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Figuring out the concept for your food truck is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make for your business. After you’ve made this decision, everything else about your business will fall in line with it, from its specific menu items and truck design to the number of employees you’ll hire and their culinary backgrounds.

In the following sections, I list food choices and general considerations to help you come up with a basic concept; then I help you narrow your idea based on your potential customers and the atmosphere you want.

Note: In some cases, you may not need to determine a concept for your food truck. For example, you may be a food truck franchisee of a restaurant that has already worked out all the details of your concept. See the later section “Another Possibility: Joining a Franchise” for details.

Focusing on your food options

At its most basic level, your truck will be most recognized for the food you serve. In the following sections, I note several categories of food that have found food truck success around the United States.

Due to my experience in organizing some food truck events, I can tell you that one demographic food trucks haven’t left out is individuals who own dogs. Although technically not people food trucks, some trucks navigating around dog parks in the country supply canine customers with locally sourced, healthy dog treats that many dog owners can’t pass up when they find them.

Savory foods

You have a wide variety of options when it comes to serving savory foods in your food truck:

❯❯ American cuisine is capable of making it onto any list of popular food trucks thanks to Americans’ love of hamburgers. Other popular American favorites are grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, French fries, mac ’n’ cheese, and various types of barbecued meat.

❯❯ Mexican cuisine is known for its varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices and ingredients, many of which are native to the country. Tacos, burritos, tamales, and tortas are menu favorites of many food truck owners because they’re easily massaged to fit into various concepts.

❯❯ African cuisine (for example, Ethiopian, Moroccan, or South African) traditionally uses a combination of locally available fruits, cereal grains, and vegetables, as well as milk and meat products.

❯❯ Italian cuisine is hard to explain without mentioning pizza and pasta, but these two dishes tell you almost all you need to know about this style of cuisine. Some truck owners vending Italian cuisine regularly serve these dishes along with veal and eggplant parmesan sandwiches.

❯❯ Asian cuisine (such as Chinese and Japanese) typically consists of rice or noodles, with a soup. Foods are made from fish, meat, vegetable, tofu, and the like. Food items are typically flavored with dashi, miso, and soy sauce and are generally low in fat and high in salt.

❯❯ Mediterranean cuisine is full of fresh vegetables and high in flavor. Options for food trucks choosing Mediterranean cuisine include (but aren’t limited to) kabobs, gyros, pita sandwiches (vegetable, shawarma, falafel, and lamb), hummus, and baba ghanoush.

❯❯ Thai cuisine is often confused with Chinese cuisine. The primary difference is in its flavoring. Thai food has a balanced mix of sweet, sour, and spice. Bánh mi is by far the most popular of the foods coming from Thai-themed trucks, such as the Bon Me Truck out of Boston.

❯❯ Indian cuisine may provide the widest variety of food for your menu even though it’s most known for vegetarian fare. The real treats of Indian cuisine are chicken and fish tikkas, naan, and samosas.

Other styles of cuisine to investigate include Caribbean, Cajun, Cuban, German, Philippine, Native American, Spanish, soul food, seafood, Tex-Mex, vegetarian/vegan, and Vietnamese.

Just desserts

While some of the savory trucks provide minimal coverage of various dessert favorites, other food truck owners focus their attention on these sweet delights – everything from ice cream, waffles, cupcakes, shaved ice, whoopie pies, and brownies. You can even find trucks that provide more ethnic styles of dessert on their menus, such as cannoli, tiramisu, crêpes, and baklava.

You may wonder whether dessert trucks can provide enough income to justify multiple dessert trucks in one area. Don’t think twice about it – they can. Dessert trucks provide a wonderful way for customers to enjoy a full meal by simply going to multiple trucks that are parked near each other. In Chapter 7, I discuss in more detail how savory and dessert trucks can work as a team to maximize the sales of both trucks. So if you’re looking to provide your customers a sugar rush to jumpstart their day, this avenue may be perfect for you.

