When to Change Your Menu
When you initially open for business, you should have an idea of the central menu items you plan to serve. These items can be rotated from time to time to add variety and better target what your customers want. Occasionally though, you’ll want to review your full menu and consider changing it up. We’ll discuss a few of those occasions below.
Seasonal Offers
One of the most exciting things about seasons changing are the foods that come with it. Adjust your menu to celebrate the changing seasons. If there is a particular dish your food style serves during the winter, make it available! Adding a hot chocolate service is very popular for icy hands and toes. During the fall, pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, and peach flavors are festive and popular. Catering your menu to the changing seasons gives repeat customers variety and something to look forward to each year.
Testing a New Dish
Quality should always be your top priority. As a business, you want to be known for something. That something should be a specialty dish that a patron can get nowhere else. It takes time to discover what dish your customers will go crazy for. Without changing too many things on your menu, you can test out new dishes and determine their popularity. A good rule of thumb for most food trucks is to have 5-12 menu items at any given time. Rotate 1-2 items through to find your customers’ most desirable dishes.
Rebranding
When your current menu or items on your menu are not attracting business, it’s time to change up the menu. Some items might not sell well for your targeted audience. That’s ok! Through trial and error, you can hone in on what your customers prefer. Look at your sales and identify which items are low performers. Replacing them with a different option or downsizing the menu altogether will help increase efficiency. This will help you focus on profit-driving products and avoid having unnecessary supplies on hand. Sometimes a rebrand also means new fonts, colors, pictures, and organization. Doing this occasionally will help draw new eyes and additional interest.
Changing up your menu is valuable in maintaining interest in your products. However, changing the menu too often can blur your foodtruck’s identity; so take care when you do. Change your menu for seasonal offers, when testing a new dish, and when doing a rebrand.
Use Where’s The Foodtruck to refer customers to your profile and your Mobile Ordering page so they can browse your most up-to-date menu options. And make use of the Premier Membership to promote new items in the Deals & Daily Specials section.