Engage Your Target Market: How to Pick the Right Food Truck

Engage Your Target Market: How to Pick the Right Food Truck

Food trucks are an exciting way to sell your one of a kind menu items and a lucrative way to make money. People love to try new cuisine and will often seek out a particular food truck to satisfy their cravings. Whether you’re surrounded by other vendors in a pod, or you are a single food cart on a busy street, you need a way to stand out from the crowd. 

Not only do you need to be seen by potential customers, but your food cart’s design should indicate the kind of food you sell. Just because your business is on wheels, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t put as much effort into the design as you would with a brick and mortar location. On the contrary, you should be taking advantage of the opportunity to make your cart a recognizable location that draws people in.

When you consider the design elements of your food truck, you should find ways to incorporate the qualities of the food that you sell into that design. If you are still in the beginning phases of starting your business and have yet to purchase your mobile food cart, then think about what style of the truck would best suit your cuisine. 

For instance, a modified Airstream trailer would lend itself well to diner-style American food. Large delivery style trucks work great for pizza, and the classic food trucks with service windows installed on the side are excellent for Mexican food. You can get creative by customizing a school bus, ice cream truck or even a Volkswagen bus if it matches your aesthetic. Just make sure that the vehicle you decide on has enough room for all of your kitchen gear and supplies.

Once you’ve picked out your vehicle you can add color and signage to elaborate further on your theme. Think about the food on your menu and how it relates to your design. For instance, if you sell spicy food, then you’ll want red and orange tones on the food cart. If you have a more down to earth menu with organic produce, then go for earth tones, greens, and purples. You can hire a local artist to customize your cart with your logo and an eye-catching work of art.

You can easily add ambiance to your business by adding awnings that mesh with your menu. Outdoor lights are an excellent way to appeal to customers on a gloomy day, and they can be either elegant or colorful. Your signage should be unique and relevant to your brand. As an example, a bistro-style food truck would do well to use a large, antiqued chalkboard, while a seafood truck could use something nautical themed.

Don’t hold back with your great design ideas. See what works and what doesn’t, and modify your plan. The bottom line is that you need to get customers to try your food because once they do, they’ll keep coming back.