Why spend upwards of $100,000 on a food truck when Ebay or Craigslist has cheaper used options? The answer is quite simple. Anytime a mobile kitchen needs repairs, problems arise. Owners will experience not only the cost of the repair itself, but also lost exposure, and most importantly, LOST REVENUES!
The most important part of your food truck business is the truck itself, meaning what’s under the hood. If your truck is not fully operational, it doesn’t matter how amazing your food is. You’ll be unable to do business. That’s why it’s extremely important to invest in high quality materials and equipment. Plus, you need experts to ensure it is installed the correct way.
THE CHEAPEST OPTION WILL TYPICALLY BE YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE CHOICE IN THE LONG TERM.”
We usually recommend all of our clients go with a brand new truck. Often, new trucks come with zero miles. They also include respectable factory warranties and our standard guarantee on all fabrication work done in our production facility.
A few other notable recommendations are commercial generators, ones made to last years, not months, and American-made cooking/refrigeration equipment. We also highly recommend a riveted stainless steel interior. Since not every potential food truck owner has the budget for a new chassis, we have to look for ways to cut total cost. One of the quickest ways is to go with a pre-owned chassis, but still stick with all brand new materials/equipment. Going this route is extremely common in the food truck industry. In this case we always recommend going with a newer and/or lower mileage vehicle. This can sometimes be extremely tricky as the step van market is becoming extremely scarce around the country.
Prestige does everything possible to source the highest quality vehicles, at the lowest price to our clients. Keep in mind, however, that though most pre-owned trucks are in great shape, at the end of the day, they are still pre-owned. Prestige Food Trucks does everything possible to prevent major mechanical issues before the client receives the truck, however, it’s a given that anything secondhand is much more likely to have issues than something brand new.
Another important factor to consider is all of the different variables that go into just ONE food truck. Each truck contains electrical, plumbing, mechanical, walls & ceilings, metal fabrication, cooking & refrigeration equipment, CNG / LP gas lines, the generator, and more! Based on all of those listed components, it’s probably best to make sure a professional is handling each one of them. It’s always best to do the job right the first time!
Another common question we receive at Prestige Food Trucks is, “Why would we get our truck manufactured in Orlando, Florida when Companies A & B are within a few hours of my home?”
This is a VERY good question! Here are a few things to keep in mind
- Prestige Food Trucks is based out of Orlando, Florida, BUT ships nationally and internationally. Most food trucks can literally be delivered to your doorstep on a flatbed truck.
- A business with a dependable food truck can likely be a successful one. A business that has a food truck that is built improperly is likely to have tons of lost revenue, unwanted repair costs and headaches.
- For a business of this caliber, we highly recommended that one gets the truck that is best for their business, not what is the most convenient. A little extra time and effort can go a long way!
Interested in getting into the food truck industry? Follow this link to request a custom quote.
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