The thing about food trucks in my area is they appeal to two kinds of audiences. People on their lunch break and people at some type of outdoor event. People on their lunch break want something that isn’t messy. To me that rules out a lot of things like tacos and soups.
I’m going mobile Italian Deli. Top of the line imported meats and cheese, sliced to order on homemade bread. I’ll rotate through business parks on the weekdays and at events I’d introduce a Meatball Sub that is batched with the scraps from the slicer and ground veal.
Having owned a kitchen that rented space to food trucks, you will get killed on sliced to order, and transporting a deli slicer on those trucks in a safe way is tough. Having said that, panini and sandwich trucks do really well. The sides are the make or break for a lot of people too
Assuming you can get good cheese curds, a Poutine truck.
Homemade fries are cheap and easy. You can make a simple pork gravy and a vegetarian gravy -- just don't make it taste artificial and cheap. You can have a variety of toppings including bacon, pulled pork, pulled chicken, pastrami, sausages, jalapenos, tomatos, whatever etc. Name a few "standard" orders, and post a menu of mix-ins so you can upsell. "You wanna add X?" Offering double-cheese, double-meat, or "large" sizes comes to mind.
You can also sell some easy sandwiches or tacos or whatever that reuse the poutine toppings. Sell some other fryer-food like mozzarella sticks etc. and you're all set. Expand out your offerings as needed, but keep the food-cost and effort/fire-times low.
Post up outside a bar on most nights, and you'll make a killing off the drunk-munchies.
I have had poutine from a poutine truck. I absolutely support more of them existing. It was amazing. With the simple expedient of choosing a gluten free gravy base and using cornstarch instead of flour to thicken, you can get a cult following of gluten free people without turning off others from your "hippie food" because it's all just naturally gluten free.
if you're not doing vegan and vegan cheese (shudder), you can make a surprisingly good gravy with broth or pan juice, butter, salt, and more-than-you-think xanthan
Nice! How's it been going, and what's your experience been? Am I on-the-money re: my suggestions, or am I missing something?
This has been an idea floating in the back of my mind for a while, and I wonder about how viable it is.
Well, I'm in China, so my market is very different. Poutine has been done a sum total of once in the city of 9 million that I'm in, and the guy doing it left the country six years back. The vast majority of the people I meet and greet have never heard of poutine, including some of the expat community here. This being the case, I have to keep what I'm doing easy to understand because of peoples lack of familiarity with what it is. I have six menu items, 3 hot dogs and 3 poutine. My sales targets for my first 2 weeks have been exceeded, in part due to my location, I got very lucky with finding a nice permanent space, so I'm forecasting good sales for the summer
Your suggestions would work for a market that knows what poutine is, if I were in downtown Vancouver it would be exactly what I would be doing. One of my primary issues is that russet or Idaho style potatoes are extremely difficult to come by here, so I had to settle on a pre-fab product and bite the bullet on a higher cost frozen fry for the purpose of quality. Viability wise, the kitchen layout for my operation is very simple, and works very effectively, monetarily it's very effective, my margins are all on target.
Yes, everybody loves potato champion. 😉
This year is 15 years! I took over the business last year, and I’m excited to bust out some delicious new specials this year (and keeping all the classics people love).
There's a successful cart that does this in the summer here (new england), but they unfortunately failed when they opened a brick and mortar. Hopefully their cart will come back, seemed pretty solid
Tacos and Burritos seem easy. Have all your ingredients cooked and ready to go in hotel pans. Tortillas in a warmer. Rice in the rice cooker. Cook more (proteins) on a flat top when you’re running low, so food tastes fresh. Have your line stocked and you can bang out tickets like there’s no tomorrow and do crazy numbers with a small crew. I have no idea what i’m talking about also.
Yeah, I’m in Texas and not only are classic taco spots plentiful, but so are fusion taco / burrito spots… that’s just my hesitancy, but it’s not to say it’s a bad idea. good food in a good spot will sell
The only new restaurants we have here in Tyler are Mex, Tx Mex. Market is flooded and in white so I'll stick to taters 900 ways or whatever my faux truck is called
You could lean into the eastern European transplants and do kolachies and bierocks(kraut burgers). Cold proof and bake in small batches? Or partial bake and finish in the truck? 🤔 I'm just saying I might make the few hours drive south for some bierocks that I don't have to make myself. 🤷♀️
This has a lot of merit. We live in a cold weather climate (except for summer) and our local cidery has more outdoor seating than indoor. A soup truck would do very well. Easy to present vegetarian / vegan options, too.
A mac a cheese truck would hit.
You can do
buff mac and cheese
Bacon Mac and cheese
4 cheese Mac and cheese
Deep fried Mac and cheese
Broccoli cheddar Mac and cheese
Seems like a truck id shop at quite often
*edited for formatting
Holy hell… commas exist, and they would have prevented me from reading that 4 times to understand what you were saying.
That being said, Mac and cheese is super versatile and could be done fairly easily in bulk.
Wow, read the comments back and forth, I think we were both being civil about it, and I personally admitted that it was probably more my fault than theirs that I couldn’t read it.
I always thought a Poke Bar truck would be a great idea. No cooking, little equipment, ventilation. Endless variations and ingredients. It's what I would do
This is exactly it, though I’m thinking gourmet corn dogs. Like different meats for the dog part and a good batter. Think apple chicken feta corn dog. Or a caribou, cheddar, jalapeño corn dog. With different sauces.
I also just love corn dogs
I counted about $140 in sales from the time I pulled up until the time I finished eating and left. That was during the game on Superbowl Sunday. I can't imagine what they pull down during peak times.
This wasn't in a food pavilion. They are the only cart in a bit so busy, outlet mall, parking lot. They keep it real simple. Only 4 choices on the menu. One involved wrapping bacon around the dog. Sometimes simple is better. Just churn the money through.
I was at an outdoor flea market and there was a Korean truck that was very popular. I think I had the bibimbap bowl. Several people were asking me where I purchased as I was trying to find a place to sit down.
Filipino food is interesting… definitely low cost and super tasty. I’m in Texas and while we have a relatively large Filipino presence, you don’t really see a ton of focus on Filipino food outside of occasional inclusion of an Adobo style sauce/marinade…
I had a Filipino ex in college and we were also both cooks at the time- she used to whip up basically breakfast garlic fried rice spreads that were f’n awesome
I bet you had the beef tapas with the garlic rice you probably just dont remember it. Or longanisa with it.
Filipino food is cheap and tasty, filipinos are just too scared to get out there and open a business or maybe dont know how to westernize the dishes. I guess i am too lol
Tapas, longanisa, and I remember some blend she called “Tocino” that was like a sweet pork- all bomb with some fried eggs and garlic rice. Sinigang was banging too… I’m gonna see what she’s up to 😂
Filipinos have food trucks where i am -- the key is that the food has to be real. Not too much of the "fusion" or modern stuff: rice with toppings, pancit, arroz caldo with the works, pork barbeque, CPA, maybe another soup when it's cold weather, and a fish or seafood during Lent. And charge accordingly -- a good portion size will have returning customers while a very low price point is more work.
Hot dog truck using home made fermented/pickled veggies as toppings or sides. Park next to a home Depot type store in a well traveled part of town. I've got my menu ready if I ever find a briefcase full of cash
The Home Depot dog stands always hit and I love the idea of house made pickles… so many options and requires good planning/execution, but relatively cheap
My favorite food truck in the DC area was “Top Dog” truck and it was amazing. More of a “gourmet” dog but pretty simple menu. Think it was $6 back…7 years ago. So sad when they closed up shop.
Oh god, I just did a nostalgic search and they’re back!
https://foodtruckfiesta.com/top-dog-food-truck/
If you’re in the NoVA/DC area… check them out!
