A quick chat with Ryan Giannoni of Savannah Food Truck Festival.
1) How often do you get calls from people who have no idea what it takes to put a truck on the road? What is the biggest misconception?
We speak to 4-5 new people a week regarding a new truck build. The most common misconception is the fact that they don’t realize they cannot prep food in their own home to sell to the public.
2) Why do you say it is harder to run a food truck than a brick and mortar?
It’s harder to run a truck not only bc the area you are working with is smaller, but bc you may buy $500 worth of food for an event on Saturday and not have another event for a week or even longer. If you don’t sell it all you may have to throw the food away before you get to your next event.
3) Are you expecting a flood of people who want to roll out once an ordinance passes in Savannah?
We are expecting a good amount of people to come forward, but part of our job is to manage expectations. Food trucks can be highly profitable, but they are far from a get rich quick gig. As with any job, it takes a lot of hard work and long hours to be successful.
4) What do you think of the late night Ellis Square proposal on the table from the city?
I think that is going to be great for the trucks, and for the public.. Especially since they have decided to have a lottery system to pick which trucks can go, instead of making it first come first serve.
5) What are some good resources people can read if they are thinking about a food truck down the road?
That’s a tough one.. There are plenty of articles online you can read… Some are helpful and some are not. Every market is different so we work with people to help them design a business plan with their truck that will work best in our market.
6) Tell me about your truck.
I have 5 trucks but since I took on the job as a booking agent for our members, I have pulled most of my own trucks from the events and caterings. This wasn’t the smartest decision for my wallet but it was the smartest long term decision for the industry. I want to work with these trucks forever and I want them to want to work with me. If I were to book my own truck in a catering or event over theirs, that would not be a fair representation. But that being said, since I run a 501c3 now, food truck philanthropy, we can get a temporary alcohol permit to serve alcohol at events to boast the revenue we earn for our beneficiaries. Being a bartender by trade has always made me relate everything to bartending. The truck I’m building next, after the June 5th event and my fathers heart surgery on June 6, will be “Sideways® bar truck”! Available for special events and for people to rent out for weddings.. Extending the festival vibe at weddings that have us cater with other food trucks.
7) How many trucks do you know of are out there just waiting for a regular ordinance?
21 that I know of. I represent 17 of those 21 already.
8) How well do truck owners know each other? Is that something you are striving for? A true alliance between truck owners?
It’s unlike any industry I’ve ever seen. Normally people don’t like competition, but with food trucks in Sav, our members come together and help each other in anyway they can. From construction to actually working on their competitors truck at an event. It’s a very special thing to be a part of. We are all friends and we make it a point to keep it that way.
9) Where do you see the truck scene in 2-3 years?
My goal is to make savannah more like Austin tx. Meaning that I’d like to see local and state government give assistance to people who are wanting to start a new truck. A good percentage of the trucks I talked to in Austin were a part of a program that allowed them to get loans to start their trucks. I think there are 1500 trucks in Austin now. And yes that is to many for Savannah but it’s nice to see people getting a chance to start their own business.
Also, I’d be willing to bet most of the restaurants in town will venture out and buy a truck to expand the catering end of their business.
10) How can someone reach you for input/advice?
We forward them all to our website SavannahFoodTruckFestival.net where we have them fill out a form with all their info and we contact them back immediately with a good jump on the specific topic. I do this all day everyday and am always up for a food truck convo 🙂
To see what all this looks like, take a look at our Food Truck episode of Eat It and Like It with Jesse Blanco above.
