Food trucks are a growing worldwide phenomenon. Most often correlated with quick food on the road. They provide cheap, comparatively simple-to-prepare food filling.
Location is everything but you also need the right approvals in place to turn your idea into a successful enterprise.
The food truck business in Dubai is driving in the lane of success with great pace, and the credit goes to the people of the Emirates who have made it famous. This new prospect in the Emirates’ food is a fortune for the people who are thinking of setting up a business in Dubai in the food truck sector, and now is the best time to step in the market.
To obtain a food truck license, you need a compelling business plan, a compliant central kitchen and an approved blueprint of the fit-out. Be on top of the process and you can save time and start trading more quickly.
Here are four steps to create a successful food truck startup in Dubai:
- Submit a strong business plan to the Dubai Economic Department (DED)
The quicker you win DED approval, the quicker you can start your food truck
It’s a little wonderful that Dubai is seen as an ideal city for a food truck business with its emerging market for pop-up events, a great climate and world-renowned trade fairs.
You must however prepare a powerful business plan and send it to DED and Dubai Municipality for approval before you dive in and purchase a food truck and begin preparing your menu.
Your business plan must showcase your idea, your plan of action and your budgets. It must convince government entities that your food truck concept can work.
Check out the competition and note what makes the most popular food trucks a hit with customers. Consider what’s unique about your offering and what you can do to persuade people to part with their dirhams?
- Submit HACCP kitchen for approval
Knowing how to get health and safety certification will save you time and money
You will need to obtain HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) certification for the layout of your central kitchen. You will also need to get HACCP certification for the design and fit-out of your food truck.
HACCP certification collects information on characteristics of raw materials, ingredients and end products and identify food safety requirements related to them and prepare descriptions to be used in the hazard analysis.
The HACCP certificates should, once acquired, be presented for government approval. You can begin the trade only with those approvals in place so that the leading advisors from Dubai provide expert guidance to ensure that the right processes are followed.
3.Choose a great location
It’s important to note that food trucks in Dubai are not allowed to move around as much as many business owners think. They need to have a site that is deemed to be their “official location”.
Don’t limit your search to the popular areas in Dubai such as the beach and key shopping areas. Last Exit, street food-themed truck parks, have sites at Jebel Ali South & North, Al Qudra, and Al Khawaneej.
Don’t limit your search to the popular areas in Dubai such as the beach and key shopping areas. Last Exit, street food-themed truck parks, have sites at Jebel Ali South & North, Al Qudra, and Al Khawaneej.
Knowing the right place for your food truck is detrimental to the success of your business. We see many entrepreneurs launch their business only to fail because they did not take into consideration the tastes and expectations of their clientele on a given location. You might have the most amazing gyros. But if the residents prefer shawarmas, then you might need to set your expectations accordingly.
- Get your license, buy your truck and start cooking
Your food truck license is your passport to success
Create a blueprint of your truck because the design and fit-out of the truck are very important. You need to submit it and get an approval from the government authority.
Once you’ve obtained your food truck license, all you need to do is start preparing and cooking your delicious food. Don’t forget to make sure it tastes as good as you say it does!
