Marketing lessons learned from the burrito truck

For those of you who know me, know that just about every day during lunch time I wander down to the local burrito truck. It allows me to buy a descent lunch for anywhere between $3-$5, all while supporting honest and hard-working illegal immigrants. Over the years I have learned many valuable marketing lessons from my bean-fueled journey - both from good and bad experiences. Here is what I have learned.

Value is more important than ever

With the current economic situation, people are still willing to pay for stuff as long as they're not being wasteful. While it's probably still cheaper to make your own lunch, it's hard to beat the value offered by the lunch truck industry. A descent, freshly cooked meal for anywhere between $3-$5.

Convenience and service still counts

The main selling point of lunch trucks (besides the food) must be that it oftentimes comes right to your office. You don't have to walk or drive anywhere, there's no traffic and you don't have to park your car. Convenience is big. So is service. And I know there are many food establishments that might offer a higher level of service. But truth be told, I'd have my favorite burrito truck operation go up against any place. They remember my name and what I order.  Fresh salsa as well as other condiments are always complimentary. And if I am ever dollar short on my tab, then that's ok too and I can pay up the next day.

Community sells

Most of my fellow lunch truck accomplices are either construction or warehouse workers, which is why talking about work is not really an option. However, if my Spanish were a little better than I would gladly participate in the daily conversations about Futbol. It feels that food is almost secondary to most of the guests as everybody stands around chatting (with their burritos in hand) for the duration of the lunch truck's visit.  Lunch to those guys is more than just a plate of food but also an opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues.

It only takes one bad experience

Whenever I tell my co-workers that I am walking over to the lunch truck, I see a lot cringing faces. I guess there is this pre-conceived notion that one is more likely to get sick by eating food cooked up in a moving vehicle (hence terms like roach coach).  I've been eating at lunch trucks fairly regularly for the past 7 years and haven't gotten sick once (knocking on wood right now). It probably would only take one really bad experience for me to drastically alter my attitude about that particular lunch truck.  With that being said, I have great faith in the commitment to quality by lunch truck owners.  More likely than not, they're small business owners and their livelihood is directly related to the success of their operations. You can't say that about someone who for example works for an international food franchise.

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