How to Survive as a Food Truck Owner in the Off Season

drive thru order sign

Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash 

Did you realize there are over 24,000 food trucks in the United States? Being a food truck owner is both enjoyable and extremely stressful. Most experienced food truck operators realize that their business is largely seasonal.

During the colder months of the year, most food truck owners take a break. Most people will not brave the frigid temperatures of fall and winter to get a bite to eat from a food truck. This is why shutting down during this time of the year makes sense.

Are you trying to survive the off season as a food truck owner? If so, check out the great tips in this article.

Focus On Getting Your Truck Ready For Warmer Weather

Like any other gas-powered vehicle, food trucks need constant care and maintenance to stay functional. Without this maintenance, you will have a hard time making a good living with your food truck. One of the best ways to spend the off season as a food truck owner is by preparing your vehicle for warmer weather.

Doing things like having your fluids changed, flushing your radiator and addressing small repair issues can put you in a good position when spring arrives. Instead of trying to handle this complicated food truck maintenance on your own, hire knowledgeable mechanics to get the job done.

Continue to Market Your Food Truck Business

The biggest mistake you can make during the food truck off season is going radio silent on your website and social media pages. While you may not be serving customers during this time of year, you don’t want people to forget about you. This is why you need to keep plugging away with your digital and social media marketing campaigns.

Keeping a dialogue going with your audience via the Internet can help you greatly when it is time to reopen your food truck. If you remain diligent with your online marketing efforts, you should have no problem expanding your audience and growing your bottom line.

Catering is a Great Option For Food Truck Owners

If running a food truck is your primary source of income, you can’t really afford to take off months at a time. Instead of losing money during the off season, you need to get creative with how you use your culinary talents. Many food truck owners offer catering services in the off season to make ends meet.

The key to having success with this new food service venture is providing high-quality meals and competitive prices. Before you launch your new catering service, take a look at what competitors in this space are doing. Ideally, you either want to match or beat their prices to grow your customer base.

Prepare For The Off Season

As a food truck owner, you have to make a plan on how to deal with the off season. Developing this plan will help you get through these lean times and prepare for the future.

Are you looking for a new food truck design? We can help you out! Contact us today to get started.