8 Ways to Get Your Food Truck Ready for the Summer Season

With summer comes fairs, festivals, sunshine and an increase in customers for food trucks. A strong summer season can boost your sales for the year, so it is important to make sure you are prepared.

1. Take Time to Build Your Social Media

Spring is a great time to start building your social media presence. Social media posts can rank in Google searches, making it a solid strategy to connect with customers. On top of this, aside from paid ads and the time and effort it takes, social media is free.

Take advantage of slower days by creating engaging videos and photos that really showcase your food offerings. Short form video is a very popular way people are reaching customers on social media. Here are some content ideas to build your social media presence:

• Behind the scenes: show your customers how you prepare a popular dish
• Showcase a menu item that may be less popular or new
• Introduce yourself or talk about why you started the business
• “Day in the Life” show customers how you shop, cook, or clean the truck

2. Cross-Post on Social Media

Get your social media posts in front of more eyes by sharing your post to local community groups. You can find these by searching for terms like:

• [City Name] Community
• Buy/Sell/Trade [City Name]

3. Scope Out Summer Events for Your Food Truck

Outdoor markets, festivals, fairs, or music festivals can get your food truck in front of a lot of new people. Talk to other vendors to see what events they have participated in previously,  and which may be good matches for your offerings. Contact event organizers ahead of time to see what the application process is for these events, and what permits and insurance you will need.

4. Come Up with a Cooling Strategy

Sizzling flat-tops, gas ranges, and other cooking appliances in a small space, added to summer heat is a recipe for a very hot and uncomfortable working environment. Come up with solutions beforehand to cool your food truck. This could be portable fans, windows, or only running one appliance at a time.

You may also think about changing out your menu to include items like salads that do not require running heating appliances at all.

5. Check Your Food Truck

Take care of any maintenance that needs to be done on your food truck early. This can include things like changing the oil, topping off fluids, checking your windshield wipers, and checking the tires and alignment.

6. Clean, Prepare, and Stock Up

Checking your equipment before the busy season is always a wise choice. Check your inventory of all supplies, including utensils and cleaning supplies. Now is a good time to give your truck a thorough cleaning.

7. Think About Branding

Promotional materials (like branded pens or T-shirts) typically take a few weeks to be customized and shipped. If you are brainstorming ordering any of these items for your food truck, it is best to do so while summer is still a few weeks away. Some items to think about could be:

• Signage, banners, and flags
• Printed menus
• Business cards
• Branded take out bags or napkins
• Custom clear plastic cups
• Branded hats or T-shirts for staff

8. Review Insurance Coverages for Your Food Truck

When it comes to selecting insurance policies for your food truck, it’s a good idea to compare coverages. At Cross Insurance, we work with the nation’s leading carriers as well as regional insurers. With offices in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, and Florida, our agents are available for account management support. Contact us to request a quote for your food truck.

 

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This article is for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Cross Insurance shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained in this article. The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, insurance, accounting or other professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article are that of its author and do not necessarily represent the views of Cross Financial Corp. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“Cross Insurance”) or Cross Insurance’s management or shareholders.