Like a lot of people these days, I have many different interests and goals in life. One of those goals is owning a food truck.

However, I know that running any sort of food service business is difficult, especially starting out.

Being new to the food truck game, I can basically count as a given:

• Long hours
• Low (if any) pay
• Even lower chances of success

But the only way to find all this out is by actually doing it. Right?

I researched how to run a food truck…by Googling “How to run a food truck”

I’ve researched how to run a food truck, primarily by running an extensive Google search well past the 12th “O” in “Gooooooooooooooooogle”.

I’ve looked up “How to start a food truck business“, “How to write a successful food truck business plan“, and a few other permutations of “how to” and “food truck”.

I also watch The Great American Food Truck Race on Food Network. It’s a reality competition show hosted by Tyler Florence (aka “T-Flo”) where potential food truck-prenuers are given a food truck.

The teams cook and sell food across the country and take part in various competitions to eliminate one team per week. The winning food truck team gets to keep the food truck and is also given $50,000 to start their dream.

Here’s an interview with the winners of last year’s Great American Food Truck Race, Seoul Sausage in LA, California:

 

But the fact of the matter is, all the Googling and YouTubing in the world will NOT truly teach me how to own and run a money-making food truck.

how will I learn how to run a food truck?

Probably by working on a food truck.

When I’m not busy writing social media marketing and Web content for my clients, I also enjoy cooking part-time at a restaurant that has food trucks.

I do this to:

• Earn additional income
• Gain invaluable cooking skills and insight into how to run a successful restaurant (or in this case, a food truck)

So far I’ve worked just one shift on the food truck (I usually work in the bricks and mortar restaurant location). Also, it was for a catered event, not a busy lunch or dinner rush.

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed working on the food truck.

However, I’m also cautious and typically research business ventures before I jump right into them.

That’s because when I go into business, I play to win The Game.

Please keep in mind, I have ZERO experience in either owning or working extensively on a food truck…yet.

But for now, I can only speculate on what it’s like to own a food truck.

And that’s why I wrote this blog post called:

5 reasons why owning a food truck is awesome 

5. You cook delicious food

There are a lot of different food trucks out there serving many different types of food.

For example, in the Boston area, we have Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Grilled Cheese Nation, and Bon Me, which serves Vietnamese sandwiches called “banh mi“.

There are also pizza trucks, chicken and rice trucks, and cupcake trucks.

I want my food truck to stand out.

To do this, I can either offer a dish that is better than what is already out there, or I can come up with something that has not been done before.

In researching how to run a food truck, I also learned that “prep work” (the chopping, mixing, and preparing of the food that will be cooked on the truck) for food trucks is not actually done on the truck itself.

That’s because many states require that all of the food must be prepped at a commissary overseen by the local government food and safety officials.

4. You’re the boss

Personally, I enjoy working for myself and being “the bawss“:

 

However, I also know that in order to truly be successful at running your own business, you either need to:

• Know everything
• Have employees who know how to do the things you don’t

I know marketing,social media/blog writing, and how to cook.

But I don’t know everything else, such as accounting, finance, or how to own a successful food truck.

So what’s the best way to learn something you don’t know?

By learning it.

Or paying somebody else to do it.

3. You make a lot of money

The cold, hard truth of the matter is this:

Some food trucks make a ton of money and some don’t make any.

This depends on many different factors, such as:

• Quality of product
• Demand
• Cost versus the price you are selling at
• How much you sell
• How hard you hustle at the Grind

However, if your product is good and people enjoy consuming it regularly, then usually you’ll do okay.

And if people REALLY love your product and your food truck is wildly popular and you have a thousands of loyal customers and followers on Twitter, then your food truck will make a lot of money.

It’s just that simple.

2. You are a job creator

I wholeheartedly support the idea of able-bodied people working for a living.

That’s because a job is not just a paycheck. (OK, the paycheck is still a big part of it.)

A job is also a source of something that not a lot of people may be feeling much of these days: pride.

Because when you have a job, then you probably have pride in the job and yourself.

Now imagine if MORE people had jobs and pride? That would be a positive and beneficial situation, correct?

I’ve posted this before, but it’s worth another look since it is useful and relevant content for you to see.

Here’s a sobering documentary about Americans being forced out of their homes due to losing their jobs. Many of them resort to living in their cars or in cheap motels:

 

Some of these people are unemployed, and some are underemployed.

I want to help people avoid this type of scenario.

I want people to have jobs and an income that will help them out of this unfortunate situation.

Food trucks provide an opportunity for more people to work

And these aren’t just food truck jobs, but jobs that support the food truck industry, such as food truck fabricators like California Cart Builder.

And don’t forget:

• Local farmers who grow the produce sold on the food truck
• Artists who design and paint your food truck
• Mechanics who can fix your food truck

It’s pretty obvious that the growing food truck industry is a job and revenue creator.

And I want in.

1. You’ll have a lot of fun

I’ve had quite a few jobs in my life.

Some were fun, and some weren’t.

However, I think owning a food truck would be fun.

Afterall, why would I want to own a food truck if I knew it was going to be a terrible and miserable experience?

Here’s a video about the food truck culture in Adelaide, Australia. How fun does this look and how happy are these folks!

 

Conclusion

Owning a food truck may not be easy, but not many worthwhile things in life are.

It probably won’t be easy to own a food truck. But it might be awesome.

And the only way to find out is by trying it and seeing if it is awesome…or not.

Have you ever worked on a food truck?

What is it like to work on a food truck?

I got an idea…Let’s tell some food truck stories in the Comments!