Getting on the Bandwagon: Why You Should Operate A Mobile Food Trailer
So you are ready to breakout into the food business and you’re trying to figure out what’s the best avenue to go. On one hand, you have the old model of doing things, and by that I mean going out and securing the traditional brick and mortar location. Granted, now you need to be able to find the exact location you need, and if not then you will have to build it from the ground-up, which will of course skyrocket the cost you will burden. Maybe you luck out though, and find an existing location. There is still the matter of all the interior build-out that will need to be done, not to mention all the equipment, all the seating for your future patrons, and all the ancillary cost that will undoubtedly happen. According to Restaurantengine.com, the average cost of opening a traditional restaurant will cost you anywhere from $275,000- $425,000 (but don’t forget to add in the interest if you had to take a loan out for all this).
If you are doing the math on this, for many people it can seem completely demoralizing. Many people feel defeated before they even begin chasing down their dream. There are alternatives though, and one in particular is Mobile Food Concession Trailers. Besides the obvious cost savings involved (which you will see the more you scroll down), there are so many other reasons to choose this as your way into the food service industry. At Smokin Joe’s Trailers, we have been able to help so many people achieve their vision, and helped them get the exact custom trailer of their choice to make their business successful. If having your own custom food trailer made to the way you want isn’t enough to entice you to seriously consider the mobile food business, then consider the following:
1. Mobility
It’s not called a mobile food trailer for no reason, and while this goes without saying, it is one of the main reasons to consider a food concession trailer over brick and mortar. The ability to move around freely is so incredibly advantageous for a business owner in the food business. With a traditional static restaurant front you are stuck to the location, and so many factors can affect the amount of traffic you have coming into the store. You are at the mercy of your location (not to mention that long term lease you probably had to sign).
Imagine being able to move from site to site, and having the freedom to experiment and try new places that might drive customers to you. With a mobile concession food trailer, you get to pick the place s you want to set up shop. Maybe you join a food truck park and get a spot that already brings in high customer walkthroughs. Maybe during the week at lunch times you’re able to make an arrangement with a building and set up shop in a parking lot. Employees and Employers both see you as a solution, because no one has to be late from their lunch break because the went off site and got stuck in traffic. You provide a service directly to them.
What if some place you set up at doesn’t work out? Well you’re able to move somewhere else, and try some new strategies. Check out what some of Smokin Joe’s Trailers customers have been able to do with their mobile business.
- Rise And Shine Coffee: A mobile coffee shop, serving up lattes, espressos, and more.
- Alamo City Shaved Ice: A mobile shaved ice vendor with some awesome flavors!
2. Business is Booming
Right now chain restaurants are experiencing a contraction of business. There have been many recent articles blaming the millennial generation for this, and while this may be partly true, the other factor is that people are looking for a new type of experience, and it turns out food concession trailers are in! When the food truck industry really started taking off back in 2011–2012, it was generating $650 million dollars a year. Flash-forward to 2017, and it’s expected to bring in $2.7 billion dollars! There is absolutely no sign that this trend is going to stop, or take a downward turn, and in fact many expect it to just increase in popularity through 2020 and beyond.
Interestingly enough, one of the reasons for this boom is the millennial demographic who are no longer spending the same money their parents did at chain restaurants. They would rather spend their money on something unique and different; the experience that can be created by having a food concession trailer can give them just that!
3. Cost Savings and Other Considerations
We’ve already discussed how expensive it can be to open up a traditional type of restaurant, but let’s talk about actually comparisons. Now, any business venture can be risky, so as the business owner you have to do your own due diligence to make sure your business plan is spot on. A food trailer business has about a 25% chance to fail in its first year, however a traditional restaurant has a 60% failure rate. One of the main reasons for this comes down to capital.
So we already know a restaurant can cost an upward of $400K to get off the ground, where as a food concession trailer business start up can happen for $50k- $100K. While still an investment, we are talking about a significant amount of cost savings. Now, you will have to factor in some line items that a restaurant does not have, like oil changes, tire replacement, and general vehicle maintenance, but even with that you are still coming in under what a brick and mortar would be.
Picking the right trailer is important, and having it customized to what you need even more so. Trailers can run approximately 14K and up, but making the investment on the right one will protect that investment. During the month of November, Smokin Joe’s Trailers is running a special giving you $1000 off the purchase of any new trailer from us! Contact us for details to get started.
4. Quality Control
When opening a restaurant, you will need a large staff to facilitate the needs of all the guests. You need waitstaff, multiple cooks, bussers, hosts, managers, supervisors and so on. That’s a lot to manage and keep up with. Unfortunately with that many people involved it can become quite the task to maintain a high level of quality control. When operating a food concession trailer, a lot of these issues go away.
First you are dealing with a much smaller space, so it’s impossible to have that many people in the kitchen. That’s a good thing though. With less to manage, you, as the business owner, are able to focus on quality and process. You can make sure each meal goes out right, you can make sure each of your staff is consistent and working from the same playbook as you.
Secondly is that you are able to be quick on your feet when you need to make adjustments to your product or process. If you need to make a quick change at a restaurant, you have the uphill battle of making sure everyone on the entire staff is aware of the change. Catching everyone at one meeting, or making sure everyone checks an email or newsletter, or just hoping that the word-of-mouth from Manager to staff gets through correctly always creates stress. If the message is not clearly delivered, ultimately it’s the customer who suffers. With a food trailer, your staff is small, you are guaranteed everyone knows what’s going on, and even on the fly changes can be communicated to your group, thus keeping customer satisfaction high.
5. The Customers Are Awesome!
We mean it! The majority of the people who visit a food truck, if they enjoy the food, will keep coming back, and not only that, they bring their friends, and provide great word-of-mouth free marketing. The food service industry is all about people. Your customers should mean everything to you, and nothing beats one-on-one interaction with them and seeing how much they enjoy the food you provide them. What’s great about the mobile food industry is that you get to interact with your customers in personal ways and really get to know them. You get the chance to see them face-to-face every time they order and pretty soon you really get to know you regulars.
You become part of the community and everyone gets to know you. If you’re doing your part right, they will happily follow where you food concession trailer pops up. Many location are fast becoming hosting grounds to several food trailers and adding amenities like picnic seats, live music, and playgrounds for kids. This draws the community to you, and you’re able to cultivate some amazing interpersonal relationships!
Conclusion:
We just hit on a few reasons why we at Smokin Joe’s Trailers believe that the mobile food concession industry is the best, but the list could go on and on. The most important thing is that you as a business owner are passionate about it. If you are then it is guaranteed to show, and in the end, customers are loyal to passionate servers. There is no better time to jump into this amazing market than now and Smokin Joe’s Trailers is ready to provide you with the best custom made trailer for your businesses. Contact us today, let’s talk, and find out why we are the Number 1 Food Concession Trailer Dealer in Texas!
