It's important to know how much walking traffic you can expect when you're looking for a great street food location. But how can you estimate the amount of sales you could get from that walking traffic? Let's talk about that.

Walking Traffic Sales Percentage?

Is there a percentage you can use to estimate how many people will buy from your cart? If you know how many people tend to walk by your location, is there a mathematical way to calculate how many meals you might sell?

This question comes from a viewer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's a great question. I know the walking traffic is better than drive-by traffic, because people on foot are more likely to stop at your food cart. But when it comes to figuring out the percentage of people who might walk by and then buy your food, that is harder to say.

There isn't an industry-standard math formula for figuring out how many people will stop and buy lunch at a particular place. For a regular lunch time shift, if you have decent pedestrian traffic, an inviting spot (not next to a porta-potty or dumpster), and a good menu, you will do ok. With so many variables that contribute to your sales, it's impossible to guess how many people will make a purchase.

I know that's not a concrete answer, but this business isn't concrete. But if you have a spot that's clean with good foot traffic, try it. If you have a good location but you're not making sales like you expected, get in touch and let's see what might be keeping you from maximizing your sales.