How did you get into the industry?
I was the Vice President of an Insurance agency for 23 years, but I’ve always loved to travel and cook. I decided to research food trucks, which I did for a period of about 2 years — finally, I dove in! I decided on grill cheese as my concept because it’s staple comfort food that everyone loves. It’s also an amazing, cost-effective vehicle for creativity. It really satisfies the culinary bone.
Let’s discuss some challenges that you’ve faced and/or some successes you have encountered.
Challenges, I would say, were some of the unexpected physical demands of the concept. I did not realize when I started how physically demanding it can be to run a food truck, so that took a little bit of getting used to. People may think that if they’ve worked in restaurants, it’s the same thing, but the mobile/event aspect makes this different.
As for success, I was shocked at how popular we became so quickly. I thought I would have to work a lot harder and a lot longer to build up a client base. Literally, within a few months of starting the business, I no longer had to market or advertise— my clients were coming to me. We have more leads than we can handle with the 2 trucks that we have now.
Is there anything that you would like to add regarding your training and support model?
My goal is to be really close to the franchisees and be super supportive.
What does your franchisee do in the business every day?
Usually about an hour before a gig or event, they’re loading up the truck and getting ready for the event. They get to the event and sell, sell, sell, and then keep up with the lines and things like that. There’s an hour of clean-up at the end of the day. They are also ordering food, usually once a week at the beginning, and they are keeping things clean at all times.
We use Facebook, Instagram, and Street Food Finder to keep our fans in the loop. Franchisees will need to update the Street Food Finder. The good news is that you can connect it to your Google calendar and then it automatically posts to your Facebook page!
In your own words, describe the ideal franchisee.
Somebody who is organized, who is friendly, and who loves to feed people. Someone who is willing to work hard and promote the brand.
What are your goals for your company in the future?
My goal is to expand the Mom on the Go brand. One of the key things that set us apart is our professionalism. So many of our competitors out there are one-off trucks who will cancel or not show up to an event; they truly lack punctuality and professionalism. We never cancel an event, even if a better opportunity comes along. It’s important to me that the brand is always professional and dependable. We will show up when we say we are going to and perform our jobs at a top-quality level.
One of our goals in this first year is to expand in the Massachusetts and New England areas, although we are certainly open to anywhere!
Thank you to June Somers of Mom on the Go for conducting this interview. For more information about the Mom on the Go franchise opportunity, visit their franchise page at www.momonthegofranchising.com.
MORE FRANCHISE DETAILS
Training and Support
Mom on the Go’s expert support team works with each franchisee to understand and fully grasp how an ideal operation should be executed. This will include everything that a franchisee will need, including food handling, staffing, marketing, social media, back-office work, taxes, required insurances, and anything else pertaining to the business.
What is the Fee Structure?
Franchise Fee: $30,000Royalty Fee: 6% of Gross Sales
Estimated Initial Investment Range: $108,450 to $154,600 (includes franchise fee)
Territory Definition?
Each territory will include a defined area and will be documented generally as a population base ranging from 250,000-500,000 people.