The food truck industry is highly seasonal which makes staying profitable all year round quite challenging. However, with a bit of innovation and careful planning, you can make enough money to get you through the slower months.
One tried and tested strategy is leveraging food truck promotion strategies that target special times of the year such as holidays. On such days, most people will be out looking for things to do and that includes eating out. If you are keen on attracting holiday crowds, you will need to make some adjustments to your list of offerings and promotional strategies. Here are some helpful tips to make your truck stand out enough to attract more customers and boost your sales.
Understand Holiday Crowd Dynamics
Most people look forward to holidays and will usually be in a happy mood. As a result, they are more likely to spend on things that make them happy, and that includes good food. Take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior and make the necessary adjustments.
A good place to start is to identify peak times. A general observation, or analyzing historical data if you have been in the food truck business for a while, should give you an idea of what time you can expect huge crowds so you can capitalize on that.
Anticipating holiday-specific food preferences (such as Labor Day – classic “American” food like hot dogs and hamburgers) can then help beef up your sales by giving people what they want during that special day.
Develop a Holiday-Specific Menu
Regardless of your food truck’s theme, creating holiday-specific versions of signature dishes helps keep things exciting. Introduce limited-time specials to leverage popular holidays. For example, revamping your menu to include a Thanksgiving turkey burrito or a special Christmas taco is a great way to appeal to the rich traditions that define these holidays.
Capitalizing on fresh in-season ingredients to create holiday specials can increase foot traffic and generate more sales compared to having the same menu all year round. The idea is to create a buzz around your truck so more people will want to come and sample what you are offering in the spirit of the holiday.
Be Strategic with Promotion
While buying usually increases around special holidays, you still need to adjust your marketing efforts to attract holiday crowds. Being strategic with your promotion efforts in the days leading up to special holidays and during the holiday itself can help attract more customers by giving people something to look forward to.
Here are some strategies to consider for your holiday-specific food truck promotion efforts:
- Campaigning around a limited-time menu
- Participating in holiday markets or events
- Offering gift cards for holiday shoppers
- Rolling out buy-one-get-one-free promotions
- Partnering with other businesses
While some of these strategies might result in a hit to your per-unit profits, the bigger picture is that you will have more people lining up to buy your food and that translates to more profit overall.
Create Timely Food Truck Promotions with Legion Food Trucks
Holidays provide a special opportunity to increase sales by capitalizing on the excitement surrounding these special days. By adjusting your menu to capture the spirit of the holidays and investing in special food truck promotion efforts, you can easily boost your short-term sales and save up for the slower months.
If you are looking for more strategies to boost your sales and create a successful food truck business, look no further than Legion Food Trucks. Our goal is to help you give your customers a memorable experience when they visit your food truck. From flashing lights and booming sounds to seamless transactions, we will employ the latest technologies such as LED lights, digital menu boards, speaker systems, and mobile POS systems to create a memorable experience for your customers. We can even set you up with a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot to attract new guests. Use our custom food truck builder to get started now!
