Food Trucks Share Social Media Tips
From New York to Los Angeles, Korean barbecue to waffles, food trucks are popping up across the country and taking the nation by storm. Kicking storefronts to the curb, chefs and entrepreneurs are hitting the pavement to sell their culinary creations on wheels—more affordably and innovatively than if they’d been boxed in by a four-wall restaurant.
Food trucks have harnessed social media and 140 character messages to connect directly with customers and to create cult followings through grassroots marketing. Social media marketing has been critical to build a name, to inform thousands of potential customers about moving locations in a timely manner, and directly engage with customer base. What can marketers from all walks learn from the strong social media engagement tactics and apply them to their brands?
The panel will include nationwide food trucks and previous cast members from The Great Food Truck Race.
Presenters
Bob Madden is the General Manager and Senior Vice President for the Digital Food Category at Scripps Networks Interactive. He leads the teams responsible for creating the most compelling and popular cross-platform food experiences across the web, mobile and social for three powerhouse brands: FoodNetwork.com, CookingChannelTV.com and Food.com.
Among his many accomplishments at Scripps, Madden launched the quickly growing CookingChannelTV.com site, re-branded and re-launched Recipzaar as Food.com, and launched the Food Network: In the Kitchen recipe app, which has remained a best-selling app in iTunes since its release last year.
Prior to joining Scripps in 2007, Bob worked in new product development at Unilever and as a brand manager at Nabisco. Bob began his career in digital at theglobe.com as the Director of Marketing and then moved to AOL for several years, where in multiple roles, he lead marketing for AOL Search, Moviefone and AOL Music.
Daniel Shemtob, 23, is Owner/CEO and Visionary of The Lime Truck, the SoCal-based gourmet food truck and winner of the second season of Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race. Specializing in fresh California cuisine, The Lime Truck’s recipe for success is simple: start with fresh ingredients, prepare them in a timely manner and be consistent every time. This philosophy has made them one of the most popular food trucks with a passionate fan base in SoCal, the epicenter of the mobile food movement. Just twenty-years-old when he started his first business, Daniel is an entrepreneur who plans to keep growing The Lime Truck brand in multiple ways, though trucks and other avenues, and is dedicated to giving back to his community locally and globally.
James DiSabatino is Chief Cheese Griller and Co-Owner of Roxy’s Grilled Cheese Truck, one of the most popular food trucks in Boston and a season two competitor on Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race. A 24-year-old entrepreneur, James launched the truck in 2010, while Boston was relatively new to the food truck phenomenon, and he has worked closely with local government to expand the food truck presence in town. Working alongside his brother Mike DiSabatino and chef Marc Melanson, James has grown the Roxy’s following tremendously in a short time, with regulars and new customers waiting on long lines to sample their specialties, which include the Mighty Short Rib with fontina, braised short rib and caramelized onions.
Stephanie is the Owner, Founder and Chef of the Seabirds Truck.
She studied Cultural Anthropology at UC San Diego and has experience in Finance, Management and Customer Service. She decided to combine her range of skills with her passion for local, fresh and organic vegan food to create one of the most popular trucks in Orange County. In the past year she has composed an e-cookbook, has competed on the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race, served The Ellen Degeneres Show and was filmed for the Canadian Food Network's hit show Eat St. Stephanie and her truck have been featured in over a half dozen magazines and the Seabirds Truck was voted as Orange County's Best New Age Food Truck in 2011.
Sunday, March 11
