The food truck culture has taken the country by storm, growing at a rate of almost 8 percent per year, bringing in an estimated $2.7 billion in sales in 2017. Buying a truck and outfitting it for business is only part of the process. Truck owners need to have a good strategy for maximizing their earning potential.
Branding is Crucial in the Food-Truck Business
In some U.S. cities, nearly everywhere you turn is a food truck, such as in Portland, Oregon, which is said to the be the food truck capital of the nation. To drive revenue, truck owners need to stand out from the crowd to easily be recognized and give their customers a unique dining experience. When it comes to attracting customers, simply making great food isn’t enough. Branding is crucial in the food-truck business.
To make your truck stand out in the crowded food truck scene, choose a bold color scheme and large graphics. Keep in mind that you want your truck to be instantly recognizable because it’s mobile; your business will be in different places at different times.
Carry your branding message across social media platforms and use them to provide customers that like and follow your food truck business with your location and daily specials.
Offer something that other food trucks don’t, such as a covered seating area, perhaps with music, where customers can casually enjoy their meal before carrying on with their day. The more memorable your customer’s food truck experience is, the more word-of-mouth advertising you’ll benefit from, which is the best kind of advertising there is.
When it comes to creating a covered seating area for guests, don’t settle for just any boring white pop-up canopy. If it helps your food truck become wildly popular, before you know it, every other food truck will have a white canopy and offer covered outdoor seating for customers. Typical easy-up canopies can be bought at most home-goods box stores for a couple hundred dollars. Why not be the trend setter and include your food truck canopy as part of your branding and marketing scheme? A custom designed outdoor canopy structure can be branded with your logo, and adhere to your branding scheme using a large selection of fabric colors and patterns to help attract more customers and increase food truck revenue!
Design a Food Truck Canopy from WeatherPort®
When it comes to choosing an outdoor canopy structure, there are hundreds, if not thousands of similarly designed pop-up canopies available from retailers and online stores. Some even give you the ability to customize the color and add your logo. Investing in an easy-up canopy is a money losing choice. The thin metal tubing, accordion-style plastic hinges, and camping tent material are not designed for prolonged use outdoors. These canopies are designed to be used for a season of tailgate parties and thrown away as soon as they break. Certainly, as a business owner, you want to invest in a quality canopy structure that will provide your customers with protection from inclement weather, will last a long-time, is capable of holding up to the rigors of constant setup and take downs, can be customized with your own design and food truck logo, and also protects you from potential law-suits because you chose to invest in a cheaply made accordion canopy tent that collapsed, injured customers and damaged nearby property when an unexpected dust devil paid you a visit.
Instead of putting you and your food truck business at risk, and avoid the headaches of ordering a new canopy tent every few months, why not invest in a high-quality and engineered canopy structure designed to be used and meet the demands of a food truck canopy?
See what happens when a canopy tent and a WeatherPort® Canopy from Alaska Structures® are put to the test and subjected to hurricane-force winds!
The WeatherPort® Canopy Series is available in the following sizes:
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Choose from a wide selection of canopy side-curtain designs. The side-curtains are made of the same long-lasting material as the main cover of the WeatherPort® canopy and can be customized with different fabric colors and printed logos or designs.
Be bold and choose a fabric color that closely matches your branding scheme, or contact us for the availability of ordering special colors.
A Food Truck Canopy Designed for Portability and Durability
Food truck canopies from WeatherPort® are as mobile as your truck and designed for a fast and easy set up and take down. We engineered the WeatherPort® canopy structure for portability, maximizing the ability to pack in a low cube, be setup in less than 15-minutes, securely anchor to nearly any ground type, and provide the ultimate protection against sudden or extreme weather conditions.
The frame system of our canopy structures are made using high-strength galvanized steel or lightweight and aircraft-grade aluminum. Optional powder coating is available if you intend to use your canopy structure in coastal environments where sea spray is present, or if you wish to add an aesthetically pleasing color to contrast or match the design of your food truck canopy!
The tensioned membranes of a WeatherPort® canopy are the first thing people see and what provides the protection from rain, hail, snow, and wind. Our membranes are made using a proprietary blend of materials that will outlast and outperform any pop-up canopy tent on the market. Our engineered fabrics offer a greater abrasion resistant than other PVC- or PE-based fabrics, are UV stabilized (not coated) for prolonged use in sunny locations, will not rot, is mold and mildew resistant, and exceeds the fire safety requirements outline in the California Code of Regulations for membrane structures. And while we are talking about how cool and how much better our tensioned fabric structures are, we are one of two companies in the United States that has the technology and capability to print high-resolution logos directly onto our fabrics.
Don’t tell anyone, but the other company is Alaska Structures (our sister company).
The WeatherPort® canopy is designed for rugged durability and provides a great return on investment. It is not uncommon for us to hear back from customers 10, 20, or 30+ years that are still using their original WeatherPort®.
Ideas for Increasing Food Truck Revenue
In many parts of the country, weather can wreak havoc with your food truck business. Cold, wet, and unexpected wintery conditions can discourage even the most devoted customer. Even if you’re located in southern California with year-round sun, your food truck business can likely benefit from a boost from operating year-round vs. seasonally. Here are some ideas for increasing your food truck revenue and operating year-round.
Food Trucks for Catering and Events
One good way to keep money coming in all year-round is to branch out and offer food truck catering. Events, especially outdoor events, are an excellent way to make more money and to get your name out there. Food truck weddings are an increasingly popular way for budget savvy couples looking for a less expensive alternative to traditional catering.
Food Trucks with Covered Seating Areas for Customers
As discussed above, providing your customers with a covered seating area is a great solution for year-round revenue. Be it sun, rain, or snow; people appreciate the option to step out of the weather. If the area is large enough, it can serve as both a waiting area and a seating area.
Join Forces: Food Trucks and Local Businesses
Perhaps your food goes well with wine, but you don’t serve it. Consider joining forces with a local, up-and-coming winery and serve both, together. Find businesses that would benefit from having food service on site, such as outdoor movie festivals, little league games, or taphouses that don’t have a kitchen.
Contact Us Today to Get Started on Designing a Food Truck Canopy
A food truck canopy from WeatherPort® is a great marketing tool to help increase your food truck revenue. Combined with the ideas above, you’ll be in the market for a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th truck in no time. Make a WeatherPort® food truck canopy part of your expansion plan and treat guests with a unique experience!
Contact us today to speak with a friendly building specialist. We’ll work with you and your business strategy to design the ultimate food truck canopy for your business!
WeatherPort® is a brand of high-quality fabric buildings from Alaska Structures®. If you are interested in learning more about our fabric buildings and remote camp systems please contact us by calling +1-907-344-1565 or completing our online form to request a consultation.
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