Food trucks are the lifeblood of Americans, hustling hard and living harder. But COVID waves changing gears like Tesla is giving us new challenges every day, especially if you own a restaurant on the go. Avoid long queues and Ordering pickup from food trucks using contactless technology has become bog-standard. The world has definitely learned to accept the new normal, and if you really want to keep up with the pace, these tips will help you gain an edge over competitors:
5 Tips to maximize sales this spring for your food truck
Spring is the season that brings back all the energy and charm in our lives, enforcing the spirit of joy in each one of us. Of course, this also means that families would start planning a lot of get-togethers, gearing up for lawn parties, adventure hikes, and weekend barbeques. But this Spring is going to be a bit different. Families are still going to get together, planning the next getaway - but in a safe and confined space. And like always food is going to be the point of convergence and conversations.
So if you own a food truck, you really have a good chance of getting those customers to relish your offerings, even if they decide to stay-in. How? All you need is to invest some time and effort into the following direction:
Promote Safety and Hygiene
In 2021, everyone is scared about just one thing - the risk of contracting the coronavirus that continues to wreak havoc in the world. Every person wants to feel safe and protected against the virus, but they also want to feel normal at the same time. For humans, the freedom to be able to celebrate special occasions with their favorite food is a rally towards “normalcy”. So how do you evoke the feeling of trust amongst your customers so they feel safe when considering your food truck for their incessant cravings?
Source: Daily Gazzette
Put up Banners/Screens: wherever you decide to park your food truck, make sure to put a big banner of signage that clearly mentions all the steps you and your staff are taking to maintain utmost hygiene in the kitchen. If possible, you can put a LED screen at the cash counter that would live stream kitchen activities. This would not only make your customers trust your food, but also play a vital role in word-of-mouth marketing. It works 100%.
Promote Hygiene on Socia Media: Have a social media presence? People who follow your schedule? Speak with them heart-to-heart through your social channels, stories, reels and make them go through the entire process of preparing and serving orders. Make them a part of your journey in as many ways as possible.
Focus on seasonal dishes
It’s springtime, the burgers are just doing fine, macaroni and cheese are always in demand, and cool mocktails are the best companions - but you need more, a lot more this year, to entice the cravings of those choosing to stay indoors and order-in. They are craving something healthy, locally sourced, in-the seasons, and no to forget, tasty at the same time. So how would you incorporate the demand of the new world?
Think Mangoes, Watermelons, Lemons, Kiwi, Grapefruits - or simply go all in. Since people have been spending a lot of time doing mundane chores at home, they’d love to experiment with their food at least. So add some exotic dishes from seasonal ingredients, and see your sales skyrocketing this Spring.
Source: Rewards Network
Create Family Combos Meals
This is the year when you’ll see a lot of people spending quality time with their families. Families are getting together like never before. This also means that they are ordering-in more than ever.
In a survey, 67% of Americans agreed that they opted for food delivery more than three times a week so they can spend more time with their family members at the dining table. Leverage this substantial change in the trend and create combo meals for a family of 4 or more. Such meals not only improve conversions but also ensure high average cart value. To amp up the sales further, you can create daily special meal combos that your loyal customers would look forward to each day or week.
Offer Contactless Collect & Go Service
The flexibility to offer multiple pick-up points or location-based pick-up points will help you garner the sales that most restaurants lose on any given day due to location restrictions. Move around, offer a collect and go service that requires minimum human interaction. Contactless Technology is one thing that you must invest in today’s time and age if you want to get ahead of competitions and keep moving the wheel. Allow your customers to scan, order, and pay from their mobile device, from the comfort of their home or car, or just while standing outside the food truck. The app will send them real-time notifications on food preparation and collection time, which would help avoid long queues and waiting for lines at the truck location.
Offer Delivery
If you still not doing it, high-time that you do. Offering delivery opens a plethora of sales opportunities helping to expand at a much faster pace. People no longer feel safe in long lines waiting for their food. Offering the convenience of online ordering and delivery is a great way to reach out to your customer who might not be in the vicinity of your food truck. You can either use your own staff to make deliveries or partner with delivery operators that work on flat-rate delivery fees. Get more details on self-delivery here. This way you can park your food truck at a fixed location, focus on food preparation and reach out to even those customers that you have been missing out on.
In today’s challenging environment, selling food on the go could seem a little troublesome, but with proper planning and technology adoption, you can improve the sales whilst keeping the wheels of the food truck moving for long!
