6 Tips to Winterize Your Food Truck
Last updated on Nov 7, 2023Richard TraylorFood trucks often face challenges during the winter season. The shift in customer behavior and the reluctance to wait outside for food leads to a decline in revenue. Consequently, many food trucks choose to hibernate until spring. However, even in the face of cold weather and decreased interest, there are ways to ensure the success of your food truck throughout the winter months. With the rising popularity of mobile food business models, we curated six winter food truck strategies to maximize your business during this chilly season.
Tips to Prepare Your Food Truck for Winter
There are several things you can do to prepare your food truck for winter. If done correctly, you'll be able to stay active, maintain a steady stream of customers, and form new business connections. By adhering to the list below, you ensure your business stays profitable during the winter.
1. Winterize Your Truck
Icy conditions and low temperatures can pose a significant challenge to food truck owners. For that reason, having a plan if inclement weather occurs allows you to operate effectively. Follow the tips below to keep your truck, employees, and guests safe.
- Purchase snow tires: One essential thing that every winter truck needs is a set of snow tires. Since food trucks are heavy and prone to sliding in winter weather, snow tires provide additional traction.
- Invest in winter supplies: Consider purchasing winter supplies, such as shovels and ice scrapers, to combat winter weather. These are particularly helpful if your food truck gets plowed in or your windows freeze over. For comfort, you can even install heaters inside your truck.
- Treat sidewalks: Make sure the sidewalks and pathways to your truck are safe for customers. Consider buying rock salt to keep these areas clear of ice and prevent guests from slipping.
2. Offer Expanded Services
If you live in an area where winter weather prohibits your food truck from functioning normally, there are still several ways that you can make money. By offering the services below, you can increase profits and expand your brand during the winter.
- Food truck catering: Through catering, you can maximize winter income and explore new business opportunities. Some examples of possible catering events that your food truck could service include weddings, parties, and special holiday events. Some event spaces may even allow you to bring your food truck inside.
- Food truck delivery: Adding a delivery service to your food truck is an easy way to navigate winter weather complications. You can designate a staff member for deliveries or partner with a third-party delivery service to fulfill online orders. This forethought makes your food more accessible, builds awareness of your business, and eliminates the need for customers to wait outside your truck on cold days.
3. Sign Up for Local Events
While the winter doesn't offer as many event opportunities as the spring and summer, there are still plenty of ways to stay engaged in the community. With careful planning and communication, you can keep your food truck in the public eye year-round. Some common examples include:
- Food truck festivals: A winter food truck festival is a great way for customers to find diverse flavors in the gloomier months and provide you with a profit.
- Local gatherings: Events like winter carnivals, tree lightings, and Christmas villages can be valuable business opportunities as they generally draw in hungry and thirsty crowds looking for something to eat on-site.
- Town or city events: Find out if neighboring towns and cities host monthly events like First Fridays or Fourth Fridays. In many cases, these events bring in large groups of people despite the cold temperatures.
4. Partner with Local Businesses
Partnering with local businesses and organizations allows you to make connections and explore new business opportunities. Not only does this keep you in business, but it can also result in long-term arrangements. Some common examples of food truck partnerships include:
- Bars: Consider parking your food truck at a bar that does not offer food to feed hungry customers.
- Office buildings: Local businesses that operate out of large office buildings can hire your truck to provide employees with a catered lunch. They may even host your food truck in their parking lot for the day.
- Local sports teams: Both professional and amateur sports organizations in your area may be interested in featuring a food truck at their events. This event gives you access to a large customer base and can help to build brand loyalty.
5. Offer Seasonal Deals
The slow winter season is an excellent time to try out new dishes. When you're designing new recipes, try offering menu items that are seasonally appropriate and festive. The tips below will help transform your food truck’s menu and merchandise.
- Holiday menu: Curate a special menu to serve guests over the winter holidays. Options can include seasonal drinks, holiday classics, and exclusive winter foods.
- Meal specials: Consider offering special deals or discounts on your menu to drive sales. Specials can range from something simple, like half-priced drinks, to large bundles, such as holiday meal combos.
- Winter merchandise: Beyond food, you can create branded merchandise and sell it from your truck. Branded clothing such as hats, scarves, and gloves allow guests to stay warm while supporting a local business. You can also offer stickers, keychains, and a variety of other products to your guests.
6. Find a Regular Location
On days when the winter weather is less harsh, some people enjoy going out for lunch or walking around the town. To prepare, your food truck should find a spot with consistent foot traffic. Use the tips below to find a profitable location for your food truck this winter.
- Keep it central: People are less likely to travel long distances for food in the winter, making it imperative that you choose a central location.
- Stay accessible: If customers have difficulty reaching your food truck, you can lose out on a significant amount of revenue. Make sure to choose an accessible location that is easy to find.
- Keep regulations in mind: Before finalizing your plans, contact local authorities to ensure they permit you to operate there. Some municipalities may require specific permits and licenses to serve in certain areas.
Once you find your spot for the day, post on your food truck's social media accounts to keep loyal customers updated. If maintaining a regular location in winter weather proves too challenging, try heading to a city or state with warmer weather. You need to arrange housing for you and your truck for the season and acquire the appropriate food truck licenses and permits for that state, so be sure to run a cost-benefit analysis before hitting the road.
Choosing Which Winter Truck Tips to Implement
Before implementing the tips above, take a step back and analyze your truck and the local area.
What Are Your Strengths?
Take a moment to consider what makes your truck stand out. Whether you bake the best cupcakes in town or have exceptional customer service, your strengths are the key to devising a successful winter strategy.
How Are Other Food Trucks in Your Area Preparing?
One of the best things about the food truck industry is the strong sense of community among owners. Communicate with fellow food truck businesses to find out what they plan on doing in the winter months. This research helps to generate additional ideas and inspirations for what path your business should take.
Talk to Your Guests
Since your guests are waiting in line for your food, find out what you could offer that makes braving the freezing temperatures worth the wait. You can simply have a conversation with your regulars or send out a survey via email. You can even offer paper surveys on-site and provide incentives to fill them out.
Back to TopWhile winter poses challenges for food trucks, you don't have to close your business down during the season. By making menu adjustments, collaborating with local businesses, and exploring event and catering options, you can continue operating your food truck. Rather than hibernating throughout the cold months, consider these six tips to enhance your food truck's profitability all year round.
