The Hunt for Our First Food Truck

The search started slowly. Just exploring the market, seeing what was out there. In all honesty, we'd only seen a few food trucks up close and needed to learn a lot more before committing to this new venture.

We'd been to a few food truck rallies and chatted up the owners, but they were usually too busy for much more than a short exchange. None of them had invited us inside for a look. 

We had decided that a trailer would work best for us. We already had a good towing vehicle in my F-350, and the thought of buying someone else's truck mechanical problems was not appealing. 

So, we started looking at online classified ads and regularly checked in with Craigslist. What we found was not encouraging. 

We found lots of old, really beat or empty shells of food trucks/trailers priced at about what we had hoped to spend for a turnkey rig. Most of the ones that looked good enough to consider were in the $75k and up range. Time for an expectational adjustment.

We found an ad for a local food trailer for sale, contacted the owner and made an appointment to see it. He said it was a 16-footer, which was in the size range we were looking, and that he wanted $45k, also in our range. We were excited!

Unfortunately, the trailer was cramped and in rough shape (service window falling out, plumbing not working) and had limited equipment included in the price. He also said that it was his partner who wanted to sell (he was reluctant) so maybe they wouldn't sell.  Fine by us as we could avoid telling him we really weren't interested, anyway.

Then there was a 21' trailer in Chandler with some equipment (already sold), and another 14' one that was basically the shell of a food trailer ($21k), no thank-you!

The next opportunity came in a Craigslist post. A newer (5 years old) 20' trailer, bright yellow and nicely outfitted, asking: $65,000. It was in Las Vegas, but we could travel for the right deal. Unfortunately, it had also been sold when I called.

The hunt continues...

Food Truck? Trailer? Tent? Cart? How to decide.

There are a lot of food vending options and once you have made the commitment to going mobile, you need to make that first big decision: Which is the best choice for me? Truck? Trailer? Tent? Cart? 

One could probably write a book on the subject, but it all boils down to: What are your resources? What are your markets/venues? What is your menu? Do you have a personal preference?

Food Trucks

Although the term has become generic in describing the whole gamut of mobile food vendors, it specifically describes any self-propelled food selling vehicles on wheels. They can sell prepackaged, ready-to-eat snacks and foods, or be fully equipped full-service mobile restaurants. 

They can be tiny, from the size of a food cart married to a motorcycle, or as large as a city bus...

  ..but are usually somewhere in between, from 14 to 32 feet .long and 7 feet wide is common.

Pros

• 100% self-contained.
• Easier to park than a trailer
• Faster to set-up and break-down than a trailer.

Cons

• If the truck mechanically breaks down, you are pretty much out of business until fixed.
• Less working space per linear foot than a trailer (usually narrower plus cab takes up space)
• Food trucks are the most expensive to get into, especially if you already have a good vehicle for towing a trailer.

Food Trailers

Food Trailers are food trucks without the self-propelled option.  They need to be towed between venues and into position by another vehicle.  They range in size from tiny up to 53 feet long.  Most trailers are 8.5 feet wide.

 

Pros

• If tow vehicle breaks down, you can still get to an event with a loaner/rental, etc.
• More working space per linear foot (usually wider and no cab taking up space) than a truck

Cons

• Needs a separate tow vehicle
• Most difficult to park
• More work & time to set-up and break-down tan a truck.

Food Carts

Food carts are small, usually specialized mobile food serving kiosks.  Think of ice cream, hot dogs, popcorn, or pretzels (although there are street-vending carts doing much more elaborate preparations).  They are hand-pushed or loaded onto a truck or trailer for transport between locations.

  

Pros

• Lowest entry cost
• Easily maneuverable and suitable for indoor or outdoor events.

Cons

• Need a vehicle to transport between distant locations.
• Very limited in menu scope.

Food Tents

Just what they sound like.  Temporary structures which can be a simple 10x10' pop-up to larger and more elaborate configurations.  Full outdoor kitchen set-ups often require a large box truck to transport all the components.

 

Pros

• Inexpensive start-up costs.
• Flexible configurations for different situations

Cons

• Some health departments do not support them.
• Some venues do not allow them.
• Untenable in inclement (especially windy) conditions
• The most set up and break-down work & time.

Conclusion

One of the best comparisons I've seen comes from an experienced food trucker Eddie Little Bear from his post on a food discussion group...

"In my opinion - and this is just my opinion, based on having worked tents, trailers and trucks - tents are best for quick pop-up events, like farmers' markets. Trailers are good for bigger multi-day events, like county fairs and music festivals. Trailers also have the advantage of being available in larger sizes than trucks, allowing for more options in your menu. Also, if your tow vehicle breaks down, it's not too hard to rent or borrow one to get your trailer to an event. Trucks are best for hunting down the "lunch trade", working multiple markets during a given week, possibly even creating a regular "circuit" (Mon in the XYZ parking lot, Tue across from the theater, Wednesday at the microbrewery, etc.). Trucks have the advantage of being able to move fast to get to where the customers are. So, before you buy, think about what venues you are looking at getting into." 

Oh, and yes!  There are even Food Boats and who knows what other concepts creative food entrepreneurs have come up with (or will)!

Food Truckin', a Shift in Menu Direction

My original vision of opening a fried chicken truck was fading.  The specialized equipment we had found we needed to accomplish our goals seemed impractical to install in a truck or trailer and I didn't want to just do fried wings, or tenders, or patties. By the time we figured all this out, we (and here I should probably start saying "I" as Kathryn was busy with our real job of running the dairy) had already caught the food truck bug.  Big-time.

I'm no dreamer. I'm a pragmatic. I knew that all those simplified and romanticized versions of the easy and glamorous life portrayed on movies and reality TV were not reality at all. I'd worked in restaurant kitchens for a long time so had a good idea of the life. Still, there was some undeniable appeal to the idea. I still wanted to give it a go.

Having all but completely scrapped the fried chicken menu idea, we started to discuss other options.  Maybe something a little healthier than fry-fry?

What about grilling? People think of grilling as healthier than frying. I'd been a restaurant line grill cook for years and was very comfortable cooking the style. It is, in fact, the style of cooking we primarily do at home.

There were plenty of menu possibilities with grilled foods. Nearly every cuisine and culture in the world has grilled foods among their specialties. And talk about history - people have been grilling food since we were living in caves!

Yep. Grilling might work well to base our menu on, so I began thinking of our new food truck concept as The Grill Truck. 

Researching all the possible different grilled foods out there was great fun.  I loved many of the foods and combinations I was learning about. I even came up with a catchy name for the truck (because you HAVE to have a catchy name for a food truck, right?)...

"Grillin N Chillin"

Pretty cool, right?

This was going to be fun!