How Where You Park Determines Your Success
Location, location, location. Where you park determines a big part of your success. A bad location means no sales. A good location gives you visibility and accessibility to an increased number of customers.
Best Place to Park at Events
Perhaps the biggest times for business are at events. Popular events like cultural events and food festivals often receive more vendor applications than they can accommodate. Apply to a variety of events early in the year to ensure you’re selected. When choosing your parking spot, make sure you can easily be found, have enough space around your business to prevent overcrowding, and you stay near other food vendors. Go early to set up to make sure you have a competitive and enticing display to attract customers. If spots are pre-assigned, ask the organizer how to get the spot of your choice.
How to Secure a Great Spot for Your Truck
When you are not catering events, you must find attractive spots near potential customers. College campuses, gas stations, farmer’s markets and downtown business centers are great for going to where your customers are. However, you must have the proper permissions and space for your vehicle. Secure a great spot by sending a vehicle ahead of the truck to scout out a legal area with plenty of space and access to the utilities you need. Set up earlier than you need to in order to secure your spot from other trucks that are competing for your parking space.
Importance of a Permission
Unfortunately, food trucks can’t park anywhere they choose. Check your local regulations to learn what you can and can’t do, and what requires a permit or written permission from property owners. General roadside parking rules apply as well as some industry specific parking rules. For example, you must stay clear of fire hydrants, bus stops, and crosswalks. But in many jurisdictions, you must also park in commercial areas, adhere to local proximity rules, follow local metered parking rules, and obtain a parking permit. A parking permit will tell you where and when you can park your truck to conduct business. A parking permit also says whether you are allowed to park your truck overnight. Make sure you submit your request for a parking permit early to avoid legal implications.
A good location will be a determining factor in your ability to make a profit. People will not come to you; you must go to them. The success of your business relies on your ability to park where the money is.
For additional tips on drawing a crowd to your food truck, check out our article How to Make Your Food Truck Stand Out and make sure to apply for our platform to use to better market yourself no matter where you park.
