HOW TO INCREASE STREET FOOD CART SALES

3) Consider the style and condition of the food cart

The other consideration is the style and condition of the street food cart. You do not want it to look dull, dreary, or old. It is best to use a timeless design. Trends come and go. If your food cart looks old and out of date, it can give your customer the impression that they cannot trust the quality of your food offerings.

First impressions matter and have a big influence in customer decisions. When they’re hungry, you want them choosing your business, even if at first they don’t know why.

4) The functionality of the food cart

Food quality and safety is as important as the food itself when it comes to food cart sales. Customers want to feel that they can trust the quality of the cuisine you sell. Clean, food-safe areas are part of the core functionality of the food cart, but they also tell your customers that you care about your concessions and their well-being.

Well-placed shelving to display your donuts, tacos, sandwiches, or any other tasty delights lets your customer see at glance what you have to offer. Well displayed food items are a delight to the senses and are sure get those appetites going.

5) Using a portable sink for cleanliness

The use of a self-contained, portable sink promotes the idea of cleanliness. In many states, a four-basin sink is an NSF requirement to get food vending permits. If you are operating a food business, utensils, surfaces, and hands come into contact with the food. With a sink at the ready, your customers know that you have the ability to keep these things clean and food-safe at all times.

Finally, a cart in good condition that does not look old and tired is more attractive to a consumer than one that does. Unless they are already familiar with the food offerings, they are more likely to choose the food cart with a timeless design, attractive colours and graphics that stand out.

6) Using marketing to promote your mobile food business

In any business, marketing plays a key role in its success. Often when sales drop off or market conditions are unfavorable, businesses cut back on their marketing efforts and spends. This is a fatal mistake.

While the food business can be volatile and have its ups and downs, the reality is that it never goes out of style. People always need to eat. While it seems counter-intuitive, if you are going through a period where sales are slumping, that is the time to increase your marketing.

When the overall market bounces back, as it always does, the vendor who persevered with their marketing efforts consistently will come out on top and command the lion’s share of the market.

Social media is probably the biggest opportunity for mobile vendors to market their street food business. Post regular updates with pictures of your street food, your menu and your location. Post some funny food-related content that will amuse your followers and will be sure to interact with. Encourage your customers to leave reviews and comments about their experience.

Finally, make good use of paid ads on Facebook and Instagram to promote your business pages, targeting your vending area. A campaign for likes and follows builds a local and loyal clientelle.

7) Vending the right street food

At first this may seem like stating the obvious, but when you think about it street food tastes can vary by region. It can even vary across the city you are selling in. In a brick-and-mortar restaurant that markets heavily or has a strong brand, this works. People will drive a considerable distance when they are having a craving for their favorite foods.

However, a mobile food cart can be a different story. While some customers may seek out their favorite vendors, it is safe to say that most street food sales are impulse buys.

This is where market research comes in handy. Get to know your competition. Find out who has been around the longest and what street food they are vending. Get to know the demographic you want to target. Use your social media to find out what food posts and photos received the most positive interaction.

For example, if most of your users are reacting positively to taco memes, chances are vending tacos may prove quite successful in your target venue.

LEARN MORE: Our top 10 food cart menu ideas

8) Sell the most profitable food

There is another well-known notion in sales. You can sell a lot of street food for minimal profit margins, or you can sell a little bit for high profit margins. As your mobile food business grows, ideally you will sell a lot of food for high profit margins. However, we all have to start somewhere.

One of the things with high volume is maintaining customer satisfaction and the cost of delivering that level of quality cuisine and service. With high volume street food sales, you need more of everything. More ingredients, more staff, more refrigeration and cold storage. You need more food containers, more utensils.

The general idea is that just because you are selling more food does not mean you are making more profits. In other words, it is not the volume that matters, it is the profits. Once you have established what culinary diversity is likely to be successful in your chosen venue, choose from those options to figure out which ones are the cheapest to prepare and serve.

9) Wrapping it up

There are a lot of food carts for sale on the market. Choosing the one with the right functionality and design is key to your business’ success. If your food cart stands out in a crowd and sends the right message, you can increase your street food cart sales. You can run a highly profitable food business with confidence.

At Cart-King Intl Carts and Kiosks we are here to help put your business ideas on wheels. We can assist you with finding the food cart that is right for your mobile business model. We can also help you create a graphic design that tells your customers you are the food business of choice. Contact Cart King today to learn more.