Or consider one of the food truck alternatives listed above. A vendor that is issued a permit in accordance with the state licensing requirements and is operating within the limitations of the permit type that was issued may submit their application, supporting documentation (menu, commissary agreement, toilet use agreement, photos of unit, and route sheet/location of operation), and permit fee electronically to the Maricopa County Environmental Services Department (Department). And while commercial kitchens likely have blenders, tongs, and spatulas you can use, supplies in a shared kitchen space can be tight. If that sounds manageable to you, then owning a food truck wont feel hard. The answer is yes. Not every location works for every truck. If you are starting a home-based food business, you will need to understand the regulations of FDA and your state and local health department. Try to find one that supplies most of your food and beverage needs; the fewer suppliers you work with, the fewer invoices you need to process every month. When doing initial research, evaluate the food truck scene in your area and research local food truck laws and regulations. They may ask you to provide additional documentation or proof of insurance coverage. Your food truck business plan should include the following sections: When preparing your business plan, make sure that you include all the details. Successful food trucks can bring in more than $500,000 per year, with startup costs around $40,000. Food trucks can be parked anywhere except in a school zone, public park, or church. The food truck industry is growing in popularity and many people are now looking to start their own businesses. Select the one that's right for your project. Here are three of the best food trucks in Arizona: A post shared by Waldos _Tacos (@waldos_tacos). If you offer catering, youll also want a couple of sturdy collapsible tables and chafing dishes to keep your food warm outdoors. wS = $(this).scrollTop(); APPLY FOR UP TO $40,000 NOW Why Apply Online for a Food Truck Loan? B. But what else do you need to get started? This article is part of a larger series on Starting a Business. You dont need to break the bank to do this. Once you have all the required documents, you can begin applying for temporary registration. For example, itemize your marketing strategy, explain how each line item will reach your target consumers, how much it will cost, and how many customers it will likely bring in. Hitting figures like that requires a targeted menu, excellent marketing, and a full-time commitment to managing your costs and overhead. However, if your menu requires unique cooking elements like wood smoke, rotisseries, or metal skewers, you may need to purchase that yourself. And we get the lowdown on the most essential, hard-hitting parts of building their business: (1) How exactly did you find this opportunity? You will need to train every staff member on your menu and your truck processes. Every city has different regulations limiting parking opportunities. In accordance with A.R.S. If you participate in several events, fairs, or festivals, create an event calendar that you can hand out to customers so that they know where to find you next. State of Arizona Department of Transportation 1324 N 22 nd Avenue, MD128A, Phoenix AZ 85009 . Your truck itself will require a visit to the department of motor vehicles for commercial license plates. There are hundreds of potential locations throughout Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, and Prescott. They were happy to give us advice when we asked, but much of our experience is hands-on. Like any other business, your food truck will need a well-prepared business plan if you want it to succeed. (Image by Felicity Tai from Pexels). A website can also give your business the polish of offering a business email address that is branded with your truck name. Have your vehicle maintained according to manufacturer specifications. (Image from Border Grill Truck and Catering). New custom food trucks will cost around $100,000 to $200,000. It also offers several programs that help small businesses get off the ground, such as the Small Business Development Center Network and the Arizona Commerce Authority. Also known as a "vendor license" or "basic business operation license", a business license allows you to operate a business in your desired city and state. Used food trucks come fully equipped with helpful features like awnings. You dont need to target high-profile Instagrammers with advertising fees. If youre in the Phoenix area, Grilled Addiction will be at the Carefree Winter Festival and Cardinals Stadium in the month of December. You can get this license plate when you first purchase your food truck, or you can buy it later. (Youll realize that you can do it, too.). You can contact your citys zoning administrator to learn more about regulations. Like any other business venture, the food truck industry offers both advantages and disadvantages. You will likely find that they are eager to share their knowledge with an up-and-coming food trucker. Busy October May/June Slow July August/September. 5. FTE: What makes operating a food truck difficult where you live in Phoenix? Find the best Dessert Food Trucks in Arizona and book or rent a Dessert food truck, trailer, cart, or pop-up for your next catering, party or event. YouTube, 228 Park Ave S # 20702 At Starter Story, our goal is to help you make these decisions by giving you the information and answers you need - from 4,403 successful founders that already went through it firsthand. For comparison purposes, here are the estimates for a food truck business: $50,000 - $75,000 on a retrofitted food truck. For tips on managing a tip pool, see our guide to restaurant tip pooling laws and what is tip out. The National Food Truck Association is an excellent place to start. $500 for the first month of parking and maintaining the truck. Check out this 1990 step van food truck that is available for you to purchase . Confirm that your vehicle meets all health department requirements. For example, Maricopa County allows you to renew online. The following are the most commonly required food truck permits and licenses, regardless of where you live: 1. Business License. Mobile Food Type I, II and III are approved to operate at Farmers Markets, Special Events, business locations, private functions, etc., in Maricopa County, provided they are operating within theallowances of the permit issued to them. You should check with your county about how to renew your permit. While some businesses dont require large amounts of capital, others do. Luckily, food truck owners had plenty of advice about avoiding potential headaches. Many also provide areas to dispose of grease and greywater, truck maintenance areas, and a secure place to park overnight. When your truck is up and running, your credit card deposits will run to this account, and you will pay employees and suppliers from it. We hope this article has covered everything you need to know to set up a successful food truck in Arizona! Read thousands of case studies and get inspired. You will need various licenses to cover your truck, your prep kitchen, yourself, and sometimes your individual employees. This should include: Once you have a solid plan in place, you can start looking for locations and vendors. We were also called upon to be featured on BBQ Crawl with Diva Q for the Travel Channel (to be