Convenience is the fuel driving the world to significant levels of innovation. This applies to the tech world as much as the global food industry. Mobile kitchens are increasingly becoming an option not only for budding restauranteurs but for city authorities. For instance, Greene County in Ohio recently launched a partnership with food truck vendors for its Food truck Friday initiative. Beyond the dining convenience, mobile kitchens have several benefits. Some of them include:
Sustainability
The food business worldwide has a sustainability problem. Catering services in the United States alone generate over 30 billion pounds of food waster every year. According to the National Resources Defense Council, US food waste is equivalent to the emissions from one in seven cars. The brick-and-mortar restaurant industry’s buffet culture is among several factors accounting for this waste problem.
Mobile kitchens providing fast meals and an easy-to-finish menu can be a great way to tackle food waste. Other solutions like collecting used cooking oil can also help restauranteurs a great deal. Many food businesses are increasingly leveraging cooking oil collection companies to recycle used cooking oil and profit from it. Companies like SeQuential have a long history of refining vegetable oil from commercial kitchens into biofuel.
Lower Startup Costs
The expense of starting a mobile kitchen is one of several reasons why mobile kitchens are so popular. Buying a food trailer will still cost you some money. But compared to building or leasing a mortar restaurant, startup costs for mobile units are more manageable.
Some food trucks may come with all you need to cook your meals. So you can save up on all those extra appliances and utensils. Food trucks do not also come with the need to have a large physical space for your customers. Many of them understand the takeaway culture. And that can relieve you from expenses on customer seating logistics.
Food trucks may also come with less risk for new restaurant entrepreneurs. It takes extensive years of experience and management knowledge to run a fully functional restaurant. Starting with a mobile van can be that launchpad you need to set yourself up. That said, not just anybody can get a food truck running. Authorities may take you through a rigorous process to determine your cooking skills and your abilities to comply with appropriate public health rules. It pays to have a chef to tango with if you’re not one yourself.
Reduced Operational Expenses
On top of several operational costs, restaurants spend a lot on utilities like gas and electricity. What’s worse is that these recurring costs are increasing in prices by day. And restauranteurs find it hard to keep, especially in times when sales don’t match up. Take last year, for instance, when the coronavirus pandemic was at its threatening peak. Many restaurants had to close.
It may take several years for things to return to normalcy. And paying salaries and heavy utility bills doesn’t make the situation any better for restaurateurs. But such a problem may have a very minimal impact on a food truck owner. Instead of hiring a lot of people, food truck owners can field the cooking duties themselves or with very little personnel.
They can also leverage thriving online opportunities to provide a virtual kitchen experience for consumers. Today’s explosion of food delivery apps is among several benefits food truck owners enjoy.
Perfect Location
A restaurant’s physical location can have a significant impact on its growth. If you’re located in a business district with a bustling day and night economy, there are many pros than cons. But getting a permanent location in such a place today is no easy task. It comes with high costs to access and even higher costs to maintain. Waiting for customers also has several drawbacks for brick-and-mortar restaurants. But the mobility of food trucks means owners can take their businesses wherever the market is. Be it mass wedding events or city festivals.
Growth Potential
For trucks and their potential to reach new markets can also be an excellent recipe for growth.
The current mobile kitchen market has over a billion dollars in value. Experts in the industry predict it to grow at a 2.4% rate by the end of 2021. As local restaurants deal with the pandemic’s new realities, food truck owners may have many opportunities to expand.