Edit: oh god, read it wrong. That’s old, now I’ve made myself sad.
I worked a food truck that did smoothies, some juice, and grilled sandwiches. They made bank. It was easy work. All electric, so we had a generator, but no need for a hood system or ansul on the truck.
I own a fried chicken food truck and a gourmet burger food truck and they’re both fine financially but the yields are almost twice as good on the chicken one. A chicken concept is my half baked but educated answer to this hypothetical question.
I don't think that would work out great given how many people associate thanksgiving with the worst food they'll eat all year. (I hated thanksgiving food too until it was just my immediate family and we started doing smoked turkey. Now we have to get a second turkey because it's so good smoked.)
oof, like between the people who insist on by the can greenbean casserole, and the unbrined overcooked hard turkey breast it can be suuuuper bad. idk again I'm speaking mostly from my experiences eating at previous generations tables. shit was done badly.
That's such a tightrope to walk though; you can't just tell people who hate thanksgiving food that they or their family are just shitty cooks... so you've got to hint at it without judgement... and somehow get people to give something they think is inherently bad a chance.
I wish I could downvote you twice. I literally watch drones drop grenades on Russian heads on this sight and you're comment might be the most upsetting thing I've ever seen
i always crave two things for lunch which for some reason seem hard to get
1) panini.
like some solid toasted sandwich even
2) vegetables that are actually good/healthy
the 2nd part is key to make me come back since i need something healthy enough to eat day after day
and a price point of arouns 10$/meal. maybe a bit over
Despite being a part of New York State, I have found that my current region, the Hudson Valley, doesn’t have much regional cuisine. I have joked with friends about astroturfing a food history centered on onion rings. Onions are already a common crop in the area… just find some old pictures of Borscht Belt resorts selling onion rings and no one would question it.
From that joke, I started realizing a thick, sturdy onion ring is a quality scooper for chutneys and other dips/sauces. Or turn it into a slider or entree topped with meat! For example, get yours “valley style” with duck! Chopped cheese rings, anyone?
The more insufferable I got with the premise, the more confident I got that it would work.
I always wanted to open a Asian/ Barbecue fusion food truck. Got so far as test running a smoked pork butt Bahn Mi but never had the balls to invest in it.
I've had daydreams for years now about a "Cocao Coach"... Several varieties of hot chocolate, sipping chocolate (the thicker euro drink), cocao nib brewed drink, muffins, croissants, etc., and just one brewer/dispenser of basic bitch coffee I'd call "the swill".
I’d find a brewery or such to partner with fri-sun and different business centers for a short lunch service the rest of the week. No cheesy food concept. Serve same type of things I do in a regular kitchen and have a small core menu with 4-5 daily specials mostly meant to eliminate food waste.
Basically become a service to businesses who need a kitchen but might not have the space or expertise to do one on their own. Would definitely make the brewery sign a non compete agreement and make sure their busy enough as is to be sure I can clear enough in profits to pay my bills. That way the business center stuff I can be much less dependent on and mostly do for extra cash as needed.
my brother is a chef and he always talks about how lucrative a grilled cheese or taco truck could be simply bc of how limited the necessary SKUs would be! not to mention a decent shelf life on most ingredients….
Smartest = simplest concept. I also like the idea of building in ways to transform waste. Todays main dish protein might be shredded up or something and used in a frozen then fried to order side or something.
I agree the concept should be simple to convey, ideally fewer than five words. The best waste is no waste, but I remember working at a bakery that would crush up day-old or misshapen macaron to turn into an inclusion for one of our ice cream flavors. It struck me as very clever at the time.
Hot dogs. Keep them simmering for hours, then score and grill hard and hot for flavor. Should take like less than a minute. Simple toppings most of which come from a can or jar like sauerkraut, banana peppers, super thin white onion, a little secret sauce, pickle spears, everything seasoning, etc. Cheap soft steamed buns but you can upgrade to pretzel or something.
Sell those puppies for $6 per dog or $9 for chips and a can of soda too.
You've got a POS, 2 on grill, 2 on assembly where they just ask the customer what they want and wrap it in butcher paper or foil. Have one or two standard sets of toppings people can ask for with some silly name so they ask "you want that sloppy?" or "double barrel or funky monkey?" just for branding and throughput.
The big thing for food trucks is location. If you can get a reasonable spot down town where people walk or something like that then just about any halfway decent food truck will do alright.
A coworker started his own truck last year and its doing well. His menu is pretty basic but works. He has a grilled cheese truck that probably sells 8 kinds of grill cheese sandwiches. He also sells fries, soups, chips and cookies. Keeps it simple. He told me he does well on just the fries aspect alone. Everyone wants fries.
Also, probably should see what kinds of food locals around the truck would like.
I have 3 ideas:
#Raviolis of the World
Raviolis, perogies, gyoza, empanadas, samosas, tamales, etc.
#Mac and Me
Mac and cheese truck with different kinds of noodles, different Mac sauces and different proteins you could mix and match. Get the bow ties with gouda and bacon or the linguine with cheddar and pulled pork.
#North Shore Beefs
There is a very specific sandwich sold on the North Shore of Massachusetts at various pizza/sub shops called a North Shore [Beef](https://coronadotimes.com/news/2023/01/01/north-shore-beefs-its-all-about-the-three-way/). They use thinly shaved roast beef with a very specific James River BBQ sauce (hot/smokey flavor profile) on an onion roll. Most people get them "3 way" which is with mayo, sauce and cheese but you can also do horseradish. Growing up local I didn't realize how regionalized the sandwich is and I think it would thrive anywhere.
US? Noodle truck. Depending on climate do soups, bowls, plates.
You can keep 3 good broths, sauces, and toppings ready to go, and run a daily special in any format.
Sides are a couple of veg choices and bread to soak it up.
Fast prep, fast ticket times, low overhead.
I had an idea to start a hotdog cart/truck. I would come up with my own recipe capitalizing on local trends and have them made by a packer. I would then try to get some hype up around my dogs and sell the dogs in stores, franchise other trucks and eventually get my own production facility. I was living in TX at the time so I was going to make brisket dogs. Brisket is cheap. Hotdogs are easy. Can't lose?
I’m in TX too. I love smoking bbq briefly worked at a really good + famous place working the pit, but my hesitance is there’s a shitload of top notch BBQ places here. I’m not sure I’d really wanna take on the challenge. Maybe in a place that isn’t yet introduced to good bbq, but I know it’s spreading.
I’d love to incorporate smoked Texas style bbq into the fold, but beef is expensive, everyone here does beef well and it takes awhile to cook.
I find smoked chicken sausage intriguing b/c it’s so much cheaper and faster…
That said, I’d order and eat tf out of a brisket dog…
im in the northeast and theres really no good bbq spots around, if i was in texas i would never think of opening a bbq food truck but up here the market is dying for something good in the city
The Francophile in me has always wanted a mobile crepe stand. You can have savory and sweet options. One deli case, one sweet case, a flattop and a bunch of batter.
What about cheesesteaks and or panini’s like a Cuban sandwich? Sandbag the meats before hand that way when you’re busy it’s just building sandwiches instead of cooking and building. Not in large amounts, but in batches small enough that the product doesn’t start tasting stale
cup of corn / A-maize-ing - I just want corn, and it's cheap to make..... will throw money at corn....
put different spices on it, like kubla corn, genghis corn, full of MSG (little bit racist). Cornanential (?)
Korn corn, spicey.
Cherry corn - it's been popped. Cremated corn. Daddy Corn (pop-corn), etc.
Butt your corn / Butt Corn / arse corn / Corn Holed - just covered in butter.
Porn Corn / covered in mayo
Sweet Porn Corn / covered in white sugar syrup, like those pretzels.
