by Richard Myrick for Mobile-Cuisine

If your books tell you that you need to lower your food costs, reducing your protein serving portions can be a great cost cutting measure. The key is remembering to cut portion sizes strategically so as not to look like you’re "being stingy" with your customers.

Bumping up the size of your sides can be used to offset the visual of reduced protein portions. Also creative presentation in general can "bulk up" a dish and create a visual appeal.

Try carefully slicing your prepared meats and serving them over unique vegetables and grains with interesting garnishes, rather than just slapping a hunk of meat into your serving container. Many consumers are eating vegan and vegetarian so meatless dishes using protein-rich grains like quinoa, for example, can also help cut down on meat costs.

Additional Cost Cutting Measures

Changing container sizes can also help in cost cutting. If you're used to using a 9 x 9 container, switch to an 8 x 8. A smaller container actually makes the protein and garnish look bigger than it is, and for many customers, that's more important in terms of creating a value proposition. You can get away with smaller portions if you can back up your brand with higher-quality ingredients, creative cooking and presentation, and a chef-driven approach. By using this strategy you are able to use the "less is more philosophy".

You can also build up your appetizer menu to offer more shareable "small plates" that have smaller portions at prices not far off from your entrees. As a result, they will provide you with higher profit margins. These dishes can also add up quickly when you have groups of four or larger showing up to your food truck’s service window which in turn will lead to higher check averages.


The Bottom Line

Take a good hard look at your costs and identify areas where you can pare back. Work to systematically implement small changes that add up to a big difference for your mobile food business.