shown Summer 2015). Does all equipment need to be professionally installed? We have served opening day for Diamondback Baseball at Chase Field and Cubs Spring Training games in Mesa, Az. Starting a food truck business is an exciting venture. Featured AZ Food Trucks . New York City, for example, requires every person working on a food truck to have a mobile food vending license. A mix of Southwestern tradition and imported trends have crafted a street food scene unlike any other in the country. Join our free newsletter to get unlimited access to all startup data including startup costs. Even if your truck is fully outfitted with cooking and refrigeration equipment, youll still need some extra tools. A drop box - located outside of our office at 301 W. Jefferson St. - is available for paper plans. You can typically find out your local regulations by putting in a few phone calls, one to your city or county health department and your city or county clerks department. Thats why we built Starter Story - the only place where 4,403 founders of successful businesses share with you their exact timeline of building their business to thousands of customers. We have seen countless Starter Story readers join us, get inspired, and change their lives through the businesses theyve built. This can be done by contacting your local fire department directly to arrange for an inspection to be undertaken. Check out How to Start a Food Truck: The Ultimate Guide Regulations And Permits Hands-down, navigating all the regulations was the most consistent external source of frustration we heard. }); Each Friday is Food Truck Friday so check them out. As you can see, there is a lot that goes into starting a food truck. Of course, the summer months tend to slow down quite a bit (mid-July thru mid-September), but when the season comes around, it gets crazy busy! But if you have a welcoming personality and are great at add-on sales, you might be stronger in a customer-facing role and hire cooks. Their menu includes tacos made with fresh ingredients such as chicken, beef, fish, or pork. You can also purchase a new food truck directly from a manufacturer like 800BuyCart. Brett Lindenberg is the founder of Food Truck Empire and Food Empire Pro. Your website is also a great place to post your event calendar or a contact form for catering orders. Other questions to think about before starting a food truck business: What will make your food truck stand out? Location. Commissary kitchens are not your only option. Does driving a food truck require a commercial drivers license? Some cities require permits to operate a food truck in their neighborhoods. If you dont have coverage in place, you could be on the hook for thousands of dollars in medical bills and other damages. With a general idea of your concept, you need a name that fits your food. Subscribe to On the Line endstream endobj 121 0 obj <>/Metadata 8 0 R/OpenAction 122 0 R/Pages 118 0 R/StructTreeRoot 20 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 122 0 obj <> endobj 123 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 118 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 124 0 obj <>stream %%EOF We would highly recommend the flagship Aioli Burger Applewood smoked bacon, garlic aioli, and caramelized onions make this a burger not to be missed. It takes just minutes to apply for a food truck loan at Food Truck Lender. newDocumentReady(function () { Youll need something that evokes quality food and is exciting enough to compete with other food trucks. Based on data points from our 4,403 case studies, you'll find the 201 most effective ways that founders are growing their business right now. However, there are restrictions regarding where food trucks can sell alcoholic beverages. Food truck regulations fall into three major categories: health, zoning, and vehicle requirements. Speaking of mainline distributors like Sysco, if your food truck is even a little bit busy, youll want to open accounts with wholesale suppliers. After getting an idea of what regulations youll need to meet and what types of food work well in your area, you can narrow down a concept and name your food truck. The State of Arizona has a new ordinance that requires all food trucks to be inspected by the fire department. But the idea for the food truck business began even earlier during a casual visit with their family. Mary King is an expert retail and restaurant contributor at Fit Small Business. The downside to leasing is that the truck wont be customized to your needs. General business licenses include things like: Foodservice licenses are typically issued by your state or county health department. The MVD requires that you provide proof of liability insurance, drivers license, vehicle registration, and proof of financial responsibility. Joining one will put you in contact with other like-minded business owners who can help you troubleshoot problems and send you business if their truck is not available for an event. Create an LLC in minutes with ZenBusiness. ^ Yes, we asked thousands of founders these questions. You dont need a huge space or expensive equipment to run a food truck. If you want to learn more about the Grilled Addiction story we encourage you to visit their website. The added benefit of joining an advocacy group is, of course, advocacy. The cost of living in Arizona is lower than in other states, so you wont have to spend much money to start up your own food truck. Annual Event Food Establishment Guidelines (PDF), Approved Sanitary Toilet Facilities Agreement (PDF). Contact your local motor vehicle department for lesser-known parking restrictions. This might be a restaurant kitchen you lease in its off-hours or a school kitchen that you rent for evenings, weekends, or summer months. You will need to apply for a permit to sell alcohol if you want to operate a food truck within these parameters. A food truck license plate is a unique way to identify your business. However, if you would like to conduct business under a different name, you can register a DBA. When it comes to setting up your business, you may find yourself in a place where you have to make some financial and legal decisions. In order to operate a food truck in Arizona, you need to apply for a state-issued permit. Thirdly, determine start-up costs, identify financing sources and obtain the necessary licenses, permits, and insurance. Try to book as many events as you can. The permit applications are listed by category. Since 2014, Brett has interviewed over 100 entrepreneurs on the Food Empire Pro podcast and written hundreds of blog posts on all aspects of food business. If you have an active fanbase of friends and family who support your food truck concept, crowdfunding can provide some or all of your opening budget. Each county sets its own fees for food truck permits. Our top-ranked food truck POS systems can operate via Wi-Fi or cellular networks, and many are free to use. Find Trucks. If you fail to obtain proper insurance, you could be held liable for damages caused by another party. Grilled Addiction: The Phoenix Valley has many opportunities for the food truck industry. Facebook A captivating logo can make a huge difference in whether people step up to your truck or pass right by, so you want this important marketing element to be in the hands of a talented designer. Its also one of the most difficult things you can do in this economy. 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