Introduction

As I write this, I’m sitting on a plane flying to Hawaii for a consulting project. I can’t help but be amazed at how I arrived here. I started out much as I envision you, filled with passion and chasing a dream. I’ve earned the right to spend my days pursuing my passion to serve, feed, and entertain people in the most creative ways I can imagine. My arrival at this nirvana manifested through countless hours of hard work and commitment to my personal vision. At one point I was so obsessed with my dream, I wrote countless letters to celebrity chefs and restaurateurs begging them for jobs. I wrote so many letters and made so many phone calls that I recall one luminary welcoming me to his office under the moniker “Mr. Persistent.”

Following your passion for food and hospitality will be hard work, but it will take you on a spectacular journey, teach you countless lessons, and expose you to amazing opportunities and people. The key is to recognize the opportunities, seize them, and enjoy every moment along the way. Your enjoyment will directly affect the experience you provide to your customers.

At the core of the food truck business and its current revolution is the chance to open doors and expose your talent. If you’re passionate about food and hospitality, a truck can be your entry into this world. They provide a platform for the next generation of foodies, entrepreneurs, and chefs to turn their love into a business—at half of the traditional investment. Blogs, social media, and press can then potentially turn you into the newest sensation faster than you can fill up your tank. Just look at the venerable Kogi BBQ Truck. It started out as a drunken late-night conversation but wound up igniting a revolution and, along with that, a Los Angeles–based empire.

The journey you’re about to embark on is your chance to contribute your voice and talents to the conversation. It’s a ticket to the game with front row seats because of the media hype surrounding trucks. But with great power comes great responsibility. The truck you choose to create will be an extension of you and your views, and in turn, your reputation. You only get one reputation, so protect it with your life. Just as you can establish yourself as a player in the food business, you also can negatively impact your future with unsavory practices or a low-quality product.

The most important advice I can give you is to be authentic, honest, and always put the customer first. Create a truck that speaks to who you are and what you love. Customers will know if you’re being true to yourself, and it will directly affect people’s enjoyment of your product. Don’t cut corners or try to take advantage of anyone in your business affairs. Treat everyone as you would your mother or grandmother. And never forget that your customers are the most important part of your truck business. Make sure, no matter what, that your customers leave your truck happy. Sometimes that might mean losing money or swallowing your pride, but word of mouth and buzz will determine your fate. A customer is 10 times more likely to talk about a bad experience than a good one.

Welcome. You are about to become the proud owner of a food truck, the most exciting opportunity in the modern hospitality business and also, quite possibly, the most delicious. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines and fire up those stoves; it’s going to be an extraordinary journey.

How This Book Is Organized

Our journey is divided into four parts. That means you have four major steps to complete before becoming a food truck entrepreneur.

Part 1, Food Truck Basics, provides a breakdown of the fundamentals of the business. You’ll learn the history of the revolution to give you a feel for the marketplace, and then the business behind creating your rig.

Part 2, The Mobile Food Mogul, takes that knowledge and begins to put it into practice. You’ll take your ideas and put them into a plan, get your financing together, and understand the regulations that affect your day-to-day operation.

Part 3, Getting Road Ready, shows you what to do with your truck, from staffing it with the most incredible employees ever to hit the road to laying out your kitchen and making sure your food is not only delicious but safe, too!

Part 4, Growing Your Business, helps you protect your truck business like the newborn baby it is, growing it so it can expand through marketing efforts, building your clientele, and monitoring your financial performance.

Extras

Along the way you’ll find the following sidebars containing extra nibbles of helpful information:

Truck Tales

The street has more stories than a library, and you need to know what’s happening directly from the source.

Tip

I spent years learning this stuff so you don’t have to. This is your chance to get the inside info.

Beep! Beep!

Like a warning horn for your mobile business, these alert you to potential threats to your truck.

Definition

An explanation of words and terms you may not be familiar with but will need to know in your new business.

Acknowledgments

Sharing and appreciation are fundamental to a fulfilling existence. I know no greater joy than giving part of myself to another human being. I’ve always loved the hospitality business but I can’t say I’ve always known why. This past year I figured it out. I realized that my life’s work is to appreciate the blessings I have every moment and share them endlessly with as many people as possible. That was my thought while writing this book, and I hope it comes through in the text. More important, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to be able to see or share it without the help of some extraordinary people.

Thank you to Rita Battat Silverman and Leap Over It Productions, my literary agent and agency. You’re singlehandedly responsible for my involvement in this book. From nowhere Rita popped into my life and made a dream come true.

To Randy Ladenheim-Gil, my incredible editor. I wouldn’t have been able to complete this without your countless hours of work and support. Thank you so much for your generosity and understanding.

To Pavlos Sierros, operator of Souvlaki GR, thank you for the countless hours you spent giving me insight into your truck operation. To Michael Mazzolla, your assistance in writing and researching this book was incredibly valuable. I can’t wait to read your first book and see your first movie.

To my teacher, adviser, and friend David Ghiyam, thank you for guiding me through the daily obstacles of life and helping me to get closer to the light. That strength is what gives me the ability to pursue my true purpose.

Danny Zelouf, Jason Behfarin, Josh Dardashtian, Sam Afra, Josh Shames, and Derek Feinman, great friends with great appetites. My ability to be in the food business is directly linked to the confidence you inspired in me through our shared love of food and the many memorable times we have spent together.

Barbara Levites. What can I say? You’re the best aunt ever. Thank you for being the most selfless person I know. To Jerry Cohen and Mona Philips, your arrival in my life has made it more fulfilled; thank you for always backing me up in good times and bad.

No one works harder and no one understands how to build a team better than Jason Apfelbaum. A lot of the lessons you taught me are in this book. Thank you for making CO-OP and Viktor & Spoils a reality and keeping it together while I pursued this dream.

Rob Levites, I know you’re my cousin, but you’re more like my other brother. So many good times and so many lessons; thank you for showing me what it means to be a man.

Grandma Lally, your official pasta taster is all grown up. You taught me to love food and I will always love you and miss you.

To my father, Frank Philips. You said it and I hope I’m doing it: “Play in the biggest game possible.” Thank you for your love, advice, and encouragement. You have always made me believe I could accomplish anything.

To my brother, Jason Philips, I aspire to one day be as good a father as you and as kind a man. You share and don’t even know you’re sharing. And my sister, Claudia Borg, you’re the reason my name is on this book and you have tirelessly supported my career. But your true merit is as a family member, sister, mother, and daughter. I respect you in ways you could never imagine.

To Gelareh Mizrahi, my soul. Your arrival in my life has deeply enhanced every day and given it so much more meaning. You are an incredibly kind and loving partner, and that love brought the light back into my life. Through your heart and eyes I rediscovered my true self. Thank you for your patience and support during this process. Every day with you is a blessing filled with pleasant surprises. I’m so excited for our life together.

Special Thanks to the Technical Reviewer

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting a Food Truck Business was reviewed by an expert who double-checked the accuracy of what you’ll learn here, to help us ensure that this book gives you everything you need to know about running a food truck. Special thanks are extended to Gigi Pascual, owner/founder of the Buttermilk Truck in Los Angeles (www.buttermilktruck.com).

Trademarks

All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be or are suspected of being trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Alpha Books and Penguin Group (USA) Inc. cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.