Ten Reasons Why Your Business or Charity Should Partner With A Food Truck

Whether you are the head of a charity fundraiser, the CEO of a multinational corporation or a small business owner, there are many reasons why partnering with a food truck may good for your endeavor.

Whether your goal is to advance your company’s marketing, raise money for your school’s athletic department or boost sales at your business, food trucks give a unique opportunity to custom tailor your organization’s goals.

1. Mobile Kitchens generate a buzz. Are sales lagging at your used car lot? Are you concerned with getting enough revenue for your fundraiser? A giant brightly colored food truck at your event drives people’s interest and increases potential customers or donors to your event. Coupled with a radio broadcast, a chow wagon might be just what you need to reach your sales or fundraising goals.
2. Food Truck operators are masters of social media. Twitter, Facebook and the internet are the tools of a mobile kitchen’s trade and they have loyal followers. If those followers know that their favorite lunch wagon is selling food at your business, many people will come to your business and be more receptive to your sales pitch. Take advantage of a mobile food truck’s social media presence and fans to boost your sales.
3. Economics. Having a mobile kitchen at your event is inexpensive and as cheap as asking if their truck is available for your event. Let a food truck set up in your parking lot close to your entrance. If you have a little money that you would can invest you could work a deal with the food truck where you pay for the first 50 meals for your first 50 customers. Customers love giveaways. People like free stuff and you can give them something fun, unique and thoughtful that won’t break the bank. If you are doing a charitable fundraiser, most food trucks will be more than happy to come to your event for free and many will give you a percentage of their sales for the privilege of being at your event.
4. Consider a sponsorship. Many upstart lunch wagons will place your company’s name, web address, logo and phone number on their truck for a price. It doesn’t have to cost thousand of dollars either. Some operators will put your information on their truck for discounted or free goods and services. Negotiate having your info close to the menu where all the crowds are. Thousands of people will see your advertisement. Most mobile kitchen owners would be honored to put your charity’s logo on their truck for free.
5. Consider a company partnership. If you own a garage, offer a mobile kitchen owner free oil changes or inspections in exchange for putting something on the truck that states “Garage Services for XYZ food truck provided by your garage name“. The partnership concept is really only limited to your imagination. Own a brewery? Own a grocery store? Give the truck owners the option to use your products at a reduced price in exchange for your beer or products being used and cited directly in their menu. Any business can partner with a truck and everyone involved will benefit from the relationship. The mobile kitchen owner reduces operating, food or maintenance costs while the business providing the discount, product or service gets tons of cheap exposure and brand recognition.
6. Your employees need a break. A catered event at your place of business will boost morale. If your business can’t afford to pay for your employees lunch, find a mobile kitchen that serves great food and consider one day every month as food truck day. Have a food truck visit your business on a set day and at lunchtime, watch the smiles on your employees faces.
7. Have a contest. If your sales are lagging, offer a catered food truck event as a prize for your sales team. Whoever sells the most wins a free party at their home for 30 people. At costs as low as 10 dollars per person, that 300 dollars that you invested could really pump up your sales team and motivate them to boost your profits. Everyone likes a free party.
8. Gift certificates, promotions and coupons. Work a deal with a popular food truck where you print up vouchers or coupons offering two dollars off a meal at the truck. Whatever the face value of the voucher is offer to pay half. Offer the vouchers or coupons to customers who buy your products or services. The mobile kitchen benefits from increased sales and your customers will enjoy the incentive plus you are gaining a customer’s loyalty.
9. Let them park in your lot on your slowest sales day,once a week. Food trucks are always looking for places to sell food and there is no reason your business can’t benefit from this. This relationship is great for retail sales but it could apply to service or entertainment industries as well. You aren’t limited to one truck either. Once customers learn that every Tuesday at lunchtime there is a food truck at your business, there will be a steady increase of traffic at your store. Promote “Food Truck Tuesdays” with flyers in your store along with information on social media and your web page. The same concept applies to brick and mortar charitable businesses.
10. If you can’t beat them join them. Offer a food truck the opportunity to give gift certificates, coupons and giveaways from your business in exchange for exposure in your business. The relationship could be as simple as allowing the food truck to hang flyers in your retail space and you give a link to the food truck’s web address from your web page. The mobile kitchen passes out your coupons or flyers at their next big event for the exposure that you give them and your promotion reaches a whole new audience.