Developing Your Coffee Truck Menu

Developing Your Coffee Truck Menu

Your Mobile Coffee Business Success

Deciding on Your Coffee Truck Menu

Starting a mobile coffee business is exciting, fun, and liberating, especially compared to traditional coffee shop startups.

When you have your mobile coffee business, you are your business owner. Starting a mobile coffee business can open up a world of possibilities.

When starting any coffee business, you must decide what you will serve your customers. Your coffee shop menu decisions play a big role in your overall coffee shop budget and your decisions on what type of coffee equipment you will need.

Starting a mobile coffee business can be even more complex because a mobile coffee business owner must consider the aspects that other “brick and mortar” coffee shop owners do not. Understanding the differences can lead to a great chance of a coffee shop's success and avoiding failure.

Deciding on your mobile coffee truck menu is a mix of several key essentials:

• Coffee business concept
• Target market
• Physical space
• Equipment
• Water source
• Power requirements
• Health department regulations

We’ll discuss each of these elements of your mobile coffee business a bit further. However, let us briefly discuss your current position in starting your mobile coffee business. 

Where you are today can often impact the direction you take as you start working on setting up your mobile coffee business. This is an obvious fact, but it’s worth noting as we discuss the particulars of setting up your mobile coffee business.

Let’s quickly cover your starting point below:

Further Reading: How to Choose a Mobile Coffee Trailer

Your Mobile Coffee Business: Where Are You Today?

Not everyone launches their mobile coffee business from the same starting point as the next person.

There is a wide variety of coffee business scenarios that each of you has right now.

Consider the following hypothetical scenarios:

• You may already have an SUV or cargo van sitting in your driveway, and therefore, you may be interested in finding an accommodating trailer to start your mobile coffee business.
• You may already have a specific concession trailer in mind and need to buy a van or truck with enough horsepower to pull it.
• Or… you may already have a family trailer or van that you would like to convert into a coffee business.
• Some of you may have to grow your concept (and coffee truck menu) around your existing resources and current situation to save money and time.
• Some of you may not own a car now, so perhaps you would like to buy a coffee truck – and not buy two separate vehicles (a coffee trailer and a van to pull it with).
• You may already have your espresso machine or a commercial refrigerator and need to find a specific truck or van that would best accommodate the space you need.

All of these scenarios are possible. Scenarios like this exist all the time, with people wanting to start a mobile coffee business. Where are you at?

Besides what you already bring to your business, your overall coffee business budget may also play into your decisions here. What can you afford?

Let’s talk about this next.

What will your budget allow you to do next?

Your coffee shop budget and your access are the lifeblood of your coffee business. So, what will your budget allow you to do next?

The answer depends on your concept, your vision, your budget, and your existing starting point. This brings us to our main discussion – elements that contribute to your coffee truck menu. Your coffee truck menu will often determine how much money you will be spending. Knowing this before you build out your mobile coffee trailer or coffee truck will be important to saving money.

Elements That Contribute To Your Mobile Coffee Truck Menu

Your Mobile Coffee Business Concept

What kind of mobile coffee business do you want? Would you prefer a food truck-type vehicle or van, or would you prefer a concession trailer?

There are both advantages and disadvantages in choosing any mobile coffee business vehicle. The ultimate answer to your decision may rest upon what type of customer you want to serve. For example, are you interested in doing more special events, festivals, or weddings? Who will be your ideal customer?

Your mobile coffee business concept must consider your budget and startup funds. A coffee shop business plan will determine your entire project's overall costs, so consider writing your coffee business plan before you set out to spend any significant money.

Your Target Market (Is Your Market Also Mobile?)

When it comes to a mobile coffee business, you may have several target markets – every week!

Getting to know your customers (your target market) can be tricky enough if you are a brick-and-mortar coffee shop owner. A mobile coffee business owner will have to adapt and provide excellent service and great products to each different location (where it is assumed that the customer base will be different from the last).

Like your own mobile coffee business, your target market may also be mobile too. That is, you might have different customers at a specific location every day. Consider a mobile coffee business at a music venue that plays different music every week or in front of a convention center with different ongoing conventions that bring in different types of people with different interests.

