Name my Food truck - Help a fellow stoner with a new business

MonkeyGrinder said:
I guess one of the most important questions to ask would be what is your truck equipped with for heating and preparing food on the go?
I assume a fridge/freezer. Do you have a grill, oven, fryers? Are they all up and in working order?
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The truck is not equipped yet. It is completly empty. I personally am hoping to utilize only refrigeration at the start. Keeping the cheese/cracker/olive theme aswell as a few drink options. I dont see why i would require more than a few simple fridges at this point.
 
Have fruit too. Apple's, oranges, figs, grapes. Easy to store and goes good with cheese. Consider anchovies, caviar, truffles, etc, for fancier toppings. Get a little pot you can melt cheese in, throw your "scrap" pieces in and put some cheap crackers out for samples. Maybe little insulated bowls you can serve melted cheese in, for a fondue platter?

Consider a small deep fryer. Everyone loves fried food. Fried cheese curds...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
 
One thing I don't like about food trucks is portion size. Last time I ate from a truck, they sold me two pulled pork sliders and a tiny scoop of potato salad for $6.50 -- and it wasn't even very good!
Instead of going for pricey artisan products, why not just give people a lot of food at a reasonable price? Why do you think taco trucks are popular?
 
As a fat guy. I know what your saying. I personally feel 20pieces of cheese and 20 crackers is more than a snack and a little less filling then a meal. I actually imagine some customers would share. I call it "artisan" but the crackers i have in mind are simple. Ritz original, classis saltine, seedy type snap cracker, and possibly one that resembled thin sliced dried bread. Pretty basic and readily available locally

At my cost of $2 for that serving, 30 cents for cracker serving.

Im thinking $4 per cheese choice. Dollar for cracker choice. Dollar for small cup of olives.

I also hear the recommendation for fruit. I like that idea very much, i would like to avoid very perishable fruits though

I just setup an in person sitdown with a small business group the government offers for startups here, run this idea by them, hopefully get feedback on rules. But they also will be preforming a name search for me if I request, and possibly registering the business right there on the spot.

Still on the fence for ideas on that.
 
I admire your enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit! If I had the guts, I'd start a business too.
Alas, I'm the OCD type and details would drive me crazy.
Here's a tip about starting a new business that I got from a *very* successful businessman:
Figure out exactly how much it costs & how long it will take to start your business -- then double both of them & you might be close.
 
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Work this problem backwards. How much do you need to gross? How many meals would you have to sell to achieve that goal? Is that easily done or a far stretch?
 
TurboTokes said:
As a fat guy. I know what your saying. I personally feel 20pieces of cheese and 20 crackers is more than a snack and a little less filling then a meal. I actually imagine some customers would share. I call it "artisan" but the crackers i have in mind are simple. Ritz original, classis saltine, seedy type snap cracker, and possibly one that resembled thin sliced dried bread. Pretty basic and readily available locally

At my cost of $2 for that serving, 30 cents for cracker serving.

Im thinking $4 per cheese choice. Dollar for cracker choice. Dollar for small cup of olives.

I also hear the recommendation for fruit. I like that idea very much, i would like to avoid very perishable fruits though

I just setup an in person sitdown with a small business group the government offers for startups here, run this idea by them, hopefully get feedback on rules. But they also will be preforming a name search for me if I request, and possibly registering the business right there on the spot.

Still on the fence for ideas on that.
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Don't forget the cost of drive by shootings.

Check on permitting in the area you wish to vend first, not all like your enthusiasm.

"City officials instructed the food vendors to move their operations from Adams Street to Washington on Tuesday, after the mayor’s office received complaints. Some worry the move is an indication of shifting policy that may make it harder for food trucks to operate in the capital city."
 
Dude food trucks are a cheap way to get some cash without the crazy permits and regulations that plague full scale restaurants, so I think you've made a good decision getting the truck...

But cheese and crackers? Not trying to be a cock, and I only read the first page of this thread, but that's a completely asinine idea. Buy a dozen refrigerated vending machines instead and outfit them to hold/vend your product.

The bread and butter (no pun intended) of the food industry is in taking something from an unprocessed basic form for as cheap as possible and then using your skill and know-how to use and transform the unprocessed item into something special that you can sell that people can't get elsewhere.

People can buy crackers and cheese. Unless they're getting something original or at a cost that blows competition out of the water, you're shit out of luck.

Think of it this way- people have been vending/selling shit like hot dogs, burgers, pretzels, beignets, sausages, popcorn, tacos, kabobs, fried dough/funnel cakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies, cupcakes for a fucking century now.... and no one ever thought to sell crackers and cheese?!?! It's not because they haven't already thought of it, it's because the idea blows donkey dicks. Like the idea actually sucks the cock and swallows the cum from the dicks of donkeys. Sorry, even if vineyards are interested, you really gotta step your game up to keep them interested. A fucking plastic wrapped weed bag of sliced Cabot cheddar and some ritz isn't going to blow anyone's mind, unless the customer base is retarded and handicapped.

Wait- that may be your in.... park the truck outside of special Olympic events and retard shelters.
 
Im open to criticism. I found one example of a cheese and cracker specific truck. It was so successful, they openned a storefront.

If the idea is stupid, then its stupid.... Just an idea in my head. Cheese and crackers are timeless in my opinion, and basically every age, gender and race is a potential customer.

Maybe im crazy, as you certainly think i am. And to be honest, ive had more than one person laugh when i pitched the idea. But ive also had alot of great feedback simple because cheese....

So i dont know what to think
 
TurboTokes said:
Im open to criticism. I found one example of a cheese and cracker specific truck. It was so successful, they openned a storefront.

