Operating and Growing Your Food Truck

This capstone unit guides students in sustaining, scaling, and refining a food truck business by integrating marketing, staff leadership, food safety, regulatory compliance, and cost-control strategies. Learners will apply best practices to prepare for inspections, improve service consistency, attract and retain customers, and make data-informed operational and financial decisions.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze social media, branding, and promotional tactics (Instagram, other platforms, grand openings) to develop a measurable 6-week marketing and customer-attraction plan for a food truck
• Apply food safety and sanitation standards by completing a self-inspection checklist (refrigeration, water temperature, cooler shelves, glassware cleaning) and documenting corrective actions to prepare for a health department inspection
• Demonstrate effective staff management by creating a hiring, training, motivation, and retention plan that ensures consistency of product and service and includes procedures for handling customer complaints and converting dissatisfied guests
• Evaluate operational and financial options (menu changes, food cost control, site selection, selling the truck, and regulatory myths) and produce an action plan that improves profitability, compliance, and community impact