Many food truck owners cringe at the thought of winter. Why? Business tends to slow down, their truck may not be fit for cold weather, or their menu offerings are geared towards warmer months. But no worries, we’ve got a pretty handy list of 7 ways to keep your truck thriving during cold weather to help bring peace of mind.
Caterings
This is a great way to keep things thriving in cold weather or even during wedding season. Many food trucks make big bucks offering catering services!Park at a location with indoor seating
Would you want to sit out in the rain or snow and eat a delicious meal? In most cases no, we typically will opt for indoor seating during the colder months, and you should expect that from your customers as well. If you are parked in a location with no indoor seating or draw to warmth and it effects your business, it may be time to look at finding a spot that does.Prepare your truck for the cold
One of the biggest issues we run into in the winter/early spring months is food trucks/trailers not being set up for the cold. We’ve fixed countless frozen pipes and busted sinks/faucets due to poor winterization and lack of heat in a truck, Instanthot water heaters crack and break in cold climates leaving business owners no hot water and nonoperational -you get the picture, set your truck up for success during all months of the year.Switch up the menu
Changing up the menu offers a refreshing take, and gives customers a chance to experience seasonal foods.Offer delivery through local delivery services or platforms like grubhub, ubereats, etc.
We’ve seen many of our customers utilize these apps to keep their food truck business prospering and growing during the winter months. In places where snow is prevalent, many potential customers aren’t willing to make the drive to their favorite local food truck for a delicious hot meal, but with takeout businesses, and the apps listed above it makes it possible to keep businesses thriving and customers satisfied.Focus on marketing
It is a great time during this slow season to focus on marketing efforts like social media, print advertising, revamping menus and dropping them off/uploading them, etc. Create a strategy and continuously run tests to see what outlets work for your food truck.Nurture customers and relationships to build loyalty
When business slows down it’s important to pay special attention to your patrons turning them into continuous customers, so they continue to support you -even during those cold months.
These 7 ways to keep your truck thriving is surely a great place to start when those cold weather months approach. These are things that we have either seen out in the field first hand or our customers have shared what keeps them going during these colder days with us. If you are interested in learning more about opening a food truck -rain, sun, or snow check out 5 Tips For Building a Mobile Food Truck or to learn more about renovating your existing food truck to keep up with these cold times then give us a call today at 541.728.3511!