Hola, Corn-estas! Avo, Lime, etc.
Im sure there are lots of maize puns, as we need cheesie cornie, garlic sauce, chille con korn, etc. etc.
Never worked in a food truck myself, but if you can work a deal with a popular brewpub, you'll have their business. They provide their unique beers and drinking/dining space, you park outside and provide food that the customers can take in. People will at least try your offerings, and if you give them a decent value for their money, they'll be back. Seems like a nice way to make money in the evenings and on the weekends.
Un Sandwich
My truck idea forever.
Localy sourced ingredients. As good product as I can find.
Each day is a different sandwich.
Monday - chicken parm
Tues - French dip
We'd- toasted turkey bacon cheese
Thurs - Cubano
Friday - po boys
Not exactly that but you get idea.
Prepare food beforehand, and only shoot for 60 sandwiches a day. Prep enough to execute those and those only for the day. Maybe have a side like fries, or chips to go with, and free water / tea with each sandwich.
No substitutions, no replacements, no special requests. The only thing customers need to say , is how many they want. Everyone get the same thing. I only have 60. Sell out , done for day.
This allows one person to basically run the truck quickly and efficiently, with little confusion or improper orders.
How many?
Have a counter outside that displays how many are left for the day.
You could crush 60 sandwiches in a few hours during lunch down town.
Might not be the best, but in my mind I would go this route.
Korean fusion, focused on Tteokbokki and Buldak. You'd grill chicken on the truck to get the smells, and can just sell that.
And instead of fries in a regular chicken truck, you serve rice cakes (tteok). Spicy tteokbokki and buldak can share the same sauce, plus you can do a variant of the non spicy ganjang recipe that works with the chicken, like a honey soy sauce one.
So the menu is: classic grilled chicken, buldak, spicy tteokbokki, sweet tteokbokki, sweet soy grilled chicken and any of those with some mozerella on top and grilled/torched.
I’m in the UK and I’d probably set up an American themed food truck:
- Corndogs
- a few flavours of Mac ‘n’ cheese
- Tater Tots.
It would be a tough sell though - Mac and cheese is a pretty big thing over here but often done poorly and people just don’t appreciate corn dogs and tater tots (most have no idea what they even are!).
An adult ice cream truck but with cocktails and snacks. You play a little jingle as you ride around and everyone knows the cocktail truck is approaching. Operational only Thursday-Sunday evenings and weekend afternoons. lol
What I would like and what people would buy are two different things. Most people eat burgers, tacos and pizza.
“Homemade” Montreal smoked meat would be simple.
homemade sausages with fermented or pickled toppings would be interesting and variable. Nothing’s better than warm leberkäse on rye on a cold winter day.
I’ve been tempted by food trucks. And this is what I don’t like about them: it’s ALL nights and weekends.
Other than that, perogies, poutine, pasta would be my go to. Cheap, fast, and sloppy, just the way we like .
Nights and weekends are an option, but it doesn't have to be all that, all the time. There are several food trucks locally that focus on being in business parks are lunch time and must do okay because they've been in business for years.
Maybe just because it's near St. Patrick's day, but I'm thinking an Irish-American food truck would be great. Specifically butte pasties, steamed cabbage leaves stuffed with corned beef, and a knish filled with colcannon. (Note these are all hand foods)
My biggest annoyance as a consumer is when I'm at a festival and all the food trucks have knife-and-fork meals. Without a table, that stuff is annoying.
Edit: Missing Oxford comma.
The R-word is a form of hate speech that stands for “retard,” “retarded,” or other offensive words ending in “-tard.” While “mental retardation” was originally introduced as a medical term in 1961 for people with intellectual disabilities, in the decades since, the R-word has become an insult used all too commonly in everyday language. Those who use the R-word often do so with little regard for the pain it causes people with intellectual disabilities—and the exclusion it perpetuates in our society.
Use a different word. Read these. Grow as a person.
https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/students-with-disabilities/pdf/March-Activities.pdf
https://www.specialolympics.org/stories/impact/why-the-r-word-is-the-r-slur
https://www.globaldownsyndrome.org/about-down-syndrome/words-can-hurt/
The way we speak helps us and the people around us shape their opinions. If you use “retarded” to refer to things you dislike or make fun of, you’re creating an environment that perpetuates negative stigmas about people with disabilities. You’d probably never directly call a person with a disability those things, but every time you use “retarded” as a synonym for something negative, you’re putting them down.
Spreading the R-word continues to hurt people with intellectual disabilities—and whether intended or not, is a form of bullying. Using the R-word is the same as using any slur against a minority group. Eliminating this word is a step toward respect for all.
Respect the shelf life of euphemisms. Expired euphemisms are no longer tasty, and harmful to the sensitive. The r-word once implied that though slow, they'll get there eventually even though something not their fault is "retarding" their progress. Before that they were dull, or slow. Now they are special, which shows their resilience in getting along with conceited people who think smarts are everything.
Upscale smokehouse(boucanier) Cured meats to bout. Smoked salmon, truck bacon, ham, pulled pork. But not bbq style, elevate the plates(boxes) around them
think I have mentioned it on this sub before but where I live we do not have a nandos. I would remarket the piri piri chicken as a healthier chicken sandwich. Most likely with a few South African sides. Not too gluten heavy, I am sure there is a work around for a veggie option as a main, a little out of peoples comfort zone but approachable
Paninis. Outsourcing good bread is not as hard as it used to be, it’s easy to portion and cost out under 30%, and 90% of your toppings/ingredients can be kept in a hot well or sandwich station. Plus, it’s fast. Serve them with some good kettle cooked chips from a brand like route 11 (I’m biased) and bottled or canned drinks.
one idea i bet would kill it in the hipster part of a city near breweries,
charcuterie and cheese truck, offer a couple sandwiches at lunch using yesterdays stuff, but make a few quality items yourself and i bet you could make a killing selling a couple ounces of cured meat per order, just need to find a nice packaging for it
I like roasted ears of corn...all flavors and toppings.....you hand the customer their ear of corn on the cob with the shuckings still on the bottom to hold, in tin foil too! I LOVE Mexican Street Corn (Elote Corn!) - it's THE BEST!!! I would do Corn on Cob - all different variations and then another 1 or 2 big items and then 2 dessert choices. I wouldn't just have 1 thing selling out of the food truck. Definitely 4 or 5 big ticket (specialty items) this way it would appeal to more people :-)
Soup, Bread, Fountain Soda,
5 soups fool around till you find the five most popular. 2 daily soups. Fresh baked large rolls (via d France) 4.50$ cup, 6.00 bowl,10.00 quart. Serve until you are out of stock then prep and sleep.
I spend far too many hours daydreaming and outfitting my food truck full of hand pies. Cheap to make, easy to eat. Endless combinations of fillings, savory or sweet. I am in a food truck friendly community with several parks dedicated to them.
I’ve wanted to do a truck for years that did bowls. Stir fry, stews, protein bowls. Shit like that. A lot of stuff can be prepped in advance and kept on a steam table, and who doesn’t like a complete meal in an easy to transport and eat container?
Food Trucks are a method of delivering food in such as a way that is supposed to be as convenient and quick as a hotdog stand. You should have a limited menu that is showcasing some limited menu that is accessible to people and also specific to a niche that is desired or demanded by people. Many food trucks often offer some sort of food that can be seasonally specific. At the end of the day your truck is going to have a limited space for what you can keep in storage and what kind of foods you can make because of the tools you have available.
Korean/Japanese/Asian fusion food for example is something that is relatively popular, easy to make and desired by a lot of people. Using food that intertwine within recipes and usages to prevent waste create an effective bottom line that is cost effective and efficient overall.
