Food Expert and a former Food truck owner
The reward is the hard work you put in because this is your baby. Your fabulous food is the key ingredient, then the smiles and high-fives will follow.
You love to cook and friends and family eagerly await your offering and experimentation – which could only mean one thing! TAKE IT TO THE STREETS!!
Are you ready to take it on? You know you want to.
The upside first and foremost has to be you will be your own boss and with that comes responsibility, motivation, and lots of hard work.
Sure this culinary escapade doesn’t have the cost of running a restaurant and the attraction of lower overheads are enticing. Let’s not forget a business objective and how to manage your time is the deal maker.
But before we get too excited here are the things to evaluate:
The biggest influence has to be your budget as to how you will get the food to the people. Well before the food is thought about it comes down to what kind of mobility you can comfortably afford. You can start off small as a testing ground and work your way up. This can be a Food Cart, then a Marquee or popup Gazebo, next up a Van, perhaps a Trailer and ultimately the Food Truck.
Research your options. Visit events (check our Food truck Festivals directory and get in touch with organisers)
By doing so you’ll get a feel for what suits the cooking and selling of your offering. Ask the seasoned operators what they think. You might discover a marquee to be a better option. Of course the obvious consideration is the equipment too. It might just be a sandwich press, fryer and espresso machine, somehow I can’t see wood oven pizza being pushed around on a food cart. Regardless the equipment has to be of a commercial standard, the hospitality industry dictates that.
The legal requirements keep any old person on the street from selling food on any old street. Strict legal rules and regulations are in place to see you might need some basic training in order that you conform with the appropriate food safety legislation. The Foods Standard Code will become your ‘go to’ reference guide and you will form an affiliation. Realistically there are certain sections that relate to your situation.
Basic food training and food safety need to be completed by the owner and the staff before your delicious cuisine is introduced to the public. There are hospitality training providers in all states whether they be in-house or online. All Australian states differ in their training requirements, therefore well worth looking into. It is your responsibility as the owner, along with your staff, to be well-versed in food handling and safety. The food can be tasty but let’s not be hasty!
Whether you decide on a food cart or anything up to a food truck, insurance is necessary. When you book a space at an event the organisers will ask for a copy of your ‘Certificate of Currency’. Especially when the public is involved this is mandatory, but of course, you will insure your business too, there is a lot of time and money involved in your venture. The local councils might have laws and regulations in place for public liability, then of course the insurance companies will have a structure in place for your needs.
For the mobile food business, the type of cover would include – income and vehicle protection, public liability, and workers’ compensation.
Do we dread the legal implication? Of course, we do. The laws are in place for everyone’s protection. Gone are the days when Black Bart sold his meat pies out of a wheelbarrow in the 1800’s on a street corner. I feel we have progressed somewhat. Get the legal in place then take your fabulous offering to the masses.
If you want a foot-in the hospitality industry and think the food truck undertaking is an easy attempt then there is a lot to learn about. The Australian food industry has rules and regulations to be able to operate in a legal and safe manner.
Make yourself aware of the rules and regulations in your area. Operating outside of your legal responsibility could have you face penalties, or worse, the loss of your licence to operate.
To obtain a Mobile Food Vending Vehicle licence usually depends on conditions and taking into account:
There may be restrictions encountered and additional consent if you trade on government or private property and the street and thoroughfares may fall into this category. The obvious way out is to provide a comprehensive list of when and where you contemplate trading which should all be included in the Statement of Trade.
The requirements in registering and licensing your Mobile Food Vending Vehicle, and all other legals vary from State to State, can become confusing. Unless you are travelling over the border all that interests you is the State you live in.
As an example, in Adelaide have the following requirements handy as you will need to submit them.
Here are the links for all the States and Territories in Australia with their individual requirements. Basically all you need to know and no need to look any further are here.
When it comes to the bottom line you need to confirm your Mobile Food Vending Vehicle conforms to the Food Standards Code.
Everything is based on a simple rule;
Quality is the best business plan, period. – Steve Jobs
In order to have your food truck follow the road map to Successtown you will need an in-depth business plan – a course of action. The proceed-with cost is real! $50,000 to $100,000 or more. Get over that hurdle by way of a financial institution then the rest falls into place.
A start-up budget, through to anticipated yearly sales and profit. You can include who are your competitors and who will be your customers? Essentially this is where your analysis lies, a lot of hard work up front will establish a well-maintained plan of action for a positive achievement.
So it is more than buying a truck, it is a restaurant on wheels. To refine your concept then a market study needs to kick in and what type of location suits you best as where, is a vital ingredient of your triumph. Rest assured the industry continues to grow, despite a slow year in 2020 because of the COVID lockdowns.
Implement your research. Determine what your target market is as to identify what they like and what grabs their attention. Checkout the other food trucks, restaurants and take-away in the area, might give a better understanding of what food is popular.
Get a business plan . Documenting your key goals, objectives and strategies you plan to use to get there helps you stay mindful when launching your new business and can be a handy record. A financial analysis is another useful tool to assess the long-term viability, stability, and profitability of your business.
Food trucks can succeed or fail based on concept or business plan. What kind of food do you love? What do you specialise in? These seem to be the criteria most wannabe truckers are concern about but the foundation needs to be laid first, a good strong business plan.
Let’s take certainty down to street level. The harsh reality is you have to spend money to make money – it’s a no brainer!
financing a food truck is not as difficult as it might seem
Unless you have the ready cash to invest in your dream a lending institution will have to be sought. The setup cost in Australia for a food truck business could be anywhere between $80,000 to $140,000, depending on what your individual requirements are.
