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7 Simple Ways to Enhance the Appearance of Your Food Truck

Investing in a food truck is a great way to share your greatest passion with several people. You may have found the perfect recipe and created the nicest dishes, but if you don’t get any customers, then what’s the point? 

Your truck’s appearance can affect how people perceive your operation. Try these methods to make your food truck stand out and entice more people to give your fare a chance.

1. Put Your Message First

You might want to make your food truck flashy to catch people’s eyes, but this is not a good idea. Too many random things make it hard for people to know where to focus. Their eyes will be drawn to several things, and they may not remember anything else about your food truck other than it sells food. Try to have one or two designs that allow people to rest their eyes and learn more about your business.

At the same time, you don’t want to go so minimalist that people are bored. You should create an inviting design that lets people know what you’re about. Art can communicate a story and help you put your message first. 

If you plan to contribute any of your proceeds to charity, mention that somewhere on your truck. Compassion begets compassion and can inspire others to pay it forward, so explaining what you stand for might convince more people to buy from you. Customers should know what your business is about the moment they decide to support you.

2. Wrap or Paint Your Truck

Food trucks might initially be all one color, but you don’t need to keep them that way. Using a base color other than white can help your truck stand out, making any words or pictures you put on your truck pop. Painting might be your first thought, but vinyl wrap is the way to go if you want a glossy finish that will catch customers’ eyes.

Vinyl won’t damage your truck’s paint, so you can always remove it in the future if you want a different look. The great thing is that you can also apply stickers and other decals onto the vinyl wrap. Just make sure to prep the area with soap, water and rubbing alcohol before adhering something to the vinyl wrap. Then, you’ll have a food truck that stands out in the best way possible.

3. Eliminate Rust

People may be more likely to trust your food if your vehicle looks well cared for. You need to care for your food truck from the inside out, and part of that upkeep requires scrutinizing and fixing blemishes. 

For example, rust might be challenging, but you can manage it. You need to understand the difference between surface rust, which is easy to remove if you treat it immediately, and scale and penetrating rust, which affects more than just the top layer of your truck. Eliminating rust can make your vehicle look a lot cleaner.

4. Post Your Menu

You might think a menu could clutter your space, but it could entice people to come closer to your truck to read it. Adhere your menu carefully and sturdily, ensuring it’s large enough for everyone to see without getting in the way of people placing orders. 

Having your menu readily available for people to peruse gives them a great idea of what your truck offers.

5. Take Care of Your Vehicle

A food truck is more than just a place to get food. It’s technically a vehicle, too, even if you don’t drive it around as much as you do your car. You should pay attention to the manufacturer’s manual, which can tell you exactly when you need to perform maintenance, so you can avoid paying too much all at once to keep your vehicle running. Routine maintenance is also a great way to identify anything wrong with your truck before it becomes a severe problem.

You should also keep your truck clean. Remove any garbage before it starts to smell or clutter up your vehicle. Similarly, make sure you wash your truck regularly. No one will want to order a meal from a dirty food truck, so keeping it clean is better for your business overall.

6. Evaluate Your Concept

If you get less business than anticipated, the fault may lie in your food truck’s concept. You must stand out and show people your food needs to be sampled. You want your business to tempt people to try your food — and then, thanks to the quality of the ingredients and the delicious flavor of your dishes, they’ll stick around.

Consider upgrading your truck to make it reflect your concept. For example, do you have one standout dish people know your business for? Use a decal to call attention to it or theme the entire truck around that recipe. That way, your vehicle will stand out, make people curious and signal what you’re all about. Reworking a concept to fit your original vision is a great idea when you’re stuck.

7. Use Color Psychology to Your Advantage

Colors can evoke certain emotions in your audience. Consider the shades restaurants use to draw people in. Bright red insists on urgency and makes people hungry when they look at it. It’s also bright and noticeable, so it may be a great color to include on your food truck.

Colors can also communicate a message. If you specialize in vegan or vegetarian food, consider including green instead of red to share that you’re more plant-based. Alternatively, if you sell seafood, blue might make people think of the ocean and make your fish-based food more enticing.

Feed the People What They Want

Making food is your passion, and you want to share it with others. The best way to ensure everyone gets a taste of your signature dishes is to make your food truck look nice and approachable. Once you combine your best advertising — your vehicle — with your tasty food, you’ll have a business that people won’t be able to resist.

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