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Food Truck Insurance and Other Tips to Grow Your Food Truck Business
Tai Corvata, creator and owner of Brunswick Maine’s wildly popular ‘Taco the Town’ food truck has a simple strategy for success: Never leave the truck. (We’ll get back to this.)
We talked with Tai about his seven-year journey from his vision to create Taco the Town. He wasn’t sure it would succeed, but it quickly became an integral part of Brunswick’s food scene. In fact, the Brunswick community counts on Tai to return each year when the snow’s gone (Taco the Town is closed during winter) and leaves reappear on the Town Green along with Tai’s vibrant green taco truck.
Before Taco the Town, there were few choices in Brunswick for street food: a pedestrian burger and hot dog joint and ice cream stand. What had been long missing in Brunswick was for someone to come along with something different, something that reflected a passion for authentic cuisine. Now, seven years into it, Taco the Town has changed the character of Brunswick’s culinary landscape, bringing something new and exciting flavors.
Tai’s Taco the Town food truck enjoys a loyal following of townspeople, families, college students and tourists, who line up daily to savor his authentic street tacos and burritos. At lunchtime the lines can be long, but no one seems to mind; that’s how good it is.
Recently, we talked with Tai about his business and how it has grown since it started seven years ago, and why it’s so popular. This is where the “never leave the truck” part comes in—and more important, what’s different about Taco the Town.
Tai is focused on two things: quality and community. Everything he makes and goes through him. Why? Because he knows what he wants. He never leaves the trailer during business hours, and every item goes through him; this guarantees that everything is cooked, seasoned properly, and presented the way he wants it to be.
Tai isn’t just some guy who started a taco truck business. Cooking is in his DNA. Born in Sonoma CA, Tai’s father is Mexican, and his mother is Korean. His parents taught him how to cook both Asian and Mexican cuisines.
Tai also made an early decision to not be a taco truck that drives all over the place for festivals and events. While many taco trucks set up at concerts or other events, Tai chose instead to prioritize the Brunswick community. In the same way Tai stays in the truck, his stake in the ground was to have his taco truck on Maine Street in Brunswick, Maine.
There’s another aspect of Tai’s constant presence in the truck: Tai knows his customers. Tai knows your name and remembers what you order. He knows if you want hot sauce, or if you won’t want guacamole. When he spots a customer in line five people down, he’s already getting that customer’s order ready.
We asked Tai to share his top five tips for growing a food truck business. Here is what he had to say:
1. Be sure your truck’s design is appealing, and appropriate for the type of food you serve. Also, keep your truck looking its best. No one want to eat from a funky-looking truck!
2. Get the right insurance. Food trucks need a special type of insurance known as Commercial Auto Insurance. Commercial coverage provides businesses with financial protection and usually offers higher liability coverages than personal policies. You may be wondering how much does food truck insurance costs. Whether you need coverage for a lunch truck in Arizona, or if you need food truck insurance in Texas, get your free food truck insurance quote here
3. Take the time to know your customers on a personal level. Know their names and form a connection with them.
4. Tai’s strategy was to have a presence to assure consistent quality. What’s your method for quality control?
5. Offer food that you’re passionate about and knowledgeable about.
Before Taco the Town, there were few choices in Brunswick for street food: a pedestrian burger and hot dog joint and ice cream stand. What had been long missing in Brunswick was for someone to come along with something different, something that reflected a passion for authentic cuisine. Now, seven years into it, Taco the Town has changed the character of Brunswick’s culinary landscape, bringing something new and exciting flavors.
