Introduction
The name of the truck is All in Balance, reflecting the food’s healthy properties. Our mission is to share the brilliance of Vietnamese food. Consequently, the selected food type Vietnamese cuisine in its variety, which includes noodles, pastries (bánh), and rice dishes. The specialization was chosen based on two factors: first, the Vietnamese are the largest Asian group in the city; second, it has a potential novelty value for other ethnic groups. Thus, we plan to target two potential groups of customers with the truck.
Signature Dish
The food truck’s signature dish is pho, a noodle soup with a meat basis. Out of the two bases, beef and chicken, we chose the former (Cloake, 2016). However, the preference is for its bony components, such as oxtails and bones proper (Cloake, 2016). Other ingredients include spices, herbs and, lime, although the list is not exhaustive. A possible issue with the time required to prepare pho may arise, as it takes several hours. However, it will be compensated by aiming for the dish’s modest version and the number of portions per pot.
Food Cost Analysis for Pho
The provided food cost analysis will cover five servings of pho for convenience, as one can prepare that number with an attempt. Beef bones and oxtails will cost $13, $6.5 each, and such important ingredients as star anise and cinnamon sticks will be $5. Rice noodles, preferable of Vietnamese origin, may reach $5, considering two packages are needed. One lime, five onions, and two oranges will be $2, while ginger, coriander seeds, and brown sugar may be as expensive as $4. The overall cost is $29, but most of the ingredients are sold in packages, so the expenses and the number of servings will be higher.
Other Food Items
The menu will include more than noodles, as stated earlier and cover such dishes as Com Tam, Bi Cuon, and Banh Bao. They share most of the main ingredients, which simplifies logistics. Com Tam is a rice dish, requiring broken grains and pork, and everything else is subject to customization (Pulido, 2019). Bi Cuon is rice rolls, needing such ingredients as rice, pork, and salad (Pham, 2019). One more dish, Banh Bao, which is a type of pastry, contains vegetables, pork, and eggs (Pham, 2018). Different ways of preparation for those dishes will prevent customers from being bored with the same ingredients used.
Profitable Locations
Several locations in Houston could be profitable for various reasons. First, basing in Chinatown may help appeal to the Asian residents and provide a cheaper alternative to Vietnamese restaurants there. Second, Market Street can be beneficial for gaining a broad audience, as it has constant waves of customers during peaceful times. Third, it might be strategic to find a spot between Greenway Plaza and Upper Kirby, appealing to office workers during lunch breaks. Overall, those locations cover the targeted demographics and potentially expand them.
Recruitment
As for the recruitment process, ideally, all workers should be of Vietnamese origin, with at least one person occupying the cooking position. The requirements are low: what matters is their willingness to learn and cooperate. The recruitment will be done through job-hunting websites, social media, and traditional advertising with leaflets. The staff will be paid based on revenue and crowdfunding initiatives, for which such websites as GoFundMe will be used. The employee benefits will include paid sick leaves, childcare, and leftover food.
Competition
The food truck will have strong restaurant competitors with established customer bases. Some cover most of the Vietnamese cuisine, such as Hughie’s, while others have a focus on a dish or two, which is the case for Pho Saigon and Roostar (Malcolm, 2020). The restaurants are scattered throughout the city, but some districts remain free of their presence. The competitive strategies will include more affordable prices, coverage of districts with potential through the truck’s mobility, transparency in the cooking process, and increased online presence for promotion. They might make the truck a legitimate competitor in the industry.
Ambitions
Our initiate is an ambitious project, and we strongly believe in its long-term success. In the future, we plan to improve conditions for workers and even customers, expand the menu variety and use more authentic ingredients, and be recognized as a competitor by others. The latter can be achieved through more transparency, involving posting recipes and videos on our online platform and offering free food samples, new locations based on demand and the level of competition, and potential expansion of our food trucks to three. We hope to continue promoting our mission and make changes based on feedback.
References
Cloake, F. (2016). How to make the perfect beef pho. The Guardian. Web.
Malcolm, T. (2020). Houston’s best Vietnamese restaurants. Houstonia. Web.
Pham, L. (2019). Shredded pork and pork skin rice paper rolls recipe (Bi Cuon). EZ Vietnamese Cuisine. Web.
Pham, V. (2018). Vietnamese steamed pork buns with dough from scratch (Banh Bao). Vietnamese Home Cooking Recipes. Web.
Pulido, I. (2019). Saigon street food: Broken rice (Com Tam). Cmego. Web.