David Weber - The food truck handbook: start, grow, and succeed in the mobile food business

Contents

Copyright 2012 by David Weber. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Weber, David, 1977

The food truck handbook: start, grow, and succeed in the mobile food business / David Weber.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN: 978-1-118-20881-6 (pbk); ISBN: 978-1-118-22867-8 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-118-24118-9 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-118-26595-6 (ebk)

1. Food industry and tradeUnited StatesManagement. 2. Food serviceUnited StatesManagement. 3. New business enterprisesUnited States. I. Title.

HD9005.W38 2012

647.95dc23

2012004740

For Juliet

Foreword

Mobile vending has seen a monumental shift in the past three years. What was an underground and unseen industry has become one of the fastest growing trends in food service. I have tried to do my part in advocating for the industry both in Los Angeles and on the national scene. However, mobile vending and the advocacy that supports it must be done locally. David Weber has been exceedingly good at running a successful food truck business while diligently advocating for the rights of all mobile vendors in the largest city in the United States. Davids solid restaurant background and inventive style is the reason for Rickshaw Dumpling Trucks success. Even in one of the most competitive cities in the United States, the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck continues to be a leader in the industry both in quality and business practice. David is also the founder of the New York City Food Truck Association (NYCFTA), an advocacy organization that has led the charge against unfair and overly restrictive regulations. Juggling his time between running a successful food truck business and an advocacy organization in the largest US market makes David one of the premier experts in the food truck field.

The new food truck industry is suffering from a lack of resources when it comes to the new gourmet food truck trend. This book will help prospective mobile vendors understand what it takes to start a mobile food business that will get the attention of customers, turn a profit, and stand the test of time. A large part of running a successful food truck is being able to serve a desirable product quickly while still making a profit. Davids experience with food service in both restaurants and food trucks provides the reader with real world service solutions for day-to-day food truck operations. These solutions are imperative for running a successful food truck business.

Starting a food truck business is no small feat. Menu selection, truck wrap design, cost outs, market research, and dealing with the various regulations all seem daunting to the new food truck operator. A common complaint from veteran food truck operators is that there were no resources available to them before they first launched. Much of their day-to-day operations in the first few months were learning the business on the go. This lack of resources led to a high failure rate in some areas of the country, especially in the more competitive cities. Prospective mobile vendors will find this book a wellspring of information in a new industry with very few resources. The step-by-step layout takes mobile vendors through issues that they will have to deal with while launching their trucks and through the life of their businesses.

As the mobile food industry grows, it is imperative that the resources that support it can provide accurate and up-to-date information about the issues that will have an effect on all vendors. This book takes a step in the right direction by laying the groundwork for a more professional industry. A more professional industry will lead to more respect for vendors and more legitimacy for the industry as a whole. The strong following from customers will continue to extend to local communities if the industry continues to grow responsibly and professionally.

Matthew Geller

Chief Executive Officer

Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association (SoCalMFVA)

Preface

I first discovered the enormous, life-changing power of entrepreneurship 1,000 kilometers east of Madagascar in the middle of the Indian Ocean. I spent the summer of 2003 in Mauritius, working as a consultant for the World Bank and assessing potential technology investments to support local businesses. I was meant to help five women entrepreneurs with their businesses, but they ended up helping me discover the transformative power of entrepreneurship.

I was amazed at the resourcefulness, ingenuity, and passion of these women. While most of them had started with very little, each of them had become an expert in her field. One woman manufactured stuffed animals for export to Germany; another ran a manufacturing company that sold clothes to France; one had a gourmet food company that made all-natural honeys and jams that were favored by the prince of Morocco; another ran a tourism company that brought visitors to Mauritius from India; and the last had a furniture manufacturing plant. Each of them had taken a risk to open her own business. Each had started small and had grown her business into something larger that was a positive force in her community, family, and personal development.