Tasty beverages

Although food trucks serving alcoholic beverages haven’t been approved en masse, nonalcoholic beverage trucks have. Consumers are constantly attempting to improve their health, and food truck owners have latched onto this phenomenon by providing these customers with a mobile option. Trucks that sell nothing but juice or smoothies have made their way onto the streets of some cities with much success.

Starting the selection process

After you know the food choices available to you (see the preceding section), consider these items when you begin the process of selecting a food concept for your truck:

❯❯ Having a unique concept: Make sure your idea is different from the ideas behind both food trucks and similar casual brick-and-mortar restaurants in your locality. If ten Mexican cuisine trucks or restaurants already exist in the area, you may want to avoid opening another one. (See Chapter 3 for details on determining what’s already in your local food truck market.) However, if you decide to open a truck with a popular concept anyway, make sure you offer something that differentiates you from the others, such as fusing the basic taco with another ethnic cuisine.

The mobile food industry is on the leading edge of concept development. Food trucks have developed concepts, such as grilled cheese sandwiches or Korean tacos, that hadn’t yet been seen in the restaurant industry. So don’t be afraid to try something new.

❯❯ Making sure your concept is easy to understand: Although differentiating yourself from your competitors is important, you must make sure your idea isn’t so different that people don’t get it. This type of consumer confusion can lead to your downfall because customers typically avoid eating from establishments that they’re completely unfamiliar with.

The logo and decoration of your truck is half the battle. Customers buy with their eyes. Your vehicle’s curb appeal will be a key factor in landing customers out in the street. (I discuss how to present and decorate your food truck in Chapter 7.)

❯❯ Sticking to one basic cuisine: Don’t try to compete directly with local full-sized restaurants that, based on kitchen size and seating capabilities, can offer more extensive menu options. Focus on a specific style of cuisine for your concept. This strategy allows you to fill your menu with crowd-pleasing items that you can consistently produce to a high standard.

❯❯ Keeping up with current food trends: Stay up-to-date with the mobile food industry and understand the latest food trends, such as the desire for healthy local meals and ingredients. Don’t hold strictly to these trends for your overall concept, though, because trends come and go. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t create a concept that allows you to update your menu to use trendy items, such as bison or elk. Check out Mobile Cuisine (www.mobile-cuisine.com) and Nation’s Restaurant News (www.nrn.com) for food trends making their way into the mobile food and restaurant industries.

❯❯ Being inspired by others: Don’t be afraid to take someone else’s idea and make it better. If you find a great food truck while traveling through different parts of the country and want to create one with a similar concept in your town, don’t be shy – go for it!

General industry etiquette is not to rip off and duplicate exactly. Food truck operators, like great musicians, know how to pay homage to those who have come before them.

❯❯ Making sure you have the necessary staff or culinary skills: If you decide to serve Vietnamese cuisine but don’t have any experience with Vietnamese cooking, for example, you need to either hire a chef who does or learn how to cook Vietnamese food on your own. Take classes at a nearby culinary school or speak with restaurant owners in your area to see whether you can learn from them. (I provide information on hiring a chef in Chapter 11.) If these options don’t appeal to you, find a different concept for your truck.

❯❯ Thinking about the locations where you’ll operate: If you plan to operate in an area in which the demographics of the population don’t fit a specific style of cuisine or concept, you may need to consider another concept. Check out Chapter 3 for information relating to understanding market demographics.

❯❯ Considering the time of day you plan to operate: You need to contemplate whether you plan to work morning, lunch, dinner, or late-night hours. If you plan to work only morning shifts, having a concept that centers on heavy greasy food may not be a great fit. However, a truck that sells coffee and tea along with a variety of breakfast sandwiches for early morning commuters may be a fantastic niche to build around.

