9 steps to start a food truck business: businesses to invest in Mérida

Opening a food business once meant renting premises or starting a home delivery service from your own house. In recent years, a successful business no longer needs a fixed location.

If you’ve wondered how to start a food truck business, here are some answers. This kind of business has great potential in Mérida, and food trucks are now a common sight on the city’s streets.

A food truck? Did you know the food truck business began in the late 19th century with Texas ranchers?

Is this kind of business worth it? A food truck is a good idea for starting up and investing in Mérida, with several advantages over a conventional restaurant:

• It’s cheaper
• It’s functional
• The investment is smaller
• There’s more control and organisation

We recommend: 5 successful franchises to invest in Mérida.

The steps to start a food truck business

Get the licence

If you’re starting a business in Mérida, you can’t set up a food business wherever you like. The city has several requirements, including licences and permits to sell food on public streets.

Buy a truck

There are affordable food trucks from 800,000 pesos. Before buying, plan exactly what you’ll need to run your business. If you plan to sell pizza or other foods that need to be prepared on site, it’s better to invest in a large truck. A small one is more convenient if you plan to prepare food ahead of time at home or in a commercial kitchen.

Decide what kind of food you’ll offer

Forget tacos and cold sandwiches. Food trucks serve gourmet cooking, delicacies from other countries and healthy food. The key to a successful food truck business is finding your own niche and becoming the best expert in it.

Get financing

Once you know what you need to spend, create a financial plan. You can get a bank loan or use lending networks. Work out the down payment and the interest you’ll pay over the life of the loan.

Make a business plan

As with any other business, you’ll need to devote time and research to your business plan. Once you have your loan figure, research the costs of permits, cleaning equipment, ingredients and other expenses, and work out how much you need to sell each month to make a profit.

Find parking

Food trucks are large, and running one is likely to raise parking issues. In some cases, vendors are required to park only in approved facilities with basic services such as toilets and electricity. In Mérida you can place your food truck in one of the city’s four food-truck parks.

Get connected

The food truck business isn’t just about setting up in busy areas at certain times of day. Many operators also generate business by taking part in special events and corporate functions. Throughout the year, Mérida holds cultural festivals you can join to offer your food.

Use social media

Some of the most successful entrepreneurs are those who make the most of social media to connect with their customers. You can keep followers informed of your location or attract new diners, and use tools to interact and learn their opinions of the menu, ideas to improve the service and more.

Expand

Once you have followers and your brand has taken off, you can sell merchandise online and in person. The bigger and more original your brand, the more chance you’ll have to expand and invest in more food trucks in Mérida.

If you’re starting a business in Mérida, now you know the advantages of investing in a food truck. Are you up for it?