Short answer: if you want new customers to find you, yes. Facebook and Instagram are great for your regulars. A website is how strangers on Google find you for the first time.
Your customers are searching before they drive
When someone is hungry, they usually pull out their phone and search something like "tacos near me" or "BBQ food truck Waxahachie." Google shows websites and Google listings first. A Facebook post from last Tuesday is much harder to find.
A simple website gives Google something to show, and it gives that hungry person one place to see everything they need.
What a food truck website should show
- Where you are this week. This is the number one question food trucks get. Put it right at the top.
- Your menu and prices. People want to know what they're getting before they drive over.
- Your hours. Including which days you're closed.
- A tap-to-call button. For call-ahead orders and questions.
- A catering form. Events, office lunches and parties can bring in bigger orders than a normal day.
- Photos. Good food photos sell better than any description.
"But I already have Facebook"
Keep it. Facebook is great for posting specials and talking with your regulars. But not everyone uses Facebook, posts get buried fast, and some people don't trust a business they can only find there.
A website works alongside your Facebook page. You can link to it from your page, your truck, your menu board and your Google listing.
Catering is where a website pays for itself
Companies and event planners looking for catering usually search online and want to see a menu, photos and a way to request a quote. If they can't find that quickly, they may move on to the next truck. A simple catering form can bring those requests straight to your phone or email.
It doesn't have to be expensive or complicated
A food truck doesn't need a giant website. One clean page with your location, menu, hours, photos and a call button covers most of what customers want. The key is keeping it up to date, especially your weekly location.
That's why many trucks pair their site with a monthly update plan: you text your spot for the week, and the site gets updated for you.