The owners of On The Hook catering business usually begin and end their days behind the stove in Laramie, Wyoming, where they have been for more than twenty years. During the long hours in between, the best fried fish and chips seller travel through the northern states of Wyoming and Colorado, particularly frequenting U.S. Highway 287 west of I-25 and I-70 in Colorado. Most stop at roadside diners along the way and ask if they can bring a truckload of fried chicken, or sweet potatoes and corn to share with the other guests. They almost never have to.
Owner Jack Waters started this dream-come-true: small concession business in 1974 out of his garage. He didn’t know how long he would be gone, but soon learned that he would be gone for good. He wasn’t fond of the idea, since he had recently been back from serving overseas in the Armed Forces and wasn’t used to having to be away from home for long. When his employer learned of his plan, however, he jumped at the chance to return to his old craft and make a go of it in his own small business. He packed up his stuff and headed across the country in his hot dog trailer.
He hooked up with his chicken supplier: and got his equipment ready while he arranged for a place to do his business out of his trailer (which he dubbed the “On The Hook”) and began selling fried chicken to areas in which he didn’t think he would make such a splash. Like so many entrepreneurs, though, he hit upon the main problem facing his business model: location. Unlike large-scale restaurants, which can find a good location almost anywhere, small vendors are often confined to whatever is available.
With his chicken business on the hook: Mike found himself stuck inezihing between two cultures: that of the locals hungry for his fried chicken and that of the people who wanted a bite of his delicious fare but could not find their way to where it was being sold. The answer to this conundrum was twofold. First, he needed a truck in which to park so he could quickly unload his supplies and sell his food in various locales. Second, he needed a marketing strategy in which to let people know that he was out there and that his fried chicken was as good as any you’d get in a restaurant.
The solution to his problems came in the form of a mobile marketing company: This type of company is a company whose primary function is to promote a business by buying advertising in various forms, including newspapers, magazines, billboards, and even radio and TV advertisements. These companies will also set up booths at festivals and trade shows to promote the food they sell. Since most people are not looking for fried chicken on the hook, they are unlikely to see it offered in such a location. Instead, they will be looking for chicken to fry in their own kitchen. By placing a sign on the side of your truck that says, “For Sale: Frying chicken for dinner,” you’ll be attracting these hungry souls who want fried chicken right now!
The great thing about a food truck is that it can be versatile: You can pick and choose the locations in which you place your ads depending on your current needs. If you only need a few signs placed at a few different places, you can purchase several of them and position them in strategic places. However, if you have a full-scale operation that requires you to buy billboards and other forms of advertising, this may be a more effective way to draw traffic to your truck.
Plus, because the food truck is stationary, you can put up as many or as few signs as you like without having to worry about putting them on the same highway all at the same time.
