Running a food truck is fast-paced, hands-on, and deeply personal. Whether you’re blending smoothies at a festival, serving snow cones at a school fundraiser, or slinging tacos curbside, the success of your business depends on the people inside the truck.
But here’s the challenge: finding hourly workers who are dependable, personable, and thrive in a mobile work environment isn’t easy. In fact, in 2025, labor remains the #1 challenge for mobile food operators across North America.
At HigherMe, we work with hundreds of mobile food businesses—including many Kona Ice franchisees—so we understand the specific hiring challenges you face. Here's what we've learned, and how you can set yourself up for hiring success.
What Makes Hiring for Food Trucks Unique?
Food truck employees are a special breed. They’re often working alone or in small teams, dealing directly with customers, and managing food prep, service, and cleanup all in a tight space—often outdoors and in motion.
This means your ideal candidate needs to be:
- ✅ Personable and professional (they’re the face of your brand)
- ✅ Quick and efficient (peak times get intense)
- ✅ Comfortable working solo or with minimal supervision
- ✅ Flexible with scheduling and locations
- ✅ Capable of basic food handling and safety procedures
Unlike in a traditional restaurant, there’s no back office, no shift supervisor hovering nearby, and no room for someone to hide during the lunch rush. Every hire matters.
Top Tips for Hiring Food Truck Staff in 2025
1. Start with a Standout Job Description
Generic job ads won’t cut it. Be specific about:
- What the workday looks like (e.g., loading the truck, traveling to events, serving customers, restocking)
- The kind of personality that succeeds in the role
- Physical expectations (e.g., heat, standing for long hours, light lifting)
- Scheduling flexibility (many trucks operate around event schedules)
- Pay range and any perks (e.g., tips, meals, travel reimbursement)
Pro Tip: HigherMe offers industry-specific templates that are proven to attract the right candidates for food truck operations—especially important when your workdays are irregular or location-based.
2. Use Mobile-Friendly Application Tools
Most food truck candidates are applying from their phones—during downtime, between classes, or after a shift elsewhere.
If your application process is clunky, long, or requires a login, you’re losing good applicants before they even hit submit.
With HigherMe’s mobile-optimized, text-to-apply tools, you can:
- Accept applications via QR code or text message on signs or your truck
- Keep the application short and to the point
- Automatically follow up with qualified applicants
This is especially helpful when you're hiring on the go or at events.
3. Screen for Soft Skills, Not Just Experience
You don’t always need someone with years of food truck experience—you need someone with the right attitude.
Ask questions like:
- “Tell me about a time you had to solve a problem on your own.”
- “How do you stay calm when it’s really busy?”
- “What’s your approach to customer service?”
Bonus: use short video intros (available through HigherMe) to get a feel for candidates before you invite them to an interview. It’s especially helpful in identifying outgoing, high-energy personalities—a must for brands like Kona Ice.
4. Move Fast—Good Candidates Don’t Wait
The best applicants are off the market in days. According to industry data, 60% of hourly job seekers accept the first offer they receive.
Make sure you:
- Respond to applicants within 24 hours
- Offer same-day interviews (or even same-day hiring when possible)
- Use tools to schedule and remind candidates of interviews automatically
HigherMe makes it easy to automate all of this—so you never lose someone great because you waited too long.
5. Hire for Events, Not Just Shifts
Many food trucks operate around event-based demand—sports games, school fundraisers, fairs, corporate lunches. That means your hiring strategy should include a flex pool of staff you can call on for pop-up needs.
- Consider hiring part-time event staff or brand ambassadors
- Build a small roster of trusted seasonal or on-call team members
- Re-engage past applicants or previous team members for busy weekends
With HigherMe, you can tag and organize candidates by availability, event type, or location—so you always have the right people lined up.
Final Thoughts
Hiring for a food truck isn’t like hiring for a traditional kitchen—and that’s what makes it exciting. You need energetic, flexible, self-motivated people who thrive on variety and connect easily with your community.
Whether you’re a one-truck owner/operator or scaling to multiple units like many Kona Ice franchisees, a strong hiring process helps you stay staffed and stress-free—no matter where the road takes you.
At HigherMe, we specialize in hiring for the hourly and mobile workforce. We make it easy to attract, screen, and hire the right people—fast.
👉 Want to see how it works?
Email us at sales@higherme.com or schedule a free demo today.
