6 Features Every Successful Food Truck Mobile App Has

With more than 300 U.S. cities housing food trucks, it’s no surprise the industry is steadily on the rise and showing no signs of slowing down. Food trucks cater to guests who want a quick bite, offering them a delicious, accessible, and fun dining experience while granting owners mobility.  

The rise of technology is helping food truck owners streamline their operations. It’s common for food trucks to use a tablet and mobile payment set-up to manage in-person orders and process payments. However, the next step for any ambitious owner is to implement a food truck mobile app. 

Let’s take a deep dive into the use cases and benefits of rolling out a mobile app to better connect with customers and drive sales. 

Why Your Food Truck Needs a Mobile App 

A mobile app for restaurant ordering lowers the barrier to entry for customers who want to order from their favorite food truck. On their smartphone, they can see your location, browse your menu, place an order, and see how long it will take to prepare the meal. It’s efficient and easy. Here are five reasons why your food truck should use a mobile app: 

1. Provide a Better Customer Experience: A mobile app makes it easier for customers to place orders, make payments, and see order status.  
2. Offer Real-Time Menu Updates: You can provide customers with new menus in real-time by updating your online one.  
3. Manage Loyalty Programs and Rewards: Connect your rewards program with the mobile app so customers can see their status when placing orders.  
4. Simplified Order and Inventory Management: Easily keep track of orders, inventory, and which menu items are most popular.  
5. In-depth Reporting and Analytics: You can learn in real-time how users engage with your app and menu to understand their satisfaction.  

A mobile app simplifies the process of managing and taking orders, for delivery, pick-up, and in-person dining. However, to ensure its success, a great food truck mobile app needs a few key features.  

Key Insight: There are many options for free restaurant mobile app builders for food truckers. For example, the Food Truck Pub app is a popular and easy to implement option. 

6 Essential Features of a Successful Food Truck Mobile App 

The most important characteristics of a food truck mobile app encompass user experience and serve as a marketing incentive for customers. These are six essential features.  

1. Real-Time Location Tracking

Operating a food truck allows you to be entirely mobile. That said, your loyal customers need to know where you are at any given moment, so real-time location tracking is an essential feature of your app. Incorporate a food truck map, so anytime a guest checks the app, they can easily see where you’re operating today and your hours.  

2. Menu Display and Customization

A mobile app grants you an opportunity to maintain an updated menu, including when popular items run out. You can spotlight special and limited-time menu items. Additionally, customers can rest assured the items they order are available and come as described when you maintain an up-to-date menu.  

3. Order Ahead Capabilities

The benefits of an online ordering system impact both you and your loyal customers. First, a guest can place an order and arrive when it’s ready instead of waiting while you prepare it or dealing with long lines. They can also designate a pick-up time that works for their schedule. Second, future pre-orders allow you to strategize and streamline kitchen operations, so you’re never overwhelmed or understaffed. Guests can place same day orders or schedule one in advance. 

4. Mobile Payment Integration

The ability for customers to place orders via the mobile app is the start of a convenient guest experience. To make the entire transaction as smooth as possible, integrate a restaurant mobile payment system as well. If you have a Square or Clover account, make sure it’s connected to the app. That way, all guests must do when they arrive at your food cart is pick up their order. 

Pro Tip: If you haven’t chosen a platform for your mobile app and already have a payment tool in use, research apps that integrate with your payment tool. For example, visit the Square app marketplace to easily find compatible mobile apps. 

5. Loyalty and Rewards Programs

Repeat customers make up the bulk of restaurant sales, and food trucks are no different. Integrate your existing rewards program with your mobile app. In doing so, customers get to see their status in your loyalty points system and how close they are to reaching their next reward, allowing you to create a more personalized customer experience.  

Pro Tip: If guests don’t have an account on loyalty platform, you can post loyalty program ads within your mobile app to help spread the word. 

6. Push Notifications for Engagement

A mobile app grants you the ability to keep your guests updated with changes to your food truck. When they set up the app on their mobile device, ask if they want to opt in to receive push notifications about your business. If they give the okay, guests will get updates about your location changes, special promotions, or menu updates.

User Experience (UX) Design for Food Truck Apps 

A clean and intuitive user experience is crucial for guests to use your food truck app. Use these five tips when creating a simple interface: 

1. Minimize the Number of Clicks to Place Orders: Ensure the process of creating a cart and placing an order is as smooth as possible.  
2. Allow Customers to See Order Wait Times: After a customer places an order, give them an estimated wait time and alert them when their order is ready. 
3. Make Sure the App Doesn’t Use Too Much Battery or Data: Keep the app design simple enough that it doesn’t require too much battery life to function. 
4. Create a Simple Menu Layout: A simple menu structure makes it easy for guests to see all their options and complete their cart.  
5. Add Dietary Filters to Streamline Ordering: Create an accessible filter for guests with dietary restrictions to find menu items they can eat easily.  

