Food Truck Business

[A&Rinterests]

We are two enthusiastic workaholics that have a passion for making people smile when they bite into our creations. We are looking to follow Louisville's lead and start a mobile eatery. If anyone has any suggestions for ordinances, permits, menu item suggestions...but please don't discourage us because you have an opinion.

[Steve B]

"We are looking to follow Louisville's lead and start a mobile eatery."

I don't understand what you mean by the above.

Regarding the permits - you could go to the state's website and see what the requirement are for this business. I'm sure the local area/town where you do it will have specific vending licenses to obtain.

Re: Menu items. I like meatball sandwiches.

[Business Attorney]

Food trucks are really sprouting up in Chicago, but they are very restricted in what they can do on the truck. Essentially, they can just dispense food prepared in a licensed kitchen. Other cities have very different rules. You need to check your own city. And just because it is permitted in one city, don't assume you can cross a street and sell on the same basis in an adjoining city.

Sandwiches and pizza still seem to dominate the scene in Chicago, but there are many smaller niches, too. Recently, cupcake trucks are popping up and seem very popular, but I would be cautious about building a business on a single trendy item.

[SteveM]

I don't know what area you guys will be working, but when I was in New England, there were some absolutely amazing road-side seafood stands. They served fresh-caught deep-fried scallops, shrimp, and fish with home-made tartar sauce in large paper cups...if you could translate that into a mobile business, I'd follow you around the country like a teen-aged groupie! Now I'm getting hungry...

[henryz]

The taco trucks are very popular here in L.A. you see them on every corner, specially on the weekend. Good luck in your adventure.

[A&Rinterests]

Thank you, we will be using all the social media that we can. We are in Lexington, Ky and we will be looking at only fresh local fare?

[Steve B]

I've never seen a food truck in Louisville - although I'm sure there must be some. I have great memories of eating lunch everyday off food trucks when I went to school in North Phila. (Temple Univ.). You could get just about anything you wanted at a fair price. If you could make a trip - I'll bet you'll get a few ideas. There was more than one truck that was dedicated to fresh fruit salads, several gyro trucks, and just about every other ethnic group was represented. All I could usually afford was a Snapple, a soft pretzel and maybe a Tastykake.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

[huggytree]

i was working at a factory 2 days ago....a food truck comes every morning and they announce it over the loud speaker....you can go to factories all day long and sell your products....i find it interesting

id contact the health dept and find out what you need to know

they will tell you what % of rats and **** roaches are allowed in your food

on large commercial job sites they called food trucks the 'roach coach'

[Reflo Ltd]

There is a difference between the Roach Coaches and "food trucks" I think the latter is typically the type that cooks the food in the truck, like a mobile restaurant.... and the former carries prepared food made elsewhere. The Food Network has made the food trucks an item of growing popularity recently as well. It seems interesting.

[SC93]

I looked at doing this back in the late 90's but decided I didn't want to work that hard. I think an area that I never see a food truck at is a bar as it is closing. That was going to be one of the places I went. Find a big, popular bar... if you don't do well the first few times, ask them what they want if you aren't serving it. Maybe have a lighted sign that says something about sober up before you drive by eating our _______________.