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Operating beverage trucks for parties is a unique, exciting subset of the work of food and beverage trucks. From customer experience and customer satisfaction at these events to how they tie into the restaurant of the food truck business, beverage trucks for parties cover a lot of ground.
Beverage trucks for parties fall under the umbrella of restaurant events, where you can maximize profits through your event management skills. Today we’ll walk you through how to manage the work of bringing your beverage truck to parties and other events.
The Business of Beverage Trucks for Parties
The business of beverage trucks for parties is an extension of everything you learned to open a food and beverage truck business. You’ll lean on the solutions and tricks you’ve studied, including:
- How to start a food truck business
- The best places to start a food truck business and operate as a mobile bar
- The overall cost to start a food truck business
- The types of food trucks you can operate to fit different parties
- The best food trucks that serve as inspiration for your business
- Food truck regulations that apply in any party setting
- Beverage food truck marketing to get the word out about the services you offer
- How to rent a food and beverage truck to set up your rolling workspace
You can lean into other types of restaurants, bars, or similar services. Leaning into beverage trucks for parties can be your end goal, but it’s also a great stepping stone toward more opportunities.
Three Facets of Beverage Trucks for Parties
We’ve grouped the things you need to know about beverage trucks for parties into three sections. Those sections are legal needs, benefits you can expect, and practical tips and tricks. These are the things you need to prepare for. They are also the things you have to look forward to when you start working parties and other events with your beverage truck.
Legal Needs of Catering for Parties
The legal needs of catering for parties and types of catering events are a mix of licenses for different purposes. Some go with the territory of a food and beverage truck no matter what. Others are specific for events and catering. Read on for four of the key legal requirements.
4. Liquor Licensing
Getting a liquor license should be one of your first steps. It’ll get you all set up to serve your alcoholic beverages.
3. Mobile Business Licensing
Your mobile business license will get you situated to serve food and drinks from your truck. It’s another vital piece of licensing.
2. General Business Licensing
Every business needs a business license. Check out your local needs for exactly what you need to have before you start your business.
1. Catering Licensing
Getting a catering license is something you’ll need for serving at parties, but not necessarily before then. Check out your local regulations to learn exactly what you need.
Benefits of Beverage Trucks for Parties
We’ve snuck the benefits of beverage trucks for parties in the middle of what you need as part of the sandwich method. While you’ll have legal needs and some preparations to be made, you can also look forward to these four benefits as you work.
4. More Room for Referrals
Referrals can be a major player in growing your business. When you work at parties, you’re introduced to a unique client base that can increase your referral rate.
3. Expanded Business Location Range
Working at parties can help you find work outside of the specific zones you’re allowed to work as a street beverage truck. This gives you more geographical distance to find work, which is always a good thing.
2. Chances for Menu Experimentation
If you’re working at a variety of party types, you can test out different menu items for the different parties. Finding themed events can encourage you in this regard.
1. Room for Growth Into Full-Scale Catering
Working as a beverage truck business at parties is the step between being a food truck and being a catering company. It gives you the skills needed to make that leap if it’s part of your plans.
Practical Steps of Beverage Truck Catering for Parties
For our last section, these four practical steps of beverage truck catering for parties will help you with daily tasks. When you bring these together you’ll be able to navigate the world of catering and mobile beverage sales with ease.
4. Bring More Inventory Than You Think You Need
In general, for a business, you want to have enough inventory to last a week. When you’re catering a party, think about the number of guests you expect, then pack more than you’ll need, just in case.
3. Set Expectations and Plans with the Host In Advance
A big part of preparing for catering a party is making sure you know what the host expects. Go over any and all expectations at least a week in advance, so you can prepare for everything.
2. Prepare Your Team For Anything New
In addition to preparing with the host, that same attention needs to be paid to your staff. If you haven’t worked at parties before this is especially important, so they know what to expect and what is expected of them.
1. Write Up an Internal Business Plan for Catering Functions
If you’re adding parties to your ongoing work spaces, writing up a separate business plan for them will serve you well. This is an internal document that will serve as basic guidelines for each event.
"Key Takeaway: Working as a beverage truck for parties gives you more exposure to a wider range of customers. They can then become long-term loyal customers and clients."
Frequently Asked Questions About Beverage Trucks Catering for Parties
The role of beverage trucks for parties is something you should learn more about for your benefit and the benefit of your customers. It’s a specialty area of the food and beverage truck industry with nuances that go beyond the basics of the industry. Our answers to these frequently asked questions will give you a leg up in preparing for events.
What are the Most Popular Beverage Truck Drinks?
The most popular beverage truck drinks include:
- Cocktails
- Smoothies
- Juice
- Boba tea
- Coffee
- Tea
- Lemonade
- Milkshakes
- Craft beer
- Wine
- Wine coolers
- Mocktails
- Non-alcoholic wine
- Non-alcoholic beer
These run the range of the best drinks you can order at a variety of restaurants, bars, and cafes. When it comes to beverage trucks for parties, you can keep your main menu. You can also spice it up with drinks from this list that suit the specific party.
How Many Items Should Your Menu Have for Party Events?
For party events, your menu should have a minimum of six drink options, and no more than 15 options. The general number for beverage trucks is between six and 10 menu options. For a specific party, the number goes up a bit because you may have items that are specifically designed for that event.
What are 10 Things You Need In a Beverage Truck?
The 10 key things you need in a beverage truck are:
- Drink mixing appliances
- A variety of bar glassware
- The key liquor ingredients of your cocktails
- A variety of wines and beer
- Garnishes and mixers
- Cleaning supplies
- Your legal paperwork ensures your right to work as a food service business
- Uniforms for you and your staff
- Information about your business for party guests
- Merchandise available for sale
This list covers your needs from operational tasks to business branding and small business marketing. If you have these items crossed off you’ll be well set up for success, in customer service and in food and beverage truck profits.
How Do You Find Parties to Cater for Your Beverage Truck?
To find parties to cater to with your beverage truck, you can use a mix of marketing, word-of-mouth referrals, and offering those specific services. If you know from the beginning of starting your beverage food truck business that you want to cater parties, you can include those services in your initial marketing campaigns. If not, build up those offerings as you go.
Getting your first few gigs as a catering beverage truck will take time and a lot of effort. Once you have a few under your belt and you’ve proven yourself through excellent customer service, you’ll find more requests come through referrals. You can explicitly ask clients for referrals to increase these occurrences.
Beverage Trucks Catering for Parties: Take the Party Wherever You Go
Working as a beverage truck for parties gives you more exposure to a wider range of customers. They can then become long-term loyal customers and clients. When you enter into the world of catering, your business will expand and grow.
Enjoy that journey, and come back to BinWise whenever you want further solutions, including beverage inventory software support. The BinWise Pro beverage inventory program, paired with the BinScan mobile app, gives you inventory support on the go.