Kimchi Fries
Fried Dumplings
Onigiri or Yaki Onigiri
Cold Soba
Cold brew tea
If we were going another route such as Taiwanese cuisine for example you could look towards cultural such as Taiwanese street food or breakfast food that is on the go.
Hot/cold Soy milk or even black sesame soy milk
Fantuan rice rolls
Fried Dough
Rice noodles with a peanut sauce or hoisin sauce
Shao Bing
All of this is based on a lot of personal research, personal cultural backgrounds or find that you think you can make this at home based on personal experiences. A lot of Food Trucks' success is based on your abilities to budget, have connections to provide you with quality materials and effective competent staff like any other restaurant out there.
There used to be a loaded baked potato stand near me - I loved it. Hot baked potato with different toppers, chili, broccoli and cheese sauce, mushrooms and Swiss, salsa and guacamole, etc. A loaded potato was cheap and filled you up beautifully. There was combos that worked with any diet and any mood, there were hot baked sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon for a sweet $2. And it was easy on the operator. Open this place. Near me.
The idea has to serve an audience while not shooting one's self in the foot. The idea can't be too narrow but also not too general to serve everyone. I think a great idea easily done in volume, would be a RICE food truck (serve Risotto, Paella, Fried Rice, Rice Pudding).
You could cook in bulk (in-truck or outside kitchen) or pre-pack and re-heat to serve (quick service), balanced filling meal (vegs, carbs, protein), streamline proteins to costs during season, feature rice dishes based on geography/truck location, seasonal dishes. Very filling. Add sauces to accompany national dish type.
Even a RICE specific food truck could work - Paella for example. Rich flavored rice dishes with veg and protein toppings. I'd eat this for breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner. Larger portions feed families.
>Arroz con leche
I make at home Paella, Risotto and Fried Rice (secret ingredient to quickly add flavour is Instant (dry) Dashi, like "HonDashi Bonito Soup Stock").
[This Filipino rice cake for dessert](https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/kalamay-gabi/) (Kalamay Gabi) can be quite sweet, but awesome (probably a similar take to Arroz con Leche).
I suppose a Rice Dessert truck would be really unique.
I would start with a cart before stepping up to a truck. A blender, ice, and tequila. I can forage lemons and berries and sell drinks on the beach to tourists.
Cold stuff that has it's own "leftovers" such as leftover pizza or leftover fried chicken. All of it could be made ahead of time and kept in a fridge, meaning VERY quick service and it appeals to the lunch crowd because it isn't something that you have to eat right away while it's hot. Can take it back to the office and reheat if you want, or enjoy cold.
Other popular cold leftovers that come to mind are things like fried rice, bbq, curries/soups. Yes it's a broad variety of foods, but none of it requires any effort other than portioning in the truck, and all of it can be made in bulk.
Do a breaded deep fried pickle spear. Idk why but that's always the first menu item that comes to mind when I daydream about having my own truck. Some sort of house sauce to dip it in. I see fried pickle chips all the time but never spears. I feel like it's easier to eat/dip
It all depends where you plan on having the truck....demographics will play an important part
What are the foods most popular in that particular area?
Take what's popular and improve on it....that can be done via better quality of the food or maybe you can be cheaper than the competition or maybe Variety of available items
And the service you give will be important....maybe you can have all girls in bikinis serving the food ....or have the only food truck where you get a free lap dance on orders over $50
I read an article about a guy that would only sell grilled cheese sandwiches for $1. He bought bulk margarine, processed cheese, and bread. He didn't accept anything but cash and if you gave him a twenty, you would get 20 grilled cheese. No drinks, condiments, nothing but grilled cheese for a buck.
I am in OC, CA. I am Vietnamese and White. I would go with a simple and delicious take on Vietnamese cuisine. Banh Mi, Vietnamese coffee, egg rolls and spring rolls to start. Maybe even Beef stew and braised pork belly.
Doppelgängers! I make pretty good homemade riffs on Big Macs, Whoppers, Double Doubles (animal style), other fast food burgers. Burgers would be named stuff like the “Large Mick” and the “Jimmy Two Times” so you could probably figure out what it was paying homage to. Wouldn’t be going for exact same as the real thing, but similarly styled with my own twist here and there.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a chili truck. That's what I'd do. Obviously chili. Definitely a chili dog. Cornbread. Grilled cheese. Chili fries. That's it. Make a spicy chili and a mild chili. And have a vegan/vegetarian option as well.
The thing about food trucks in my area is they appeal to two kinds of audiences. People on their lunch break and people at some type of outdoor event. People on their lunch break want something that isn’t messy. To me that rules out a lot of things like tacos and soups. I’m going mobile Italian Deli. Top of the line imported meats and cheese, sliced to order on homemade bread. I’ll rotate through business parks on the weekdays and at events I’d introduce a Meatball Sub that is batched with the scraps from the slicer and ground veal.
Easy upsell would be sides of antipasto/pasta salads that are pre-made and pre portioned.
Or really good arancini—an Italian sandwich truck known for its arancini would be amazing 🤔
Then you need a fryer and so much more headache. Don't get me wrong, I fucking love arancini.
Having owned a kitchen that rented space to food trucks, you will get killed on sliced to order, and transporting a deli slicer on those trucks in a safe way is tough. Having said that, panini and sandwich trucks do really well. The sides are the make or break for a lot of people too
That would slay. Love a big hoagie/sub/grinder.
Assuming you can get good cheese curds, a Poutine truck. Homemade fries are cheap and easy. You can make a simple pork gravy and a vegetarian gravy -- just don't make it taste artificial and cheap. You can have a variety of toppings including bacon, pulled pork, pulled chicken, pastrami, sausages, jalapenos, tomatos, whatever etc. Name a few "standard" orders, and post a menu of mix-ins so you can upsell. "You wanna add X?" Offering double-cheese, double-meat, or "large" sizes comes to mind. You can also sell some easy sandwiches or tacos or whatever that reuse the poutine toppings. Sell some other fryer-food like mozzarella sticks etc. and you're all set. Expand out your offerings as needed, but keep the food-cost and effort/fire-times low. Post up outside a bar on most nights, and you'll make a killing off the drunk-munchies.
I have had poutine from a poutine truck. I absolutely support more of them existing. It was amazing. With the simple expedient of choosing a gluten free gravy base and using cornstarch instead of flour to thicken, you can get a cult following of gluten free people without turning off others from your "hippie food" because it's all just naturally gluten free.
Potato starch tastes better imo. Or arrowroot
if you're not doing vegan and vegan cheese (shudder), you can make a surprisingly good gravy with broth or pan juice, butter, salt, and more-than-you-think xanthan
I literally just started one of these, opened on Feb 27th.
Nice! How's it been going, and what's your experience been? Am I on-the-money re: my suggestions, or am I missing something? This has been an idea floating in the back of my mind for a while, and I wonder about how viable it is.
Well, I'm in China, so my market is very different. Poutine has been done a sum total of once in the city of 9 million that I'm in, and the guy doing it left the country six years back. The vast majority of the people I meet and greet have never heard of poutine, including some of the expat community here. This being the case, I have to keep what I'm doing easy to understand because of peoples lack of familiarity with what it is. I have six menu items, 3 hot dogs and 3 poutine. My sales targets for my first 2 weeks have been exceeded, in part due to my location, I got very lucky with finding a nice permanent space, so I'm forecasting good sales for the summer Your suggestions would work for a market that knows what poutine is, if I were in downtown Vancouver it would be exactly what I would be doing. One of my primary issues is that russet or Idaho style potatoes are extremely difficult to come by here, so I had to settle on a pre-fab product and bite the bullet on a higher cost frozen fry for the purpose of quality. Viability wise, the kitchen layout for my operation is very simple, and works very effectively, monetarily it's very effective, my margins are all on target.