❯❯ Being passionate about your idea: Your food truck will become a huge part of your life; you’ll work long hours and deal with every aspect of running it. With all the time, energy, and money you’ll be putting into your mobile business, be sure you’re passionate about your concept. A few special signature dishes that you love to make for your friends and family can be a good indicator of where your passion may lie. If the idea of serving burgers and fries doesn’t really excite you, for example, your business may not last very long if you choose burgers and fries for your truck’s cuisine, and you may end up wasting a lot of your time and money.

Note: No matter how passionate you are about your idea, don’t forget to determine whether it’s viable. Is there enough demand in your area for your concept? Will people pay for what you plan to offer on your menu? Ask yourself, would you buy this item at this price? Flip to Chapter 3 for details on researching your local food truck market.

Narrowing your concept according to your customer base

After you have a basic idea of your concept (see the preceding section), you need to determine the type of customers you want to target. You need to find out whether a substantial market for your concept exists in the areas you plan to operate in. Use the following tools to help you further narrow down your concept according to your potential customer base (see Chapter 3 for details on these tools):

❯❯ Demographic survey: Use the demographic survey to determine the demographics of the market you’re going to be located in. This survey gives you information, such as the ages, occupations, and income levels, of your prospective customers; ethnic groups in the area; and the size of the market to help you see whether your concept is a good fit for the area. You may find that a large ethnic group in the area isn’t currently being catered to by existing food trucks or restaurants. You may want to lean your concept toward this demographic.

❯❯ Competitive analysis: This tool helps you understand who your local competition will be. You can use this information to compare your menu prices with those of your competitors. Do the prices required to give you a market advantage fit with your concept?

Understanding the importance of atmosphere as you generate your concept

The atmosphere your truck presents may be one of the most important methods for achieving your food truck concept. When considering atmosphere for your truck, think about the experience you want and the senses that will be affected when a customer walks up to your truck. Read on for some important considerations.

Designing the atmosphere or feel of your concept involves a lot of work on your part. Can you manage everything on your own? Do you have the expertise to gather all the information you need? Hiring a professional graphic designer or food truck consultant costs some money, but it can save you a lot of time and potential problems in the long run. By farming out this work, you can brainstorm your ideas with experts and get their feedback, and their professional guidance can give you the confidence you need to move forward with your concept.

Here are a few resources for finding the experts you need to help come up with the right atmosphere for your desired food truck concept:

❯❯ Food Fellas: www.foodfellasllc.com

❯❯ Mobi Munch: www.mobimunch.com

❯❯ Vucurevich | Simons Advisory Group (VSAG): www.vsag.com

Sight

What do you want your customers to see? A concept’s visual effect encompasses more than just the graphics you wrap your truck in (see Chapter 7 for the scoop). Lighting applies to trucks that work at night, but even if you plan to work only during daylight hours initially, considering lighting upfront is a good idea in case you later decide to start working shifts after the sun goes down. The lighting on the interior of the truck as well as the lighting inside the kitchen can help you achieve different visual effects. Think about the lighting in the area where you plan to park your vehicle in, too, because it can help you achieve a certain mood as well.

Another important aspect to consider regarding your customers’ sight is your kitchen. Will customers be able to see into the kitchen of your food truck? The type of vehicle you select will determine this aspect of your conceptual atmosphere: Some give better views into the kitchen than others based on the height and size of the service window.

The lighting in the kitchen is important. You must provide a safe environment for those working inside. The lighting you choose also influences how well your customers can see inside.

Providing a show in which the food is prepared in full view of the customers, as sushi chefs are famous for, or providing the sight of a few flames flying up from the grill may establish a unique and engaging atmosphere.

Sound

The noises coming from your food truck affect the atmosphere. You may want to play a certain type of music to enhance your concept. Playing Hawaiian or Mariachi music can give an energetic, exotic feel to the atmosphere around your truck, whereas playing hard rock can help a concept intended to attract a crowd with a little heavier music preference.

Be sure to check with your local municipality about the laws relating to playing music on your food truck. Some don’t allow it or put restrictions on how loud the music can be.