5 Reasons Why You Should Start a Mobile Kitchen Business | The United States is a country that loves to eat. New restaurants are opening all the time, and the best ones quickly become community favorites. One growing trend in the foodservice industry in recent years is the growing popularity of food trucks. They used to be a novelty you’d see on the sidewalks of megacities and at industrial job sites, but now they’re a stalwart in the foodservice industry.
So, what’s the reason for the growing popularity of mobile kitchens? Are they a good investment? We’ll let you be the judge of that, but first, read on to learn about some of the great benefits of owning a mobile eatery.
- It’s more affordable than opening a restaurant.
Did you know it could cost up to half a million dollars to launch a traditional restaurant if you plan on owning your own building? Indeed, the cost of getting into the restaurant business is steep, and fewer than half of all restaurants last past the five-year benchmark.
One of the best things about launching a mobile kitchen restaurant is the low initial investment compared to traditional restaurants. For reference, you can purchase a brand new food truck for between $80,000 and $150,000, and used ones go for between $40,000 and $80,000.
- Food trucks are easier to maintain.
New business owners rarely consider building maintenance when tabulating the overhead costs of running a business. However, if you’ve ever worked in a traditional restaurant, you know they need plenty of care, especially when it comes to their HVAC systems. Few things turn guests away faster than when the heat escapes the kitchen and permeates the dining area. Furthermore, if your HVAC system is inefficient, your energy bills will shoot up through the roof—and then you’ll have another overhead cost (pun intended) to stress over.
Food truck owners don’t have to worry nearly as much about maintenance and other overhead costs as traditional restaurateurs. Their climate is whatever the weather is, and most of their maintenance needs will be mechanical.
- Mobile kitchens are a great first step towards launching a traditional restaurant.
Owning a food truck is a great first step to eventually opening a traditional restaurant. If you follow the stories of successful new restaurants on social media, you’ll learn that many of them started as lunch wagons, and now they’re packed venues with seasonal menus, live music, and other draws.
Restaurants that started as food trucks get the buzz that often follows hot new eateries, the loyalty of regular customers, and the admiration of nostalgics and foodies who appreciate their journey from a mobile canteen to a restaurant. So, as you see, starting with a mobile kitchen could be a great boon to your future restaurant.
- You can park your business almost anywhere.
The keyword in the term “mobile kitchen” is mobile. That means you’re free to move your business wherever you want as long as it’s in a permissible space. For example, food truck owners often park at construction sites and other industrial areas to take advantage of hungry customers. They also tend to set up in the parking lots of shopping centers and even at major intersections. With a mobile kitchen, you can park your business in high-traffic areas around your local area and establish a broad customer base.
- Mobile kitchens are great for catering events.
The mobility of food trucks also makes them ideal for catering events. You can book your services for weddings, concerts, and even grand openings for other local businesses.
The mobile kitchen business is ripe with opportunities for culinary artists looking to launch their own eatery. Even if owning a food truck isn’t your dream, it’s a great first step towards running your own restaurant. Mobile kitchens are cheaper to launch than restaurants, require less maintenance, and you can take your business anywhere. Now you see why so many cooks have been going into the lunch truck business in recent years.
