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Mobile Food Vendor ResearchRiley Gillard, Chase Luplow & Scott Mickelson
Purpose
▷ How can we better assist mobile food vendors in the startup process?
▷ To do this we must know current challenges in:○ Licensing & permitting○ Financing○ Commercial kitchen
processes○ Current operations
Research Design
▷ Online survey of current Seattle mobile food vendors
▷ Pretest with Pierce County vendor
▷ Sent to 139 of the roughly 210 members of SeattleFoodTruck.com
Research Design Continued
Received 71 responses, 44 of which were valid for analysis
Survey was open for 15 days:
November 6th -21st
Valid
General Information
Demographic▷ 56.8% only
operate a Food Truck
▷ 100% of the Brick & Mortar respondents also operate a food truck
▷ Catering was the most common Other Mobile Operation
▷ About 60% of all mobile operations opened within the last 3 years
▷ Mobile operation can be a sustainable business endeavor
○ 18.2% have 5+ years
Year Opened
How long after applying did you open?
How long did you look for information before applying?
▷ Most people (75%) looked for information less than 12 months before first applying for a permit
▷ 90% opened for business less than 6 months after applying
Licensing & Permitting
Attitudes towards obtaining a mobile food unit permit from the Dept. of Public Health - Seattle and King County
Data taken from 39 respondents
More than 50% use the Washington Department of Labor & Industries, the City of Seattle, and/or the King County
websites
Recommendations
▷ Integrate a Restaurant Success link on other agency websites.
▷ Offer more support for the “plan review application for a mobile food service unit” step.
Financing
▷ Only 5% paid with bank loans
▷ 75% who paid with cash paid with only cash
Financing the startup process
Recommendations
▷ Provide links to SBA or Ventures regarding loan financing.
▷ Future research - why is cash king?
Commercial Kitchen
Commercial Kitchen
▷ 60% of respondents felt that the process of finding a commercial kitchen was difficult at some level.
▷ Respondents mentioned that the cost of many commercial kitchens is a concern.
▷ Desire for commercial kitchens with adequate parking
Recommendations
▷ Offer resources to help vendors find kitchens.
▷ Future research - is there a way to make kitchens more affordable?
Current Operations
Location of operations
Data taken from 38 respondents
Attitudes towards elements of daily operations
Data taken from 38 respondents
Recommendations
▷ Future research - designated food truck locations?
▷ Provide marketing resources to assist vendors in gaining more customers.
▷ Improve street parking permit process.
Limitations
▷ Sample:○ Only those listed on SeattleFoodTruck.com
- self sign-up site.
○ Limited to those that provided email addresses.
○ Many emails were “info@” addresses
■ No guarantee survey would get to decision makers
A Final Note
▷ Several vendors expressed gratitude toward the City of Seattle for:
○ Working to improve the process for vendors.
○ Taking the time to listen to their opinions.
“Congratulations to the City of
Seattle for welcoming
mobile food operations.”
Thank You!Any questions?
You can reach us at:Riley Gillard, [email protected]
Chase Luplow, [email protected]
Scott Mickelson, [email protected]