A business or commercial loan could fund the complete venture. If you do have initial capital then a low rate finance option would make a great alternative.
The first port ‘o’ call would be your very own bank. You have probably banked with them since your very first school bank account. They like the fact that their customers will continue to deal with them including all family members. Therefore to keep your loyalty a tailored business loan could be achieved.
Otherwise if you don’t have a lending institution to call upon and a straightforward procedure is what you need then there is someone who can help.
To arrange a low-rate easy to maintain loan for a truck, caravan or commercial and business resource 360 finance can help. They have a connection with over 30 Australian banks and non-bank lenders. They can structure the best solution to your financial needs having a long-term involvement in hospitality and mobile food vendors www.360finance.com.au/truckloans.
financeone. (Commercial Food Truck Financing with Bad Credit)
This certainly could be ‘food for thought’?
Never forget that education is of the utmost. Before you consult a financier, delve deep and learn all you can. Is there an investor willing to be a part of your grand scheme? You never know.
Crowdfunding is a great financing option for many people in to- day’s world. It allows for multiple people to pool small amounts of money into helping advance a specific product or cause they
Crowd-funding usually involves signing up for a website like crowdfunding.com.au
Once you join, you would then give details about your business and what you hope to accomplish with the money you receive. It might also be a good idea to upload a video describing your mission, share some photos or business ideas
Useful link to start with:
https://business.gov.au/finance/seeking-finance/crowdfunding
There are different jobs concerning the operation of a food truck. Not including the driver, as where he / she may be the owner, there are the obvious tasks in place.
A cook, window attendant, food preparation, manager, and cashier are the obvious positions. Although some titles can meld together like window attendant and cashier. The owner can sometimes wear 3 hats, driver, manager, and cook. Let’s be realistic, how many people can a food truck comfortably house?
As for catering for an event or function might need a whole new game plan. The circumstance might require a ‘Front of House’ catering representative, a ‘Mine Host’ if you like. Be prepared!
Food truck owners might look for quick learners with positive attitudes, those who really want to be there, yet some experience in hospitality helps. With this in mind, students studying hospitality at TAFE colleges might have a ‘heads-up’, and being students might welcome a part-time job, especially during the holiday period. www.tafecourses.com.au
Employment websites advertise food truck positions quite regularly. www.seek.com.au/food-truck-jobs
www.indeed.com/q-Food-Truck-Employee-jobs.html
There is a hiring opportunity staring us in the face. There are a breed of employee who works in a fast-paced environment and are taught commercial cooking applications and preparation along with good customer interaction. Yes you got it! The humble fast food employee. Convince them, if employed, they will be wearing a more subdued uniform.
But what to pay these good hard working folk. A good place to start would be the Fair Work Ombudsman www.fairwork.gov.au
The people at Payscale tell us the average rate is AUD$18.54 / hour www.payscale.com/research/AU/Job=Food_Service_Worker/Hourly_Rate
post-COVID times saw the backpackers jumping at food truck work that can be permanent now with a visa sponsor (with extra fees) for the right person.
check out these Facebook groups where you can find backpackers after hospitality jobs:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/backpackerjobsaustralia/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AustraliaBackpackerJobs/
You have a desire to open your own food truck and the criteria might be you have a signature dish, or even the whole menu in your head. Admittedly there is a lot more to operating a food truck, although the conceptual food offering is a darn good start.
Menu costs, your ROI of every recipe are the essential part of your business profitability and fuel, you need to break down all the costs of each ingredient that has been used in your recipe so you understand your ROI
Luck you ! we built a free tool that you can use to calculate your recipe ROI, save and print your result afterwards :
Recipe Cost Calculator
Your logo, business name and menu will attract the hungry publics attention and they will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame, if the delicious aroma doesn’t get them first. The menu will be the clincher for sure – only problem being what to order? This will define exactly what to expect from your business.
If you have a specialty dish then some research will have to be done to complete the menu. If you are following a countries cuisine e.g. Mexican, Italian, Indian etc, you may think ‘easy done’. But not so fast! CONSISTENCY. Every item on the menu has to be quality and value for money. Your target audience may not be keen on your signature dish therefore give your entire menu some pride and passion too.
But what if my signature dish is ‘Pheasant under Glass’, you say? Maybe not really a fit for a food truck unless you have a parking spot in front of the Dorchester? Look to see what’s trending along with a ‘belt that outta the park’ attitude, then you can feed the masses successfully.
Limit your menu to what you can physically produce. You need to be realistic that a truck isn’t a commercial kitchen. Small area and a few staff makes for a smaller menu structure. If the menu is to be displayed then a larger easy to read font would be advisable. A separate blackboard could advise there is a ’daily special’, a brief history of the cuisine or maybe just a welcome with a smiley face. Photographing food is critical. A professional photographer is best unless you are handy with a ‘state of the art’ mobile phone camera.
Perhaps a recommendation would be 5 to 12 different menu items at any given time would be manageable. The menu should be easy to prepare ‘as where’ you have a captive customer who knows this isn’t fast food but no one expects to wait 20 minutes for an order. Keep the line moving in order not to lose customers.
Your menu should be in-line with your brand. The logo, menu, font style, graphics and colour scheme should all work together. This is exactly how the public will recognise and remember who you are.
You will create a legion of followers and they will trace your movements. If your customers give you a thumbs up then that goes to prove ‘the customer is always right’ and you are on the right track.
