Jacksonville's Newest Desert Craving: Stroopwafels from Van D's Dutch Delights
Van D's Dutch Delights Desert Trailer. Got a craving for warm and delicious stroopwafel? If you live in the Jacksonville area finding freshly baked Dutch inspired deserts can be nearly impossible. Fortunately in 2016, Van D's Dutch Delights entered the scene to fill the void and quickly become a staple of the Jacksonville food truck community. Since starting their mobile food business Van D's isn't just serving up one-of-a-kind deserts, but has introduced countless locals to a whole new food group that many didn't even know existed. Take for example the stroopwafel, a Dutch word that translates to [...]
How To Start a Kettle Corn Concession Trailer
Fresh and delicious kettle corn. Photo Credit: JV Foodie Kettle corn is not just a snack, but nostalgia in a bag. It's a food item that brings us back to simpler times and enjoyed regularly by people of all ages. From an operations perspective there's also a lot to like about this time tested concession business too! For one, kettle corn businesses can focus on one doing one core product really well. There are a lot of vendors that try to do too many things on their truck or trailer. One challenge is that there's only so much [...]
Austin Based Chi'Lantro Food Truck Raises $600,000 in Shark Tank
Jae Kim, owner and founder of the Austin-based Chi'Lantro, didn't make it into ABC's hit investment show “Shark Tank” on his first two attempts to be on the show. Kim’s concept was to launch a Korean BBQ inspired restaurant chain that had the potential to generate millions in revenue each year. But on Kim’s first attempt to be featured on the investment show, Chi’Lantro was just an idea without a proven track record of sales. Instead of getting discouraged by not getting on the show, Kim started to put his concept into action by buying a food truck because he [...]
The Ugly Apple Cafe Food Cart is Changing Perceptions of Fresh Produce
Laurel Hague, owner of The Ugly Apple Cafe based out of Madison, Wisconsin, works with local farmers to minimize waste by using overstock produce to help the cities less fortunate. We had the opportunity to speak with Laurel about her business and the long-term vision of The Ugly Apple Cafe. M&R: Tell us about the Ugly Apple and your goals. Laurel: The Ugly Apple is a food cart that serves breakfast in downtown Madison. Madison has strict size restrictions for mobile food, so it's a 6ft by 9ft trailer that is designed to look like an apple crate. It's a [...]
IBISWorld Reports Less than 5,000 Food Trucks Operating in United States
How many food trucks are currently operating in the United States? According to a 2015 report from IBISWorld, a leading industry research agency, that number is less than 5,000 (4,130 food truck vendors to be exact per the report). The number of active food truck businesses operating in the United States has been a topic of much debate over the past few years. Adding to the confusion of an agreed upon accurate estimated number of food trucks are the varying media reports. Some of the most cited reports have been inconsistent while others rendered completely inaccurate when a bit of [...]
Should Food Trucks Need to Observe a Curfew?
According to a report in The Daily City, Orange County, Florida has adopted new zoning ordinances that impact food trucks. The new laws adopted on September, 13th 2016 prohibit vendors from operating past midnight. The new laws also prohibit music and customer seating for food trucks as well. Food Truck Curfews Nationwide Unfortunately, food truck curfews are not exclusive to Orange County, Florida. This action has been taken in other locations across the country as well. Here are a few examples of cities or counties where food trucks are restricted to serve past a certain hour: Des Moines, Iowa – [...]
How to Create a Daily Service Plan for Concession Businesses
The daily lunch, dinner, or breakfast service. This revenue stream isn’t a huge surprise as the owner of a concession business. After all, it is safe to say that you got into the food truck business so that you could be serving your special concoction on a daily basis. But how much can you expect to make each month or even each day that you venture out to service customers? The income you receive from your daily service will depend on many factors but here are a few to consider: Locality. Where and when do people tend to eat in [...]
Learn More about Food Truck Fanatics the Merrell Twins
What do two 20-year old twin sisters have to do with food trucks? In the case of the Merrell Twins they have their own online YouTube series called Food Truck Fanatics, where they travel around the Los Angeles area to meet, eat, and learn to cook food from some of the best food trucks in the city. Food Truck Fanatics is more than just a couple girls and an iPhone traveling around to eat at different trucks. The program is part of the AwesomenessTV media and entertainment company based in Los Angeles that is valued at over $600 million. While [...]
Four Ways to Help Your Food Truck's Line Move Faster
A long line of customers waiting to enjoy food served from your truck is one of the most beautiful sites a concession vendor can see. A far reaching line means you're doing something right and that you have a loyal following of customers that enjoy your style of food. A deep line also means more revenue for your business. Although lines are a sign of a profitable concession business, if you take too long to service customers, it can impact your bottom line in a major way. So while you should welcome lines to your food truck, you don't want [...]
How Food Trucks are Making Grocerants More Profitable
Photo Credit: Progressive Grocer The concept of a grocerant is the new and innovative term being used around grocery store circles. Care2.com defines grocerant as a new term for grocery stores that includes restaurant and ready made foods. Forbes even called these budding institutions "the future of food shopping" in a recent article. Of course restaurants within restaurants or department stores is nothing new. Retailers like Kmart or Target have had in-store cafe's that sell everything from slushies to hot dogs and pizza for decades now. What makes this movement different is the penetration into traditional grocery stores [...]