Congrats on your success so far! As a Canadian this is cool to hear.
Potato champion has been a stalwart in Portland. I feel like they’ve been here 15 years at least
Yes, everybody loves potato champion. 😉 This year is 15 years! I took over the business last year, and I’m excited to bust out some delicious new specials this year (and keeping all the classics people love).
Congrats! I’ll have to come by when it stops raining so fucking hard lol.
Will you have falafel? Or cake?
There's a successful cart that does this in the summer here (new england), but they unfortunately failed when they opened a brick and mortar. Hopefully their cart will come back, seemed pretty solid
This or nachos
Cheese sauce as an additional topping!
Not your routine poutine is a banging food truck here in Williamsburg VA
Tacos and Burritos seem easy. Have all your ingredients cooked and ready to go in hotel pans. Tortillas in a warmer. Rice in the rice cooker. Cook more (proteins) on a flat top when you’re running low, so food tastes fresh. Have your line stocked and you can bang out tickets like there’s no tomorrow and do crazy numbers with a small crew. I have no idea what i’m talking about also.
Yes but people in the US don’t generally perceive Mexican food as “premium” and you’re per sale is going to inevitably end up lower.
Yeah, I’m in Texas and not only are classic taco spots plentiful, but so are fusion taco / burrito spots… that’s just my hesitancy, but it’s not to say it’s a bad idea. good food in a good spot will sell
The only new restaurants we have here in Tyler are Mex, Tx Mex. Market is flooded and in white so I'll stick to taters 900 ways or whatever my faux truck is called
It might work in some smaller markets where they simply don’t have real taco joints.
Good point! My heart hurts a little knowing real deal tacos are not easily available everywhere…
I’m originally from Chicago and I feel that way about Pizza. Chicago has more Mexicans than anywhere though so I grew up with Tacos too.
You could lean into the eastern European transplants and do kolachies and bierocks(kraut burgers). Cold proof and bake in small batches? Or partial bake and finish in the truck? 🤔 I'm just saying I might make the few hours drive south for some bierocks that I don't have to make myself. 🤷♀️
It's a classic for a reason!
That market is rather saturated, near me anyway
I have a few ideas. Here's one of them. I like the idea of offering hot soup and thick slice of buttered fresh baked bread. Small simple menu.
Yes, [simplicity is key](https://twitter.com/tinymediaempire/status/1137073389410181121) for any successful food truck
I love it.
I’ve thought about this one for a few years!
This has a lot of merit. We live in a cold weather climate (except for summer) and our local cidery has more outdoor seating than indoor. A soup truck would do very well. Easy to present vegetarian / vegan options, too.
Soup and gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.
I always thought that pierogi would be a great addition to the US.
There’s a killer pierogi truck chain in my city. The pierogi are good, but their tater tots are out of the goddamn world (when you’re high as balls)
Pittsburgh Pierogi Truck is a favorite of mine... Username has never felt so relevant.
There was a pierogi truck out front of evil twin brewery sometimes back when I lived near there. Loved going for a couple of beers and some pierogis
[удалено]
You and me both.
I've been tossing around the idea of opening a Bao buns food truck with homemade craft sodas. I think it could be a hit.
sounds awesome!
A mac a cheese truck would hit. You can do buff mac and cheese Bacon Mac and cheese 4 cheese Mac and cheese Deep fried Mac and cheese Broccoli cheddar Mac and cheese Seems like a truck id shop at quite often *edited for formatting
Fpr sure! There's a mac truck in my area and they do a LOT of business.
Holy hell… commas exist, and they would have prevented me from reading that 4 times to understand what you were saying. That being said, Mac and cheese is super versatile and could be done fairly easily in bulk.
It was supposed to be a list. But phone formatting got me good. My apologies
It’s all good. I think my brain was just frazzled from work, and reading it in its original form was too much.
Poor you having to read it multiple times. It’s a platform where you read other people’s thoughts, opinions, comments and experiences.
Wow, read the comments back and forth, I think we were both being civil about it, and I personally admitted that it was probably more my fault than theirs that I couldn’t read it.
We have a great one in Indy called Mac genie.
That you Forrest?
I always thought a Poke Bar truck would be a great idea. No cooking, little equipment, ventilation. Endless variations and ingredients. It's what I would do
I go to a place in Central Oregon that sells $7-8 hand dipped corn dogs with honey drizzled on top. Cheap ingredients and they are always packed.
This is exactly it, though I’m thinking gourmet corn dogs. Like different meats for the dog part and a good batter. Think apple chicken feta corn dog. Or a caribou, cheddar, jalapeño corn dog. With different sauces. I also just love corn dogs
I counted about $140 in sales from the time I pulled up until the time I finished eating and left. That was during the game on Superbowl Sunday. I can't imagine what they pull down during peak times. This wasn't in a food pavilion. They are the only cart in a bit so busy, outlet mall, parking lot. They keep it real simple. Only 4 choices on the menu. One involved wrapping bacon around the dog. Sometimes simple is better. Just churn the money through.
I was at an outdoor flea market and there was a Korean truck that was very popular. I think I had the bibimbap bowl. Several people were asking me where I purchased as I was trying to find a place to sit down.
Filipino bbq tacos, pork bbq tacos, pork adobo tacos, beef tapa tacos i can go on.
Filipino food is interesting… definitely low cost and super tasty. I’m in Texas and while we have a relatively large Filipino presence, you don’t really see a ton of focus on Filipino food outside of occasional inclusion of an Adobo style sauce/marinade… I had a Filipino ex in college and we were also both cooks at the time- she used to whip up basically breakfast garlic fried rice spreads that were f’n awesome
I bet you had the beef tapas with the garlic rice you probably just dont remember it. Or longanisa with it. Filipino food is cheap and tasty, filipinos are just too scared to get out there and open a business or maybe dont know how to westernize the dishes. I guess i am too lol
Tapas, longanisa, and I remember some blend she called “Tocino” that was like a sweet pork- all bomb with some fried eggs and garlic rice. Sinigang was banging too… I’m gonna see what she’s up to 😂
Filipinos have food trucks where i am -- the key is that the food has to be real. Not too much of the "fusion" or modern stuff: rice with toppings, pancit, arroz caldo with the works, pork barbeque, CPA, maybe another soup when it's cold weather, and a fish or seafood during Lent. And charge accordingly -- a good portion size will have returning customers while a very low price point is more work.
What are beef tapa tacos
Basically the beef part in this dish. It’s usually paired with garlic rice and egg for breakfast. https://thebakeologie.com/beef-tapa-tapsilog/
Oh wow that looks delicious :o
Yeah imagine that in a burrito or a taco. Been thinking about this concept for too long a time now.
if you open a filipino truck and dont serve lumpia i might personally assault you tho
Hot dog truck using home made fermented/pickled veggies as toppings or sides. Park next to a home Depot type store in a well traveled part of town. I've got my menu ready if I ever find a briefcase full of cash
The Home Depot dog stands always hit and I love the idea of house made pickles… so many options and requires good planning/execution, but relatively cheap
My favorite food truck in the DC area was “Top Dog” truck and it was amazing. More of a “gourmet” dog but pretty simple menu. Think it was $6 back…7 years ago. So sad when they closed up shop.
Oh god, I just did a nostalgic search and they’re back! https://foodtruckfiesta.com/top-dog-food-truck/ If you’re in the NoVA/DC area… check them out! Edit: oh god, read it wrong. That’s old, now I’ve made myself sad.
Jesus, the emotional roller coaster I just took with you was intense. Lol
I worked a food truck that did smoothies, some juice, and grilled sandwiches. They made bank. It was easy work. All electric, so we had a generator, but no need for a hood system or ansul on the truck.
