How to start, grow, and succeed in the food truck business.
Food trucks have become a wildly popular and important part of the hospitality industry. Consumers are flocking to these mobile food businesses in droves, inspiring national food truck competitions and even a show dedicated to the topic on The Food Network. The relatively low cost of entry as compared to starting a restaurant, combined with free and low-cost ways to market them to the masses via platforms like social media, are just two of the reasons that food truck business are drawing in budding entrepreneurs.
Author David Weber, a food truck advocate and entrepreneur himself, is here to offer his practical, step-by-step advice to achieving your mobile food mogul dreams in The Food Truck Handbook. This book cuts through all of the hype to give both hopeful entrepreneurs and already established truck owners an accurate portrayal of life on the streets. From concept to gaining a loyal following to preventative maintenance on your equipment this book covers it all.
Includes profiles of successful food trucks, detailing their operations, profitability, and scalability.
Establish best practices for operating your truck using one-of-a-kind templates for choosing vending locations, opening checklist, closing checklist, and more.
Create a sound business plan complete with a reasonable budget and finding vendors you can trust; consider daily operations in detail from start to finish, and ultimately expand your business.
Stay lean and profitable by avoiding the most common operating mistakes.
Author David Weber is Founder and President of the NYC Food Truck Association (NYCFTA), which brings together small businesses that own and operate premium food trucks in NYC focused on innovation in hospitality, high quality food, and community development.
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Foodies the world over have awakened to the mouthwatering potential of the food truck, inspiring national food truck competitions and even a show on the Food Network. The relatively low cost of entry, combined with free and low-cost ways to market them through social media, make the food truck business an ideal entry point for budding entrepreneurs.
The Food Truck Handbook offers step-by-step advice on achieving your mobile food mogul dreams. From concept development to gaining a loyal following to preventative maintenance on your equipment, this book covers everything you need to know about starting and running a successful food truck business, including:
Profiles of successful food trucks, detailing their operations, profitability, and scalability
How to write a sound business plan, set a reasonable budget, and raise the money to get started
Best practices and tools to help you pick a truck, choose a location, find trustworthy vendors, and get your truck open on time
How to stay lean and profitable by avoiding the most common operating mistakes??
How to grow from one truck to multiple trucks, restaurants, wholesale, or a food truck franchise
About the Author
David Weber is a food truck advocate and entrepreneur. He is founder and President of the NYC Food Truck Association (NYCFTA), which brings together small businesses that own and operate premium food trucks in New York City. David is also a cofounder of Rickshaw Dumplings, a growing fast casual chain that operates multiple food trucks. Prior to his experience in hospitality, David was a technology and business consultant. He holds an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business and a BA in English literature from Yale University.
David Weber (Brooklyn, NY) is the founder and President of the NYC Food Truck Association (NYCFTA), which brings together small businesses that own and operate premium food trucks in NYC focused on innovation in hospitality, high quality food, and community development. Through his work at the NYCFTA, David liaises with local government and communities in order to help reinvent food truck vending in a way that is beneficial to the City, food truck entrepreneurs, and New Yorkers. David is also a cofounder of Rickshaw Dumpling Bar, a growing fast casual chain of two restaurants and four food trucks. Prior to his experience in hospitality, David was a technology and business consultant. David holds an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business and a BA in English Literature from Yale University.
I read through the book quickly, since it is uncomplicated and presents the basic concepts in a clear and distinct way. For anyone who is thinking about starting a food truck business or is simply interested in what everyone is talking about, this is the book to buy. The author hits on the big picture "policy" issues and delves into the nitty gritty that you would never know unless you had been on the streets running a truck for years. Since he's in NYC, where operating a business can be the most difficult, it's good to get an almost 'worst case' scenario. The section on regulations was helpful, since the author shows the different requirements and issues faced in different cities. I liked the commentaries from other truck operators; a good way to bring in different viewpoints.
My high rating for this book has a lot to do with the fact that this book was EXACTLY what I needed to prepare to launch my own NYC food truck. Easy to follow and enjoyable to read, yet full of plenty of details, great tips and fun interviews with other food truckers. I kept a notebook next to me while I read this and wrote down things like: "test COGS at 30% to set final menu prices," "ask insurance broker if there are fees for additional insured (there shouldn't be!)," "sign up for free Google Voice phone number," and "consider hourly time limit on catering rates to cover staff pay." Really practical advice. My only complaint is that this book wasn't around three years ago when I started planning the food truck business. Of course if it had, it might have scared me off! Weber doesn't sugarcoat things, but he also makes sure to highlight the joys of street vending too. I feel so much more prepared after reading this handbook.
As someone who picked this book up at a local store, rather than Amazon, I was shocked to see the price it's being offered at. I would have paid double what I did for the information contained in here! The book presents a timely, culturally relevant guide to the 50,000 foot view of owning and operating a food truck business, but drills down to the nitty gritty enough to answer some of the deeper questions one might have. While location varies intensely for regulatory requirements, the book presents a fantastic overview of what might be required to put the truck's tires on the road. If you're seriously considering a food truck venture, this book is a MUST READ! (Don't pass up the opportunity to get it for such a ridiculously low price, either!)
