If you're ready to start your mobile food business, then you know that menu items will be the foundation of everything you do. A one-of-a-kind menu is at the heart of your business' profitability, and it will bring you a steady stream of profits.
While you want to make your menu perfect with all the food items worth adding, as a rule of thumb, most food trailers and trucks can only contain a limited number of menu items. Generally, a food trailer will sell 3-10 staple foods. Depending on the size of the food trailer, the menu items that a food trailer can contain varies from small to large. Below is the number of food trailer menu items that will serve as a reference for you.
A 7.2-foot food trailer is generally capable of serving 3 to 5 foods. Due to space constraints, it can only accommodate 1-2 people to work at the same time, and cannot place multiple cooking equipment.
16 foot food trailer
The 16-foot food trailer can accommodate 2-4 people working at the same time, which is a small mobile restaurant. It has relatively ample space and it can contain 5-8 menu items. You can serve ice cream or coffee with pizza.
26ft large food trailer
A large food trailer can have almost the same kitchen space as a traditional restaurant. Its menu items can be very rich. This is a menu served by a full team of chefs. The 26-foot food trailer can serve multiple staples, desserts, coffee, and more at the same time.
How to determine the number of menu options
Space size
Depending on the size of the space, the number of menu items you can provide is limited. Both the storage of food raw materials and the installation of cooking equipment are limited by space. You'll need to determine the number of menu items based on the size of your food trailer and the staples you'll be selling.
Number of employees
The more menu items you have, the more staff you need. Yes, there is a limit to the kinds of food each chef can cook. When you have more than 6 types of food, you may need more than two employees.
Preparation time of food
When determining your menu items, you need to consider the preparation time of each item. Before making food, you need to garnish each food. The more menu items there are, the longer it will take.
Customer group
You also need to consider your customer base, is it office workers or children? If you sell food near an elementary school, you can cut down on coffee items on your menu. If you're operating near a business district, ice cream isn't a must-have option. You need to determine the menu items based on the characteristics of your customer base.
Find the optimal number of menu items
There is no uniform rule on the optimal number of menu items. You need to consider the number of menu items that are right for your food trailer based on your business. Who are you going to sell to? What kind of food do you sell? How much space is in your food trailer? How many employees are there?
There are many factors that affect the number of items on your menu, these are the main ones you have to consider. Of course, none of this is set in stone. You can also adjust the number of menu items and the variety of food you have after a month of business experience. You can also refer to other food trailers for menu information.
