As business owners, franchises must constantly try new things to outperform their competitors and grow their revenue. Food trucks and shipping containers represent a burgeoning segment within the food and beverage industry, offering franchisees a chance to enhance brand visibility in the market. They provide an avenue to expand customer outreach at a fraction of the cost associated with traditional brick-and-mortar leases in some of the following unique ways.
Five ways franchises can grow their businesses
Brewery and vineyard events
There are over 700 craft breweries in Australia, and many of them offer themed events, live music, and other attractions to entice local populations to visit and consume their products. Food trucks and converted shipping containers are a regular sight at such events, offering up delicious food options for visitors to enjoy throughout the day.
Shows and festivals
At Brisbane’s Ekka this year, well known brands such as Domino’s and Sushi Hub were in attendance, putting themselves and their brands front and centre for 400,000+ people to enjoy.
Large public events like this are one are an option for franchises to extend their customer reach, as are music festivals, markets and other outdoor events that draw large numbers of people. Well-known brands have the benefits of standing out amongst the crowd, and offering an option where people know the quality they will receive.
Community events
Smaller grassroots community events are also a great way to reach customers when they are away from a bricks and mortar location. Sporting fields, local markets, corporate events, school fundraisers and other localised public gatherings are a great opportunity for franchisees to put themselves in front of potential customers who may not ordinarily visit their stores.
Delivery
Food delivery services enjoy a global market worth more than $150 billion* and smart franchises are carving out a slice of that market for themselves. Smaller mobile catering vehicles such as smoko trucks are a great choice. Kitted out with warmer ovens and commercial grade equipment, they offer the opportunity to store more than the average delivery carrier, with the benefit of keeping orders fresh and hot right to the customer’s front door.
Expansion and growth
Food trucks, food trailers or shipping containers and other mobile catering vehicles are a cost-efficient way to test the waters of expansion for ambitious franchises. With a substantially lower cost than fitting out a bricks and mortar store, franchisees can utilise a mobile option to widen their catchment by offering an additional location to their fixed store. Over time, the decision to invest in another bricks and mortar store can be made with confidence and the food truck is able to move to another location to broaden their territory further.
Custom built projects
These are just five ways a food truck or other mobile catering unit can be used to achieve business growth.
At Bella Manufacturing, each of our projects are custom built to fit in with the plans and objectives of business owners. Our team of industry experts ensure compliance to Australian standards and regulations and our customers are guaranteed a heavy-duty, quality professional finish that is made in Australia and built to last.
Contact us today to discuss your ideas for helping your franchisees grow.
*McKinsey & Company
