Location is one of the biggest keys to running a successful food concession business. Although one of the most overused clich�s out there is location location location when regarding real estate, it couldn�t be more appropriate for mobile food vending as well. While product, customer service, and advertising are all important parts of running this business, location is a key that if you do not get it right, your business will not only fail, but will fail miserably. Without the proper location, customers will not be able to or want to stop at your business. Location is also important because it has everything to do with your product and who will buy your product. Finally permanent location is important because it determines the familiarity and frequency with which your customers stop by. First and foremost, if you don�t have the proper type of location, you are not going to be able to attract customers. For example, the corner of a highway where your potential clients are going 75 mph and not even noticing you is not a great way to bring in customers. You are looking for a place that people are stopped or slowed significantly. This can include places like stop lights as well as speed zones where drivers slow down. Also, if customers feel unsafe or do not like the appearance of your location, you won�t have much luck in selling your product either. Location is also important because it has everything to do with what type of product you will sell. Burgers go over much better at a fair or on the side of the road in a small town than sushi would. Studying your demographic through your location is a great way to judge what types of food a certain area might like well enough to come back to. In this way, you can choose a type of food that isn�t already in the area. If there are a dozen burger joints, unless you have a phenomenal burger, maybe you want to do bbq. Also, ask people in the area what they might like to see come to the community. Taking the advice of your potential customers is a great idea to develop an early rapport and to get a feel for what is needed in the neighborhood. Permanent location is also a way to help ensure repeat customers. Repeat customers are a large part of your customer base. If you are constantly in a new location, or you don�t show up on time, this could be the death of your loyal customers� business. Making sure you are reliable is one of the best ways to get the lunch crowd in. If they know that at regular hours on regular days they can count on you to be there, they may choose to eat at your establishment rather than patronize the local chain. The bottom line is, good location is imperative in order to make sure you have customers that are comfortable stopping; it helps you decide what type of food you will serve, and repeat customers will be able to rely on your consistency.