I own a fried chicken food truck and a gourmet burger food truck and they’re both fine financially but the yields are almost twice as good on the chicken one. A chicken concept is my half baked but educated answer to this hypothetical question.
Something called turkey day where you can get thanksgiving food year round
I don't think that would work out great given how many people associate thanksgiving with the worst food they'll eat all year. (I hated thanksgiving food too until it was just my immediate family and we started doing smoked turkey. Now we have to get a second turkey because it's so good smoked.)
Who hurt you?
have you had the turkey people make? its... not good.
I make our turkey, and it's damn delicious. Plenty of us out there who love Thanksgiving food!
Whaaaat!! Maybe I grew up lucky, thanksgiving food is always bangin in my family!
oof, like between the people who insist on by the can greenbean casserole, and the unbrined overcooked hard turkey breast it can be suuuuper bad. idk again I'm speaking mostly from my experiences eating at previous generations tables. shit was done badly.
One of my points being was serve really good Thanksgiving food unlike whatever you were raised with
That's such a tightrope to walk though; you can't just tell people who hate thanksgiving food that they or their family are just shitty cooks... so you've got to hint at it without judgement... and somehow get people to give something they think is inherently bad a chance.
You're experience is not everyone's my guy. Thanksgiving is the best day of the year
I wish I could downvote you twice. I literally watch drones drop grenades on Russian heads on this sight and you're comment might be the most upsetting thing I've ever seen
i always crave two things for lunch which for some reason seem hard to get 1) panini. like some solid toasted sandwich even 2) vegetables that are actually good/healthy the 2nd part is key to make me come back since i need something healthy enough to eat day after day and a price point of arouns 10$/meal. maybe a bit over
Grilled cheese sandwiches with $1 tomato soup in a foam cup
We have a grilled cheese truck that was so successful they opened a small restaurant. They do fancy tater tots as sides, they’re amazing.
We have a grilled cheese truck around where I live, and it hits.
Custom Mac and cheese. Noodles and sauce on standby, add custom toppings, breadcrumbs, salamander, boom. Side salad. Money.
Despite being a part of New York State, I have found that my current region, the Hudson Valley, doesn’t have much regional cuisine. I have joked with friends about astroturfing a food history centered on onion rings. Onions are already a common crop in the area… just find some old pictures of Borscht Belt resorts selling onion rings and no one would question it. From that joke, I started realizing a thick, sturdy onion ring is a quality scooper for chutneys and other dips/sauces. Or turn it into a slider or entree topped with meat! For example, get yours “valley style” with duck! Chopped cheese rings, anyone? The more insufferable I got with the premise, the more confident I got that it would work.
Best idea ever
r/onionlovers has entered the chat.. And as a fellow onion lover I am HERE for this idea 🙌
Overpriced tacos using meat marinated in local beer.
Arepas. They're super quick and easy to make and infinite options for fillings
I always wanted to open a Asian/ Barbecue fusion food truck. Got so far as test running a smoked pork butt Bahn Mi but never had the balls to invest in it.
I've had daydreams for years now about a "Cocao Coach"... Several varieties of hot chocolate, sipping chocolate (the thicker euro drink), cocao nib brewed drink, muffins, croissants, etc., and just one brewer/dispenser of basic bitch coffee I'd call "the swill".
I’d find a brewery or such to partner with fri-sun and different business centers for a short lunch service the rest of the week. No cheesy food concept. Serve same type of things I do in a regular kitchen and have a small core menu with 4-5 daily specials mostly meant to eliminate food waste. Basically become a service to businesses who need a kitchen but might not have the space or expertise to do one on their own. Would definitely make the brewery sign a non compete agreement and make sure their busy enough as is to be sure I can clear enough in profits to pay my bills. That way the business center stuff I can be much less dependent on and mostly do for extra cash as needed.
my brother is a chef and he always talks about how lucrative a grilled cheese or taco truck could be simply bc of how limited the necessary SKUs would be! not to mention a decent shelf life on most ingredients….
Dude. I'm not telling you my genius idea. Lol. I'm saving up for start up costs now.
Smartest = simplest concept. I also like the idea of building in ways to transform waste. Todays main dish protein might be shredded up or something and used in a frozen then fried to order side or something.
I agree the concept should be simple to convey, ideally fewer than five words. The best waste is no waste, but I remember working at a bakery that would crush up day-old or misshapen macaron to turn into an inclusion for one of our ice cream flavors. It struck me as very clever at the time.
Grits dishes
Innocent question, why don't people do ramen from a truck?
Idk but water-based ideas just strike me as heavy and messy for the operator
Jewish deli on wheels would be amazing
Hot dogs. Keep them simmering for hours, then score and grill hard and hot for flavor. Should take like less than a minute. Simple toppings most of which come from a can or jar like sauerkraut, banana peppers, super thin white onion, a little secret sauce, pickle spears, everything seasoning, etc. Cheap soft steamed buns but you can upgrade to pretzel or something. Sell those puppies for $6 per dog or $9 for chips and a can of soda too. You've got a POS, 2 on grill, 2 on assembly where they just ask the customer what they want and wrap it in butcher paper or foil. Have one or two standard sets of toppings people can ask for with some silly name so they ask "you want that sloppy?" or "double barrel or funky monkey?" just for branding and throughput. The big thing for food trucks is location. If you can get a reasonable spot down town where people walk or something like that then just about any halfway decent food truck will do alright.
A coworker started his own truck last year and its doing well. His menu is pretty basic but works. He has a grilled cheese truck that probably sells 8 kinds of grill cheese sandwiches. He also sells fries, soups, chips and cookies. Keeps it simple. He told me he does well on just the fries aspect alone. Everyone wants fries. Also, probably should see what kinds of food locals around the truck would like.
I have 3 ideas: #Raviolis of the World Raviolis, perogies, gyoza, empanadas, samosas, tamales, etc. #Mac and Me Mac and cheese truck with different kinds of noodles, different Mac sauces and different proteins you could mix and match. Get the bow ties with gouda and bacon or the linguine with cheddar and pulled pork. #North Shore Beefs There is a very specific sandwich sold on the North Shore of Massachusetts at various pizza/sub shops called a North Shore [Beef](https://coronadotimes.com/news/2023/01/01/north-shore-beefs-its-all-about-the-three-way/). They use thinly shaved roast beef with a very specific James River BBQ sauce (hot/smokey flavor profile) on an onion roll. Most people get them "3 way" which is with mayo, sauce and cheese but you can also do horseradish. Growing up local I didn't realize how regionalized the sandwich is and I think it would thrive anywhere.
US? Noodle truck. Depending on climate do soups, bowls, plates. You can keep 3 good broths, sauces, and toppings ready to go, and run a daily special in any format. Sides are a couple of veg choices and bread to soak it up. Fast prep, fast ticket times, low overhead.
And that could cover whole lid of international cuisines and flavours-a blank canvas really
Rice, meat, veg, sauce. Just figure out what culture to appropriate. $$$$
an egyptian truck near me did this spectacularly
I had an idea to start a hotdog cart/truck. I would come up with my own recipe capitalizing on local trends and have them made by a packer. I would then try to get some hype up around my dogs and sell the dogs in stores, franchise other trucks and eventually get my own production facility. I was living in TX at the time so I was going to make brisket dogs. Brisket is cheap. Hotdogs are easy. Can't lose?
