Through the month of November, we ran a quick survey for folks to provide us some valuable insight before we get our truck on the road. The survey is still open but the bulk of the responses are in and we promised to share some of them with you here in December. We can say the information was VERY useful to read and YES we did read every bit of the freeform feedback. As of this post we had over 100 people submit the survey, and many of which did opt in for the drawing which will happen later. Let’s start with the easy graphical responses before we get into the more detailed freeform ones.
Rate The Following Based on Importance
We have to say…..some of this was both encouraging and surprising all at the same time. When we talk to people speed of getting their order was really important but that differed here. We were encouraged to see that pricing was not perceived as being as big a deal. When we read that combined with every single response about food quality, it tells us people understand you can’t get high quality food “cheap”. We were happy to see that the truck appearance and cleanliness were really important, because we are already working hard on shiny new truck and we want to keep it looking good on the inside and outside so people feel good about ordering from us. Lastly, we were surprised at the number of people that didn’t think remote ordering via online or call in was important. We will have to see how that plays out in practice. There were a lot of folks that also added some comments on this one. Here is a sampling of the ones that seemed to repeat
- Publicize Locations in advance and Communication
- Efficiency, Quality and Consistency
- Truck Design, Approachability, and Cleanliness
What Time of Day Would You Visit?
We actually are super happy to see this. We are for sure going to hit that Lunch window, but we were surprised people may also want to order for dinner. This gives us something to think about maybe having one or two days where we are open later. Breakfast is something we will for sure have but in very specific situations/locations. Also we are looking to encourage places that want to order “for the office” to call ahead. We will publish more about this, but we feel this will make things much easier for both the office ordering and the people at the walk up window. Stay Tuned!
How Often Do You Order From Food Trucks?
This was super cool to see, but more amazing were the individual responses from folks helping us understand what would make them visit a truck more often. There were a LOT of additional comments on this one, so here is just a few of the many suggestions that were a repeated “theme”.
- Convient location, Location, Location
- Availability
- More Options
- Predictable Schedule
- Food Quality and Specials
Do You Have Any Dietary Restrictions?
So this one was a bit funny only because we honestly expected to see some more on the restrictions side of things. As a Deli style truck that serves mostly Hoagies this is very encouraging. Of course we have said on Facebook posts we will have some gluten free options for sure that don’t have a roll or bread. We are also working on a full table of allergens in the menu items to help with this. For example, obviously breaded chicken tenders are not going to be gluten free so we will have a grilled option. Easy peasy. While we can’t cover all the bases we will do our best to accommodate those folks that need it.
So Now What?
Well, until we get rolling we will continue to gather more information, but the people have spoken….as they say. You that filled out the survey are shaping things right along with us. If you have not filled out the survey, you still can here and add your responses right up until we open. Also we’d love it if you made sure you follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram and SHARE our page and posts with friends. You can also leave comments below to let us know what you think about these results so far. We are getting closer every day to making this dream a reality and we thank you for taking the journey along with us!
I know you are a small sub truck with limited storage. That I know of Greeneville does not have a restaurant that has gluten free sub rolls/bread. One place says they have it but have been out of stock for at least 3 months. The sub rolls can be left frozen and heated up upon a sale so very little loss. Many people try to limit their intake of gluten for fashionable reasons. But many others have celiac or a sensitivity to it. One place in town has GF Philly steaks, one has GF noodles, One has GF cake and a few have crappy GF pizza. GF people are very loyal customers and word spreads. Especially if you do a little marketing. Plus they usually drag us normal people along with them lol. Also we do food deliveries to pick up a little extra cash. Don’t bother with uber eats in this area. Door Dash has a lock on 95% of orders/drivers. Also My sub of choice would be a Philly steak (with extra gluten for me lol)
Hey Harvey, thanks for the input. Oddly from the survey you can see there was not very many response to that question, but we are very aware, we have many friends that choose to eat gluten free. We have such limited freezer space we need it for many other things, and while bread may not be an option for us to store (and it’s cost to upcharge), we will have “No Bread” options for some items. We are doing a few things to accommodate those folks, but as a sub shop….we serve most things on roll, and that also means and it’s okay if it is not for everyone too. We fully understand we can’t be everything to everyone, and the best we can do is have some options. We are going to have something you might like as a special early on, so keep your eyes open. It’s not a Philly steak….but its like one but a little different.