When you structure your mobile app, place yourself in your customer’s shoes. Ask yourself how they would go through the process of viewing your menu, placing an order, and checking its status. From there, create an intuitive and enjoyable experience.  

Integrating Social Media 

Social media marketing for restaurants helps you connect directly with customers and advertise your mobile app. You can reply to their comments on posts, run competitions for participants to win complimentary gift cards, and promote special menu items or events. For example, these are five successful social media strategies for food trucks:  

1. Post User-Generated Content: Connect with your customers by posting their content about eating at your food cart on your account.  
2. Engage with Followers Often: Reply to comments on your posts and interact with user-generated content that mentions your business.  
3. Create a Regular Posting Schedule: Social media rewards consistent posting schedules, so try to stick to one as much as possible.  
4. Collaborate with Local Businesses: Team up with other local businesses to cross-promote each other on social media.  
5. Try Influencer Marketing: Work with local influencers to spread the word about your food cart or special deals.  

Key Insight: Try experimenting with different types of posts and post timings. You’re looking for the best way to use social media to enhance your brand loyalty program and increase customer engagement.  

Analytics and Feedback Mechanisms 

Metrics provide a concrete way to understand your food truck mobile app’s performance and allow you to make data-driven decisions to improve its performance. Start by tracking these five key metrics: 

1. Mobile App Downloads: Measure the number of mobile app downloads, how many users create a free account, and when customers tend to get the app.  
2. Orders Placed Through the App: Track the number of orders customers place through the app versus in person or over the phone. 
3. Rate of In-App Activity: Monitor how long customers spend using the app and if their use time translates to placing an order or not.  
4. App Store Reviews and Ratings: Review your app store reviews and ratings periodically to see which features customers love and which ones you should improve.  
5. Individual Menu Item Sales: Use the app to track which menu items sell the most and use the insights to optimize what you sell.  

Customer feedback is one of the best ways to understand how your guests enjoy using your mobile app. It additionally allows them to offer more concrete ideas or features they’d like to see.  

Key Insight: When you run special promotions or seasonal menu items, monitor if these changes result in more orders placed through the app. The results can help you understand the popularity of your initiatives.  

3 Must Haves for Security Features 

Any platform where customers input their personal information needs to be secure. Your customers want to feel reassured that their private credit card information, address, and other identifiers remain confidential. So, make sure you have these three security features for your mobile app: 

1. Implement Reliable User Authentication: Require multi-factor authentication for users creating a profile and signing on to the app.  
2. Have Users Create a Username and Password: As a baseline, make sure each user creates a unique and complex username and password.  
3. Integrate a Secure Payment Gateway: Implement a secure payment tool that keeps your customers’ personal financial information safe.  

Storing customer information makes for an easier future check-out experience, but they need to feel confident in your app. That said, ensure you stay up to date on the latest data protection measures and technologies to protect guest information and build trust. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Food Truck Mobile Apps 

We’ve answered the most common questions about food truck mobile apps below.  

What is street food vending? 

Street food vending is the act of selling pre-prepared foods and beverages without a formal storefront or retail establishment. It’s common to see street food vending sold through a food truck or at an outdoor market.   

What is the difference between vending and selling? 

The primary difference between vending and selling lies in how a business interacts with its customers. Vending typically refers to selling goods in a mobile or street setting, such as food trucks, whereas ‘selling’ can apply to any type of commercial transaction, including retail stores or online shops.  

Are mobile food trucks profitable? 

Mobile food trucks can be very profitable. While an individual food truck’s profit depends on its offerings, location, and market strategy, the most successful trucks see margins of 10% or more.  

Is street vending legal in the U.S.? 

The rules governing street vending in the U.S. are complex and vary by location. Some cities require a street vending license or permit, while others forbid it entirely. It’s best to check with your local laws to confirm the details.  

Launching Your Mobile App 

A food truck mobile app makes it easy for guests to engage with your business. The easier it is for customers to get the tasty foods that they want, the more likely they are to return. It’s even better if you offer rewards for their repeated visits. A simple yet effective mobile app makes all this possible.  

Yet, a successful food truck mobile app hinges on the features we’ve outlined here. Not only does it need to be secure, but it also must be intuitive and accurate. If you’re looking for a leg up when launching your mobile app, we can help. Book a demo with us today to learn more about our mobile app development solutions.