If the idea is stupid, then its stupid.... Just an idea in my head. Cheese and crackers are timeless in my opinion, and basically every age, gender and race is a potential customer.

Maybe im crazy, as you certainly think i am. And to be honest, ive had more than one person laugh when i pitched the idea. But ive also had alot of great feedback simple because cheese....

So i dont know what to think
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You really ought to listen to bu$hie, he knows precisely where of he speaks. Further getting invited to show up at a winery once will not give you a permanent spot there if you don't do something special. The only thing your Ritz cracker truck will do is 'inspire' women to pack some Ritz in their purses (which most women who have toddlers do anyway). I could go on about the cheeses but same thing. I carry a small refrigeration pack and small amount of blue ice in it. We have breweries in our area and we are invited to bring our own food regularly for concert type events.

The only time I buy from a food truck is if it is something not convenient to take or they have something unique they are selling.

Anyway the other day at Disneyland I went by the Carthay Circle Lounge for a glass of wine and their charcuterie platter. The platter had the most amazing seed and fruit crackers I have ever tasted. I googled for them all over the internet and could not find the like of them anywhere. That type of cracker and some difficult to source cheese that pairs well with say a bit of fig and a small bit of honeycomb could be a winner.

But Saltines and Ritz, no way.
 
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TurboTokes said:
Im open to criticism. I found one example of a cheese and cracker specific truck. It was so successful, they openned a storefront.

If the idea is stupid, then its stupid.... Just an idea in my head. Cheese and crackers are timeless in my opinion, and basically every age, gender and race is a potential customer.

Maybe im crazy, as you certainly think i am. And to be honest, ive had more than one person laugh when i pitched the idea. But ive also had alot of great feedback simple because cheese....

So i dont know what to think
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I'm just playing with you dude. I own and run two restaurants so I have a pretty good idea about the industry but there's a shitload of variables that can lead to success or failure in it. Your post peaked my interest because I make artisan cheese and have had a lot of success using at both of my restaurants and selling it to some
food trucks here in town.

My opinion is only one opinion of course. As someone who's been doing this shit since I was 15 I've seen a lot of both good ideas and bad. You could definitely pull it off, but you won't be able to with plain Jane crackers and cheese.

Ever heard of canape's? I'm sure you have if you're in Canada, they have heavy French influence. Get artisan cheeses, cornichones, several fancy mustards, rustic crackers or better yet find a local place to bake them for you, and start making canapé platters of nice looking shit. Then walk those to the vineyards.

More work, yes, more mark up, yes, more money.

Not saying you can't sell just crackers/cheese, but normally expectations for food truck shoppers are a bit higher that.
 
I appreciate the experienced advice.

I meant butter cracker, not ritz specifically sorry. Saltine for the plain jane. Havent done much thought on specific brands or taste testing. Ive messaged a few mid to high quality cheese wholesalers in the area. Waiting to hear back on bulk prices and availability
 
I hear what you're saying about less work= less employees but put your #'s together and see if it works for you.

Let's say you modestly have gross sales of $350day. That's pretty good when you figure an avg of $7 per check... it comes out to about 50 guests per day. May sound like a lot or a little, but believe me when I say that's pretty fair- you can't account for things like cold weather (people not wanting to stand in line) rain, storms, etc. My guess is you'd actually have far less than that, and would be seeing 20-30 customers a day when you average out the whole year.


So you take $350 x 350 days a year that you're open, and you grossed $122,500. If your cogs (cost of goods sold) are pretty low, say 20% for crackers/cheese bottled drinks, you spent $24,500 on goods. You have $100k left. I haven't any idea the costs of running that truck/utilities/permits, but let's guess it's $30,000 to be conservative. You have $70,000 left, which is pretty good. Don't forget about taxes, corporation costs to govt, etc.

I would walk Around your town and talk to food truck owners/operators. Sit in a food truck place and count customers. Count people who walk
the areas you're interested in being.

Does weather affect them? How are permits in that city? Do the owners feel it's been worth it? Did they quit their jobs for the truck or do they have to supplement it? Is the business seasonal? What's the etiquette at places where there's several...first trailer who shows up sets up? What do festivals charge to be there? Etc......
 
Very good info to process. The area I am thinking of selling in is a tourist destination. Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. The foot traffic in the area is insane, which is my main reason for wanting to make the hour long drive there, vs the college town only 10 minutes a way. But definitely during winter and rain days traffic would drop .

I wish there were food trucks in the area. Canada seems to be very behind in that aspect. From my research there is only 16 trucks with active permits in Toronto, our "main city" of 2.5million which is also an hour away from me.

From what i can tell in Niagara Falls. There are less than 5. Only 3 I can find that actually roam
 
TurboTokes said:
Very good info to process. The area I am thinking of selling in is a tourist destination. Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. The foot traffic in the area is insane, which is my main reason for wanting to make the hour long drive there, vs the college town only 10 minutes a way. But definitely during winter and rain days traffic would drop .

I wish there were food trucks in the area. Canada seems to be very behind in that aspect. From my research there is only 16 trucks with active permits in Toronto, our "main city" of 2.5million which is also an hour away from me.

From what i can tell in Niagara Falls. There are less than 5. Only 3 I can find that actually roam
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Cool, I grew up in Albany NY so I know where you mean for sure
 
TurboTokes said:
The truck is not equipped yet. It is completly empty. I personally am hoping to utilize only refrigeration at the start. Keeping the cheese/cracker/olive theme aswell as a few drink options. I dont see why i would require more than a few simple fridges at this point.
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so right now you got a perfectly good heist or rape van.. yet youre trying to sell cheese and crackers. kids these days
 
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