NEW YORK – The general consensus is that a food truck’s business decreases 50 percent during the winter months. After all, who wants to stand outside waiting for food in the cold?
However, as the industry evolves, more owners are finding ways to turn the winter months into periods of growth.
Dean Medico the French Culinary trained founder of Pizza Luca (www.pizzaluca.com), a rapidly expanding Pizza Napoletana catering truck company, has found ways to grow his business during the winter and keep his loyal customers happy year-round.
Below please find five ways to overcome the winter and turn it into growth opportunities:
1) Work with Office Buildings and Have Record Delivery Time: Partner with an office building and with their permission deliver menus to every floor. Hire deliverymen to bring the food into the lobby or upstairs. Offering piping hot food in under 10 minute delivery time is a luxury that a brick and mortar store can’t offer. Take advantage of being mobile and play to your strengths.
2) Diversify into Catering, Corporate Partnerships, Weddings and Special Events: If the weather becomes unbearable for street vending it is a good time to diversify. This is a great way to build your business and ideally launch more trucks, some of which can be dedicated to vending and some to catering.
3) Serve Hot Soup, Beverages and Give Out Promotional Freebies: Offer free soup, hot coffee, tea or hot chocolate to customers who are waiting online for food. Distribute company-branded products such as hats or gloves to those walking by. Indeed, this is a marketing expense, but in addition to keeping folks warm and hungry, this is a great way to market secure new customers and build good will.
4) Win The Battle of Wills: Bad weather can be to your advantage. By opening up shop, there may only be a handful of other operations up and running. You can have one of your best days of the month if you are open.
5) Follow the Birds: If cold weather is just not your thing, you can always head down south. It is always warm somewhere, and the food truck business is blossoming in the south.
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About Pizza Luca
A rapidly expanding Pizza Napoletana catering truck company servicing the tri-state area. Features a world-class menu and elite pizza only it comes to you courtesy of two unique and stunning trucks. For more info please visit www.pizzaluca.com
Dean Medico is the Owner and French Culinary Institute trained Pizzaiolo. The first truck, “Miss Blue” is a 1952 flatbed truck in mint condition and boasts an outward facing wood burning oven. Strictly does catering across the tri-state area, not a street vending truck. The newly launched “Miss Idaho”, which does street vending and catering, was rescued from an Idaho farmer. The stunning truck is one-of-a-kind with an oven visible on both sides of the truck.
Source: Pizza Luca
