Is it legal to drive a coffee truck? What business license is needed for a mobile coffee truck? Coffee truck conversion tutorial.

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The Rise of Mobile Coffee Culture

As the pandemic situation gradually improves, people can once again enjoy a cup of coffee outside their homes. Opening Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), you'll find numerous posts about coffee shop explorations, and the number of mobile coffee carts has significantly increased. There are coffee carts converted from non-motorized vehicles, as well as trunk coffee shops modified from motor vehicles.

Recalling childhood memories, street stalls were gathering places for young students, where they would gossip while eating snacks that their mothers disapproved of. In the past two years, with the rise of the street stall economy, Xiaohongshu shows an increasing number of coffee enthusiasts jumping into the "deep pit" of "I want to open a coffee shop." Some do it for livelihood, others for interest. Among those wanting to open shops, many choose to establish mobile coffee shops to reduce costs.

On the Xiaohongshu platform, searching for "mobile coffee" yields over 40,000 posts, while searching for "mobile coffee cart" shows more than 20,000 posts.

When searching for "mobile coffee cart," the platform also recommends other lists of equipment and supplies needed for mobile coffee cart operations.

Clicking into any shared post or video about mobile coffee carts, you'll find passionate comments, with many netizens asking when the blogger sets up their stall and where it's located.

Mobile Coffee Business Models

From menu images left by some bloggers, we can see that mobile coffee carts typically offer simpler coffee categories such as Americano, raw coconut latte, and pour-over coffee, with prices generally ranging between 10 to 20 yuan.

Compared to the quiet and distant atmosphere of large chains like Starbucks, mobile coffee carts offer a more approachable feeling, fostering closer connections between people. Due to the severity of the pandemic, people reduced their outdoor activities, which gave rise to the concept of "home coffee shops."

On Xiaohongshu, searching for "home coffee shop" yields over 30,000 posts. Coffee categories range from traditional espresso and pour-over to modern innovative coffees, with prices comparable to mobile coffee carts.

Since mobile trunk coffee shops and home coffee shops don't require excessive investment, and even operating hours can follow the owner's preferences, while being closer to consumers' daily lives than physical coffee stores, more and more "casual" coffee shops are opening. Experience sharing increases, but so do the number of people falling into pitfalls.

The Reality Behind the Dream

Ideals are plentiful, but reality is harsh. Watching others happily setting up coffee stalls on the streets makes one itch to start their own mobile coffee stall. However, there are many important considerations when starting a mobile coffee cart.

Unlike fixed-location physical coffee shops, trunk coffee shops have a wide range of locations and often flow randomly between several points. Home coffee shops are located within residential complexes with limited foot traffic. Both face unstable customer flow.

Everyone wants to sit on a bench on a sunny morning or during the evening before sunset, feeling the warm spring breeze, watching swans and boats moving on the lake, and having intimate conversations with those around them. In such ideal situations, some lucky ones might achieve "earning 1,000 yuan a day" or "monthly income over 10,000 yuan."

The reality is that weather isn't always sunny with spring breezes—there are also storms and biting cold winds. During those times, how many people would choose to brave heavy rain for leisure activities? More likely, they would make coffee at home or order delivery.

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic is not completely over. If related pandemic restrictions are encountered, each restricted day could mean zero income.

Furthermore, from multiple shared posts, it's evident that many mobile coffee carts operate after sunset. While the stalls appear lively, not many consumers have developed the habit of drinking coffee at night. For most consumers, understanding of coffee remains at the level of a refreshing beverage.

For nighttime trunk coffee, customers include both the owner's friends and those seeking novelty for social media check-ins. The latter group accounts for a significant portion, with repeat customers being extremely rare, making it difficult to accumulate long-term patrons.

Building Customer Loyalty and Legal Compliance

To attract repeat customers, not only should product pricing not be too high, but product quality must also continuously improve. Putting oneself in the consumer's shoes, a cup of mediocre-tasting, expensive coffee would likely create a negative impression of the brand or even this type of coffee shop.

Mobile coffee carts and home coffee shops bring coffee to street corners and even doorsteps. But how many people have considered their qualification issues? First, there's the vehicle issue. Since space is needed for coffee making, the vehicle's interior structure requires corresponding modifications. Some owners also want to highlight their coffee brand by applying brand logos to the vehicle's exterior.

These modifications aren't as simple as making changes and being done with it. If traffic police stop you on the road, your vehicle could be impounded. To convert your beloved car into a coffee cart, modifications must meet relevant standards, require re-registration after completion, otherwise it's considered illegal modification. During annual inspections, you'll need to restore it to its original condition. Of course, the actual process isn't as simple as described above.

Regular coffee shops need food business permits and business licenses to operate and sell coffee beverages. To obtain a business license, a fixed business location must be provided. Mobile coffee cart locations are mostly mobile, following the owner's preferences—this street today, the neighboring street tomorrow.

Although Xiaohongshu shows some bloggers who have obtained business licenses and permits for their coffee carts, regulations vary by city. Specific requirements need to be checked or relevant personnel consulted for the target city.

The intention behind mobile coffee carts and home coffee shops is good—rather than having customers come to you, it's better to bring coffee directly to their doorsteps. However, for everyone to drink happily and buy with confidence, complying with national regulations is the first step.

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