Your own customers' mobility and diversity can impact your coffee truck menu decisions as you do your best to accommodate your ever-changing customers.

Your Mobile Coffee Space and Layout

No question that having a mobile coffee business will limit the physical space you have to work with. Depending on what type of vehicle you have, you may or may not have the ability to serve any number of food or beverage items.

Consider the size of your coffee trailer or coffee truck – and the layout it may provide – as you work on your coffee truck menu choices. An average coffee trailer will be about 60 to 120 square feet (from the outside). In reality, the space needed for your sink, counters, storage, equipment, and wheel wells may cut space by 20% to 60%.

Your Mobile Coffee Equipment

Your coffee truck menu board, physical space, and budget will dramatically impact your menu. Regardless of what items and beverages you will be serving, you will have some important coffee equipment decisions to make.

For starters, you will need the basic coffee equipment as any other coffee business. This may include an espresso machine, two coffee grinders, a scale, pitchers, etc. Additionally, you may also want a coffee brewer, a commercial refrigerator, and an icemaker, to name a few.

Your menu board, concept, space, and power requirements will influence your mobile coffee equipment purchases.

Our Complete Coffee Shop Startups Kit will help you think about the specific equipment you’ll need to start a coffee business. Complete with hours of interviews, guides, and resources – including a coffee shop business plan template – you’ll start your coffee shop business planning on the right track.

Further Reading: How to Start a Coffee Truck Business

Your Water

Water is another key element in your mobile coffee shop business. How much water will you need? Where will you get it? Where will you dispose of it?

Your water is the lifeblood of your mobile coffee business. Without it, you can’t serve coffee, and you won't pass a health department inspection. Consider your water needs and, along with your space, determine how you will provide enough water for your mobile coffee business to work.

Power Requirements

Without power, your mobile coffee shop business will be unable to function. The power of your equipment, lights, and water all depend on the power you deliver. But how much power do you need? Will you purchase a portable generator, or will you be able to plug into a high voltage power outlet on your prospective venue?

Health Department Regulations

Your mobile coffee business is essentially a “beverage and food” establishment that will, in many cases, depend on passing a health safety inspection.

To pass the inspection, your mobile coffee unit needs to provide some basic functions, such as providing hot water, having food-grade materials and equipment, etc. Your local county health department often distributes a list of requirements. Remember, if you plan to cook food yourself, the list of requirements grows longer for you.

Mobile Coffee Business Menu

So now that we’ve discussed many of the considerations when focusing on your menu, you can see that it’s important to take some time to consider your menu aspirations with other essential factors.

As you develop your coffee shop business plan and take other important steps in starting your coffee business, you will arrive at a good spot to determine what your customers will ultimately buy from you.

One of the best ways to start a coffee business is to hear from real-life coffee shop owners and experts. We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide and audio interview set to help you get your coffee business planning off the ground.

Your Commercial Commissary

A mobile coffee business has many elements you may not be familiar with. Working with a commissary is often one of the forgotten pieces you must look into when you are ready to run your coffee truck.

Your coffee truck business must work with a local commissary in almost every case. In this article, we’ll explore the topic of having a commissary as a coffee truck owner, giving you its definition, necessity, and how you best choose a commissary that works for you.

At Coffee Shop Startups, we aim to provide you with the most comprehensive guide to help you start your coffee business successfully. This article is one in a series of articles presenting an in-depth look at how to set up your coffee truck business.

Whether you are just starting, thinking about buying a coffee truck, or planning out your mobile coffee business, our Complete Coffee Shop Startups Kit can help you develop your coffee business successfully. 

Before you start your mobile coffee vending business, you'll need to get approval from the health department. To get approval from the health department, you'll need to determine whether or not you'll need a commissary for your coffee truck.

What is a commissary?

When it comes to the mobile food industry, commissaries play a key role in providing owners the space to prepare, cook, and package food and others served.

A typical commissary is often a shared workspace for owners of food trucks, coffee trucks, and other mobile food and beverage businesses to work on their products before serving.

Walk into any given commissary, and you’ll find proprietors working on the meals that they plan to sell from their food trucks, coffee trucks, or other catering services.

