Here Comes the Food Truck
We’ve got the golden ticket for an urban & hip catering option that is rolling into a wedding near you: Food Trucks! Not your average catering choice, but food trucks are in!
All kinds of couples are opting for the fun, food truck experience over the traditional sit down or buffet dinner seating. This can be a unique way to introduce your favorite food, offer a more relaxed vibe at your wedding, or serve as a cost-friendly option to free up your budget for other splurges. We see a lot of food trucks roll in for a late night snack, cue: the In-N-Out Food Truck around 10pm to serve burgers and now fries!!!!
If you are interested in a food truck for the main portion of your meal, here are a few things to consider:
While food trucks are used to serving large quantities of customers, their timing tends to be a bit slower than most caterers. For example, serving their full menu a food truck could take up to 1 hour to serve 100 guests. The typical time for a buffet catering the same crew is 20-30 minutes. So, why is that important? If you are one of the first to get your food, you’ll be waiting over 1 hour for the rest of the event to start.
So how is this rectified?
Two Ways-
1. Cut back on the amount of items the food truck serves. If you have a guest count of 100 or more- seriously only serve the main dishes. Two Entrees, Two Sides, done. If the food truck can have the plates ready and offer them up quickly, this is will help the flow.
2. Have two food trucks! This is a great way to serve your guests quickly. Guests can choose which one they go to, which will divide your party into smaller groups. Most truck have a food minimum, so you will need to hit the minimum in order to have two trucks.
A few more tips on food trucks:
Hire staffing - While the food truck will have the food covered, you will need staff to buss the plates, offer water, cut and serve the cake and clean up at the end of the night.
Hire a caterer or some option for cocktail hour. Even though your food truck may be offering a lot of food, guests will still be hungry. Make sure to offer your guests some type of food option during the cocktail hour.
Consider the ability to actually physically get/walk up to the truck. If the truck(s) are in the parking lot, will they be easily and safely accessed by the guests?
Make sure to allocate time for photos at the truck. I typically set a little time prior to opening the food truck for the newly-married couple to take action shots, ordering and getting their dinner or snack. Your photographer will need some type of flash due to the lighting from the truck.
Have a DJ announce tables for dinner. To ensure the process is quick, have the DJ release the tables 3 at a time. This will help people realize it's dinner time and not a free-time for guests to wander, which can make the process even longer.
And that’s all!
Done right, a food truck can be an amazing addition to your unique wedding style. Contact Jamison Events for more ways to make your wedding day unique, well organized and catered specifically to you!