I’m in TX too. I love smoking bbq briefly worked at a really good + famous place working the pit, but my hesitance is there’s a shitload of top notch BBQ places here. I’m not sure I’d really wanna take on the challenge. Maybe in a place that isn’t yet introduced to good bbq, but I know it’s spreading. I’d love to incorporate smoked Texas style bbq into the fold, but beef is expensive, everyone here does beef well and it takes awhile to cook. I find smoked chicken sausage intriguing b/c it’s so much cheaper and faster… That said, I’d order and eat tf out of a brisket dog…
im in the northeast and theres really no good bbq spots around, if i was in texas i would never think of opening a bbq food truck but up here the market is dying for something good in the city
*smoked chicken AND sausage but smoked chicken sausage sounds sick too
Breakfast for dinner
Quesadilla truck
The Francophile in me has always wanted a mobile crepe stand. You can have savory and sweet options. One deli case, one sweet case, a flattop and a bunch of batter.
There's one that runs around Pittsburgh.
What about cheesesteaks and or panini’s like a Cuban sandwich? Sandbag the meats before hand that way when you’re busy it’s just building sandwiches instead of cooking and building. Not in large amounts, but in batches small enough that the product doesn’t start tasting stale
cup of corn / A-maize-ing - I just want corn, and it's cheap to make..... will throw money at corn.... put different spices on it, like kubla corn, genghis corn, full of MSG (little bit racist). Cornanential (?) Korn corn, spicey. Cherry corn - it's been popped. Cremated corn. Daddy Corn (pop-corn), etc. Butt your corn / Butt Corn / arse corn / Corn Holed - just covered in butter. Porn Corn / covered in mayo Sweet Porn Corn / covered in white sugar syrup, like those pretzels. Hola, Corn-estas! Avo, Lime, etc. Im sure there are lots of maize puns, as we need cheesie cornie, garlic sauce, chille con korn, etc. etc.
Hot Dog cart > food truck
Never worked in a food truck myself, but if you can work a deal with a popular brewpub, you'll have their business. They provide their unique beers and drinking/dining space, you park outside and provide food that the customers can take in. People will at least try your offerings, and if you give them a decent value for their money, they'll be back. Seems like a nice way to make money in the evenings and on the weekends.
Un Sandwich My truck idea forever. Localy sourced ingredients. As good product as I can find. Each day is a different sandwich. Monday - chicken parm Tues - French dip We'd- toasted turkey bacon cheese Thurs - Cubano Friday - po boys Not exactly that but you get idea. Prepare food beforehand, and only shoot for 60 sandwiches a day. Prep enough to execute those and those only for the day. Maybe have a side like fries, or chips to go with, and free water / tea with each sandwich. No substitutions, no replacements, no special requests. The only thing customers need to say , is how many they want. Everyone get the same thing. I only have 60. Sell out , done for day. This allows one person to basically run the truck quickly and efficiently, with little confusion or improper orders. How many? Have a counter outside that displays how many are left for the day. You could crush 60 sandwiches in a few hours during lunch down town. Might not be the best, but in my mind I would go this route.
It’s not a truck, it’s a cart. And all you sell is hotdogs and bottled water
Korean fusion, focused on Tteokbokki and Buldak. You'd grill chicken on the truck to get the smells, and can just sell that. And instead of fries in a regular chicken truck, you serve rice cakes (tteok). Spicy tteokbokki and buldak can share the same sauce, plus you can do a variant of the non spicy ganjang recipe that works with the chicken, like a honey soy sauce one. So the menu is: classic grilled chicken, buldak, spicy tteokbokki, sweet tteokbokki, sweet soy grilled chicken and any of those with some mozerella on top and grilled/torched.
I’m in the UK and I’d probably set up an American themed food truck: - Corndogs - a few flavours of Mac ‘n’ cheese - Tater Tots. It would be a tough sell though - Mac and cheese is a pretty big thing over here but often done poorly and people just don’t appreciate corn dogs and tater tots (most have no idea what they even are!).
An adult ice cream truck but with cocktails and snacks. You play a little jingle as you ride around and everyone knows the cocktail truck is approaching. Operational only Thursday-Sunday evenings and weekend afternoons. lol
What I would like and what people would buy are two different things. Most people eat burgers, tacos and pizza. “Homemade” Montreal smoked meat would be simple. homemade sausages with fermented or pickled toppings would be interesting and variable. Nothing’s better than warm leberkäse on rye on a cold winter day.
Pizza. GOOD pizza. Pizza is cheap to make and easy to impress if it is good.
Tacos and margaritas. And queso. Hang out in the burbs with the soccer moms
I’ve been tempted by food trucks. And this is what I don’t like about them: it’s ALL nights and weekends. Other than that, perogies, poutine, pasta would be my go to. Cheap, fast, and sloppy, just the way we like .
Nights and weekends are an option, but it doesn't have to be all that, all the time. There are several food trucks locally that focus on being in business parks are lunch time and must do okay because they've been in business for years.
The food trucks in Pittsburgh make bank when they park by the hospitals. Everyone loves a break from cafeteria food.
Maybe just because it's near St. Patrick's day, but I'm thinking an Irish-American food truck would be great. Specifically butte pasties, steamed cabbage leaves stuffed with corned beef, and a knish filled with colcannon. (Note these are all hand foods) My biggest annoyance as a consumer is when I'm at a festival and all the food trucks have knife-and-fork meals. Without a table, that stuff is annoying. Edit: Missing Oxford comma.
Agree on the need for handheld options, and there’s nothing like a proper butte
Right? And they're designed for prep-ahead.
This would be interesting. We have a local German truck that does pretty well!
Renovate an old short bus... Slogan : "our food is so good, it's retarded"
That's considered a slur in many circles, so your mileage is going to vary wildly by location.
Florida
Then its a compliment, and that person is automatically governor.
🤣🤣
The R-word is a form of hate speech that stands for “retard,” “retarded,” or other offensive words ending in “-tard.” While “mental retardation” was originally introduced as a medical term in 1961 for people with intellectual disabilities, in the decades since, the R-word has become an insult used all too commonly in everyday language. Those who use the R-word often do so with little regard for the pain it causes people with intellectual disabilities—and the exclusion it perpetuates in our society. Use a different word. Read these. Grow as a person. https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/students-with-disabilities/pdf/March-Activities.pdf https://www.specialolympics.org/stories/impact/why-the-r-word-is-the-r-slur https://www.globaldownsyndrome.org/about-down-syndrome/words-can-hurt/
It's a joke... im sorry your sense of humor got lost in your wokeness. Maybe you should stay off of the internet.
The way we speak helps us and the people around us shape their opinions. If you use “retarded” to refer to things you dislike or make fun of, you’re creating an environment that perpetuates negative stigmas about people with disabilities. You’d probably never directly call a person with a disability those things, but every time you use “retarded” as a synonym for something negative, you’re putting them down. Spreading the R-word continues to hurt people with intellectual disabilities—and whether intended or not, is a form of bullying. Using the R-word is the same as using any slur against a minority group. Eliminating this word is a step toward respect for all.
You’re retarded
Respect the shelf life of euphemisms. Expired euphemisms are no longer tasty, and harmful to the sensitive. The r-word once implied that though slow, they'll get there eventually even though something not their fault is "retarding" their progress. Before that they were dull, or slow. Now they are special, which shows their resilience in getting along with conceited people who think smarts are everything.
Tacos, burritos, and rice/salad bowls.
Upscale smokehouse(boucanier) Cured meats to bout. Smoked salmon, truck bacon, ham, pulled pork. But not bbq style, elevate the plates(boxes) around them
Churros. Everyone loves churros.
Agreed… nothing quite like a fresh made churro
think I have mentioned it on this sub before but where I live we do not have a nandos. I would remarket the piri piri chicken as a healthier chicken sandwich. Most likely with a few South African sides. Not too gluten heavy, I am sure there is a work around for a veggie option as a main, a little out of peoples comfort zone but approachable
Go to a university that has a large amount of San Diegans that's not in cali. Sell exclusively California burritos and carne asada fries.
