Because of the cellular nature of the trade, meals truck operators need to be agile businesspeople to benefit from the very best alternatives, whether or not that be discovering the very best location, getting the fitting licenses or branching out their companies.

One space that some meals truck operators are branching out is taking their hottest objects and licensing it to different eating places as a method to increase revenue and attain, with out having to drive the meals truck round.

Meat the Veggies, a meals truck primarily based in Miami Gardens, Florida dove into this world by a partnership with the restaurant Home of Taste, co-owned by rapper Trick Daddy.

Meals truck historical past

Meat the Veggies first opened in March 2022 as a ghost kitchen after which the house owners bought a meals truck in October 2022.

“Our motto is actual meat plus actual veggies,” Jocelyne Williams, proprietor and operator, stated in a Zoom interview. Half the menu is meat, particularly seafood with a tropical twist corresponding to BBQ salmon or mango Chipotle BBQ salmon whereas the others objects are flavored vegetable dishes.

The highest vendor was the oxtail sandwich, which Meat the Veggies bought a trademark for.

Licensing transition

Final fall, Meat the Veggies shut down its meals truck, however the demand for the oxtail sandwich continued. To satisfy the demand, Williams reached out to Home of Flava, which is positioned lower than a mile from the house of the Miami Dolphins Hardrock Stadium with a licensing alternative for the Oxtail Sandwich.

“If we might push our prospects to Home of Flava, they are going to get new prospects,” Williams stated. “This can convey our model again to Miami Gardens.”

The partnership formally launched on April 1 this yr. Meat the Veggies produces the sandwich and gives the elements however would not need to deal with the entire advertising, overhead, POS system prices and different prices related to a meals truck.

“As a meals truck operator, you spend a lot time and vitality simply getting it round. There’s far more prep that has to go together with it,” Wiliams stated. Now, Meat the Veggies is, “taking the product, instructing them(Home of Flava) find out how to put it collectively and they’re sending it out the door.

Meals truck future

Nevertheless, regardless of the chance, Meat the Veggies hasn’t deserted their meals truck, they’re merely adjusting to a extra strategic mannequin.

Williams stated they’re open to doing particular occasions corresponding to AfroNation Miami, a serious occasion celebrating Afrobeats. They’re additionally wanting into taking the meals truck to arenas and airports.

She stated that they view the meals truck as “extra of a cellular kitchen.”

Ideas for operators

Williams supplied a number of factors to operators seeking to break into the area.

For one, she stated to “be proactive” about understanding all of the rules surrounding meals vans in your space, particularly zoning points.

“We might personally go to zoning workplace in Miami and get all the necessities round the place meals vans can park. If I needed to park in an deal with, I might ask them first.”

She additionally really helpful that among the finest methods to discover a place to park your automobile is to construct relationships with companies the place you may each profit.

“In Miami, the trade continues to be being created, it’s kind of of a free for all with what distributors need to pay, venues need to cost,” Williams stated. “They’ll cost you a number of overhead to park your truck.”

Nevertheless, by forming relationships with native companies corresponding to a modeling company within the space, she was capable of finding free locations to park the truck and for the reason that enterprise was a non-public location, there have been no points round parking.

In the end whether or not licensing your meals or getting your meals truck arrange, Williams most essential piece of recommendation was, “Be proactive and do your homework.”