A commercial commissary will have food prep stations, refrigerators, stoves, ovens, sinks, and dishwasher machines. In other words, it provides you with a full commercial kitchen and all the backhouse amenities that most full-serve or “brick and mortar” coffee shops have.

One of the potential drawbacks of running a mobile coffee operation is the lack of physical space. Space is a critical resource in any retail business, but especially in a mobile coffee truck operation or coffee drive-thru stand business.

Due to a lack of space, power, and commercial equipment, you will need to find a commissary amenable to your mobile coffee truck operation. So, let’s talk about how to choose the right commissary for you.

Is It Necessary To Have a Commissary For Your Coffee Truck?

The answer, of course, is… it depends! Much of the answer rests with your local county health department. Your local health department has specific regulations determining if your coffee business needs a commissary. By talking to your health department, you might figure out that having a commissary in your locale is unnecessary or having only a basic commissary, depending on your operation scale.

Some pretty basic questions will determine whether or not you will need a commissary:

• Where will you prepare your food, baked items, or snacks?
• Determine where you will wash and sanitize your utensils and cookware.
• Do you need to dispose of your food waste or gray water?

These are important questions to answer before you are given a health permit to operate your coffee truck.

You may not need a commissary if you don’t plan to offer any cooked food items. If say, you only offer packaged items and have the ability to rinse, wash, and sanitize your dishes, you might be able to have limited commissary services. This might determine how you shop for your coffee truck or coffee trailer.

Nevertheless, you must check with your local health department’s regulations before you move forward here.

Choose a Commissary That Works For You

Depending on where you live, you might have limited options. Do an internet search for commissaries in your area and find what commissaries are available. Visit their websites and call them up. Drop by and do a walk-through. You will want to determine if the space is clean and obtain all the required health department permits. Ask when the commissary is the busiest (if you will wait there for hours to dispose of your waste or use other amenities?) Determine if you would feel good about doing your food prep at any available options in your area.

You will probably want to choose a commercial commissary close to where you live, where you will park or store your coffee truck, or where you will serve customers. The convenience of your chosen commissary should play a key role in your decision of which one to work with. Besides, you want the location to be in a safe or guarded area with night-time lighting.

Look for a space with enough parking for your truck and other vehicles. Some commissaries offer overnight parking for an extra fee. However, if you don’t need overnight parking, you want your coffee truck to be safely and conveniently parked away from the street while you are busy in the commissary.

Finally, consider the full offerings available at the commissary. What will you need, and what options will you not need? Understand what you will be getting for the money you will be paying for the commissary.

Commissaries often offer various plans for what your mobile coffee business may require.

To summarize your coffee truck commissary plan:

• Determine what your menu is
• Research your options
• Convenience is a big factor
• What service will you need?
• Consider parking, safety, hygiene, and busy hours.

Further Reading: Do Coffee Trailers Make Money? 

Are There Other Café Commissary Options?

Depending on where you are located, you may or may not have good commissary choices to utilize.

Are there any other options available if there aren't good commissary choices? Consider contacting your local health department and ask if they have any recommendations for commissaries or other businesses that may satisfy their requirements.

You also connect with local cafes and restaurants and partner with them. You may be able to rent their facilities to prepare your food at their locations. 

Your Mobile Coffee Budget and Commissary

How much money will your commissary cost? Depending on the space and activity, you should factor in your commissary costs of up to $350 per month. These costs are high, so make sure you determine whether you’ll need full services and choose accordingly.

Depending on your options, you may be able to reduce your commissary costs, but you may have to incur them elsewhere. For example, you may need to install a three-compartment sink in your coffee trailer—this, as well as a hand, wash sink. The plumbing for the sinks and the water supply may add high costs to your coffee truck startup budget.

Develop Your Mobile Coffee Business Plan

Start your mobile coffee business on the right footing by developing your business plan first. The more you know about the retail coffee industry, the less money you will spend on starting your coffee shop.

In our Complete Coffee Shop Startup Kit, we offer you an unprecedented resource to get your coffee business planning started – including a coffee shop business plan template.

Hear and learn directly from coffee business owners on how they started their coffee shop business. We have multiple guides to help you understand all you need to know about running your coffee business.

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