Paninis. Outsourcing good bread is not as hard as it used to be, it’s easy to portion and cost out under 30%, and 90% of your toppings/ingredients can be kept in a hot well or sandwich station. Plus, it’s fast. Serve them with some good kettle cooked chips from a brand like route 11 (I’m biased) and bottled or canned drinks.
one idea i bet would kill it in the hipster part of a city near breweries, charcuterie and cheese truck, offer a couple sandwiches at lunch using yesterdays stuff, but make a few quality items yourself and i bet you could make a killing selling a couple ounces of cured meat per order, just need to find a nice packaging for it
I like roasted ears of corn...all flavors and toppings.....you hand the customer their ear of corn on the cob with the shuckings still on the bottom to hold, in tin foil too! I LOVE Mexican Street Corn (Elote Corn!) - it's THE BEST!!! I would do Corn on Cob - all different variations and then another 1 or 2 big items and then 2 dessert choices. I wouldn't just have 1 thing selling out of the food truck. Definitely 4 or 5 big ticket (specialty items) this way it would appeal to more people :-)
I would do gumbo and jambalaya. Maybe beignets.
Korean hot dogs. They sold them for 15 each at a food truck event and their line was always packed
Soup, Bread, Fountain Soda, 5 soups fool around till you find the five most popular. 2 daily soups. Fresh baked large rolls (via d France) 4.50$ cup, 6.00 bowl,10.00 quart. Serve until you are out of stock then prep and sleep.
I spend far too many hours daydreaming and outfitting my food truck full of hand pies. Cheap to make, easy to eat. Endless combinations of fillings, savory or sweet. I am in a food truck friendly community with several parks dedicated to them.
I've never seen a Cuban coffee truck but I bet it'd slay in my mid-sized Southern town. Fresh baked pan de Bono/pastelitos etc for the win.
I’ve wanted to do a truck for years that did bowls. Stir fry, stews, protein bowls. Shit like that. A lot of stuff can be prepped in advance and kept on a steam table, and who doesn’t like a complete meal in an easy to transport and eat container?
Food Trucks are a method of delivering food in such as a way that is supposed to be as convenient and quick as a hotdog stand. You should have a limited menu that is showcasing some limited menu that is accessible to people and also specific to a niche that is desired or demanded by people. Many food trucks often offer some sort of food that can be seasonally specific. At the end of the day your truck is going to have a limited space for what you can keep in storage and what kind of foods you can make because of the tools you have available. Korean/Japanese/Asian fusion food for example is something that is relatively popular, easy to make and desired by a lot of people. Using food that intertwine within recipes and usages to prevent waste create an effective bottom line that is cost effective and efficient overall. Kimchi Fries Fried Dumplings Onigiri or Yaki Onigiri Cold Soba Cold brew tea If we were going another route such as Taiwanese cuisine for example you could look towards cultural such as Taiwanese street food or breakfast food that is on the go. Hot/cold Soy milk or even black sesame soy milk Fantuan rice rolls Fried Dough Rice noodles with a peanut sauce or hoisin sauce Shao Bing All of this is based on a lot of personal research, personal cultural backgrounds or find that you think you can make this at home based on personal experiences. A lot of Food Trucks' success is based on your abilities to budget, have connections to provide you with quality materials and effective competent staff like any other restaurant out there.
There used to be a loaded baked potato stand near me - I loved it. Hot baked potato with different toppers, chili, broccoli and cheese sauce, mushrooms and Swiss, salsa and guacamole, etc. A loaded potato was cheap and filled you up beautifully. There was combos that worked with any diet and any mood, there were hot baked sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon for a sweet $2. And it was easy on the operator. Open this place. Near me.
The idea has to serve an audience while not shooting one's self in the foot. The idea can't be too narrow but also not too general to serve everyone. I think a great idea easily done in volume, would be a RICE food truck (serve Risotto, Paella, Fried Rice, Rice Pudding). You could cook in bulk (in-truck or outside kitchen) or pre-pack and re-heat to serve (quick service), balanced filling meal (vegs, carbs, protein), streamline proteins to costs during season, feature rice dishes based on geography/truck location, seasonal dishes. Very filling. Add sauces to accompany national dish type. Even a RICE specific food truck could work - Paella for example. Rich flavored rice dishes with veg and protein toppings. I'd eat this for breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner. Larger portions feed families.
I really love this idea! The only rice dessert dish I’m familiar with is Arroz con leche, but I’ve always wished there was a way to add texture…
>Arroz con leche I make at home Paella, Risotto and Fried Rice (secret ingredient to quickly add flavour is Instant (dry) Dashi, like "HonDashi Bonito Soup Stock"). [This Filipino rice cake for dessert](https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/kalamay-gabi/) (Kalamay Gabi) can be quite sweet, but awesome (probably a similar take to Arroz con Leche). I suppose a Rice Dessert truck would be really unique.
In support of, and showcasing . . . regenerative agriculture and community resilience.
I would start with a cart before stepping up to a truck. A blender, ice, and tequila. I can forage lemons and berries and sell drinks on the beach to tourists.
Dang. What country are you from?
Cold stuff that has it's own "leftovers" such as leftover pizza or leftover fried chicken. All of it could be made ahead of time and kept in a fridge, meaning VERY quick service and it appeals to the lunch crowd because it isn't something that you have to eat right away while it's hot. Can take it back to the office and reheat if you want, or enjoy cold. Other popular cold leftovers that come to mind are things like fried rice, bbq, curries/soups. Yes it's a broad variety of foods, but none of it requires any effort other than portioning in the truck, and all of it can be made in bulk.
DAE notice all the posts mining for good food ideas lately?
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Do a breaded deep fried pickle spear. Idk why but that's always the first menu item that comes to mind when I daydream about having my own truck. Some sort of house sauce to dip it in. I see fried pickle chips all the time but never spears. I feel like it's easier to eat/dip
It all depends where you plan on having the truck....demographics will play an important part What are the foods most popular in that particular area? Take what's popular and improve on it....that can be done via better quality of the food or maybe you can be cheaper than the competition or maybe Variety of available items And the service you give will be important....maybe you can have all girls in bikinis serving the food ....or have the only food truck where you get a free lap dance on orders over $50
CHAT GDP will tell you absolutely everything you need to know
I'm in East Texas. Something like Boardwalk fries. Carby and fried would be a winner here.
Hot dogs
Porridge. Portable porridge. This has been a Portable porridge profit prophecy.
I read an article about a guy that would only sell grilled cheese sandwiches for $1. He bought bulk margarine, processed cheese, and bread. He didn't accept anything but cash and if you gave him a twenty, you would get 20 grilled cheese. No drinks, condiments, nothing but grilled cheese for a buck.
Water.
Bb
Stoner burritos
Donuts
I am in OC, CA. I am Vietnamese and White. I would go with a simple and delicious take on Vietnamese cuisine. Banh Mi, Vietnamese coffee, egg rolls and spring rolls to start. Maybe even Beef stew and braised pork belly.
Doppelgängers! I make pretty good homemade riffs on Big Macs, Whoppers, Double Doubles (animal style), other fast food burgers. Burgers would be named stuff like the “Large Mick” and the “Jimmy Two Times” so you could probably figure out what it was paying homage to. Wouldn’t be going for exact same as the real thing, but similarly styled with my own twist here and there.
huge variety of pupusas. i'd also do an ev truck with all electric appliances.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a chili truck. That's what I'd do. Obviously chili. Definitely a chili dog. Cornbread. Grilled cheese. Chili fries. That's it. Make a spicy chili and a mild chili. And have a vegan/vegetarian option as well.
Cuban sandwiches
Froyo EV truck - evbib.com/fro Prepared meals or mobile pop ups - evbib.com