Your menu is integral to the success of your food truck. It doesn’t matter how delicious your food is if you aren’t attracting customers to your window. Take the time to plan, organize and design a menu concept that will appeal to your target audience. Follow our tips to build a new menu or re-evaluate your current menu.
Try to fill a niche in your community and not enter a crowded market. For example, if there are three trucks in the area serving wood-fired pizza, perhaps it’s not a good idea for you to do the same.
Whether you’re starting a new business or growing your restaurant, food trucks allow you to sell your food and brand in areas that would traditionally be out of reach. Food trucks are trendy, and when executed well, they project the image of a restaurant that is thriving and savvy enough to follow the latest trends. Think of your truck as a billboard on wheels that allows guests to experience some of your food before they walk through your doors.
A menu with too many options can get overwhelming for both you and your customer. A complicated menu can make it more difficult for your customers to choose and they might seek out another food truck with a simpler menu. Also, having too many dishes to create will put pressure on the folks inside the food truck. With limited storage and prep space, a streamlined menu sets you and your team up for success.
Diners are typically going to eat your food on the go, and with limited cutlery, so make sure your food is easy to eat and travels well. Foods on a stick, handhelds, and finger foods like fries are all great options.
Working with a smaller staff presents operational challenges. Make sure your team can keep up with your menu, because a guest’s interaction with a food truck lasts only a few minutes. Long lines indicate to potential diners that your truck serves great food, but turning over orders quickly is key to maintaining high guest satisfaction.
When you’re laying out the menu board, place your most popular dishes in the upper right hand corner or the center of the board. The eye is naturally drawn to these places first. Not every passerby will take the time to read the whole menu so you want to make sure the best of what you offers pops easily off the board.
