators: Installation Tips & Buyers Guide
Rotolo's Food Truck. No matter what your food concept is going to be, you'll probably need at least one refrigerator installed on your food truck or concession trailer. Whether you're making sandwiches and need to keep meats and cheeses cool or plan to serve summer-time beverages you'll need a cooling system that's both reliable and large enough to store everything necessary to execute your menu. Finding the right refrigerator for a food truck is different than if you're starting a restaurant. If you're looking for commercial-grade restaurant refrigerators you'll have an abundance of quality options. Refrigerators designed to [...]