How Your Food Truck Can Celebrate National Gluten-Free Day
January 13th is National Gluten-Free Day. There are many reasons people choose to cut gluten out of their diet, including medical conditions, diet, or simple preference. While you may not regularly be thinking about gluten-free options to serve in your food truck, this may be the time to look into it.
Make Gluten Free Versions of Your Dishes
If you want to properly celebrate National Gluten-Free Day, you need to serve gluten-free food! Start by looking into the ingredients of your menu. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, and barley; so, if you have dishes that don’t contain any of those ingredients, you can rest assured that they are naturally gluten-free. You can also substitute any gluten ingredients with gluten-free ones. There are a wide variety of flours available, or you can buy pre-made gluten-free options to incorporate into your dishes. Being able to offer gluten-free dishes will widen your audience and can earn the loyalty of local gluten-free foodies.
Watch for Cross Contamination
One of the biggest things to pay attention to is cross-contamination. Cross-contamination occurs when your gluten-free food comes in contact with gluten. Depending on the reason a person is gluten-free and any medical conditions they have, cross-contamination may be something that is very dangerous for them – or they may not care about it all. To avoid causing issues, make sure that you use different prep areas and dishes for your gluten-free options. You may want to prep most of them in your commissary to avoid any issues in the food truck, or you could make everything in the food truck gluten-free that day. You should also be upfront with customers about the measures that you have taken so they can make informed decisions.
Market Your New Options
Once you’ve figured out what you’re going to serve that is gluten-free, you need to get the word out! Your social media channels are one of the best ways to spread the word and provide all the important details. You can make several posts leading up to January 13th to make sure that no one misses it. Try reaching out to gluten-free groups to let them know about your plans. If you’re a Premier or Elite member on WTF, you should also promote your gluten-free items in the deals & daily specials section. Gluten-free people are great about sharing good food with each other – so let them spread the word for you!
Gluten-free dishes tend to be underserved in the food truck world; so, if you’re able to safely prepare good gluten-free food, you will quickly earn the love and loyalty of your gluten-free customers. Just make sure you do the proper research so you can keep your customers safe.
Thinking of changing up your menu? Here are some tips and tricks to help you make the right move!
