Want to be part of a popular cultural trend while expanding your business and reaching more customers, without the price tag of opening another storefront?
Consider adding a food truck.
While food trucks come with their own costs and administrative hurdles, they also come with quite a few perks, including visibility and flexibility. Food trucks can give you a presence at major events, introduce your brand to new audiences, and boost your social media impact. Check out these successful bakery food trucks for inspiration:
La Farm’s bread truck (photo from Twitter) — come for a sandwich, but how can you not leave with a loaf of bread, too?
French artisan baker Lionel Vatinet’s bakery, La Farm, in Cary, North Carolina (outside of Raleigh), sends its bread truck around the metro area with La Farm’s award-winning breads as well as sandwiches. La Farm capitalizes on the compatibility of food trucks and social media: the bread truck has its own Twitter account, @lafarmtruck, with almost a thousand followers. Note: La Farm also offers classes at their bakery.
The My Delight cupcake truck (photo from Yelp)
My Delight Cupcakery’s custom-built food truck is specially outfitted for transporting thousands of cupcakes. The truck launched two years after their brick-and-mortar storefront in Ontario, California, and carries their cupcakes — and their brand — to neighboring cities and events in Southern California.
@MyDelightTruck has over 4,000 followers, and a Twitter feed full of gorgeous photos that would make any Twitter user hungry.
Renee’s cool truck (her photo) — see more on her website and Instragram pages.
Renee LaLonde didn’t start with a storefront, but with a product, Bacon JAM!. To expand the business she’d begun with Bacon JAM!, she kickstarted her Bakin’ Bakery food truck, using photography and design to tell a compelling story that led to successful funding. The food truck tweets @ReneeLaLonde, but it’s much more active on Instagram, where Renee’s gorgeous photos and welcoming personality — along with her very photogenic dog — pull in dozens of likes apiece and multiple comments from devoted fans.
Foodtruckr talks about Renee’s successful Kickstarter campaign here.
I asked Renee about her experience with the Bakin’ Bakery truck, and here’s what she had to say:
TPO: What’s the best thing your food truck has done for your business?
Renee: Mobility! Rolling around and serving the Denver metro area. It’s given me the ability to share my unique offerings with those that wouldn’t necessarily seek out the food I create. From that mobility I’ve gained a ‘cult-like’ following. A following that motivates me every day to push through and continue doing what I’m doing.
Denver Food Trucks (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)
TPO: What’s the single most important thing to know about having a food truck?
Renee: Costs. Mechanical costs. After completing a full year of food truck business I had to take out another loan for a new engine. It’s the unexpected costs that can truly test your will to continue. If it weren’t for my family, friends and devoted customers I would have thrown in the towel this past spring. My goddess am I glad I didn’t. Stay positive, believe in yourself and love what you do. Life is magical and there are so many amazing humans out there. Vulnerability is a positive attribute, embrace it.
There you have it. Thinking of investing in a food truck? Let us know how it goes!