Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2011 | Page 65
“It takes fewer employees to run
the truck,” he says. And did we
mention it also eliminates the
costs of building and maintaining
a restaurant? (The average initial
investment to open a Gandolfo’s
restaurant ranges from $259,300
to $399,200.)
For now the truck model
suits him just fine. Dallas law
requires Wolken to lease space
in a central commissary where
he cooks and prepares food each
morning before loading up the
truck and heading out on his
runs. He has used Google Earth
to identify promising high-rise
and office building areas. He then looks
for private property owners nearby that
will allow him to park. “I’ve discovered
that you can’t jump around all the time.
You have to identify good spots and then
show up regularly,” he says.
with a franchise brand, Wolken
says most of his customers see
him just like a “mom and pop”
operator, and he uses that to his
advantage. “I look to create a
very personal relationship with
my customers,” he says. “We
are not an impersonal cookiecutter mega brand.”
Wolken says there’s even a
kind of kinship among fellow
mobile truck operators. “We can
actually work together. Right
now I’m considering teaming
up with a shaved ice truck: I
offer the lunch and he offers
the dessert, all in one stop.”
The general public is in love with the
idea of mobile food trucks right now, says
Wolken. “As a franchisee, trucks provide
an affordable and scalable way to grow
your business. It’s been a profitable decision for me.”
Wolken serves up his goods Monday
through Friday while still managing to
clean the truck and see to administrative
tasks. He often takes the truck out on
weekends to events and festivals.
Although he is glad to be associated
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