Pizza places use stereotypical images of chefs with mustaches. Delis show sandwiches and slices of pickles. Some Mexican restaurants will use imagery that suggests spice or red and green peppers. These are just a few of the ways that restaurant styles suggest the signage that can be used to promote them, and this extends to food truck decals as well.
But there's an added wrinkle to consider when designing an eatery on wheels, because, as the Boston Globe recently reported, many trucks favor "fusion food" that melds styles together into interesting combinations. This can be anything from a combination of wildly different cultures to infusing junk foods like the grilled cheese sandwich with gourmet ingredients.
According to information presented in a graph by the Globe and derived from the American Sociologial Association and the Mayor's Office of Food initiatives, Boston is actually on the low side when it comes to food trucks across the country.
It managed 43 different trucks between 2012 and 2013, compared to the country's west coast champions Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, which boasted 366 trucks during the same timeframe. Another study says that there are currently more than 4,000 trucks active across the nation, so much so that traditional restaurants are being threatened.
The Globe also interviewed Lucia Jazayeri, communications director of local vegetarian restaurant Clover, which runs a food truck and tries to create a style that isn't anchored to one specific cuisine.
"We don't have any ethnicity we're tied to," she said. "We'll do any type of culture as long as it fits into the type of food we do."
If that's the case with your restaurant, you can opt for a giant picture of the type of food you serve in order to make it easy for customers to understand. Truck decals that have been custom-made put the focus on what is unique about your service.