Maintenance script at 15:14, 23 February 2026

2026-02-23T15:14:05Z

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[[Category:Strategy]]
__TOC__

{{Panel|title=Troubleshooting Guide|content=Something not working? Find your symptom below and follow the fix.}}

== My Food Truck Is Losing Money ==

=== Check Your Prices ===
Are your prices covering ingredient costs + wages + overhead? Calculate: selling price - ingredient cost = gross margin. If COGS is above 40% of your selling price, either raise prices or switch to cheaper ingredients. See [[Pricing]] for more detail.

=== Check Your Ingredient Costs ===
Are you buying premium ingredients that your training level can't exploit? Burger Boss staff (Level 0) cap quality at 40 points — expensive ingredients are wasted money. Match ingredient quality to your staff's [[Training_and_Development|training level]].

=== Check Your Location ===
Are the customer segments in your district willing to pay your prices? [[Customer_Segmentation|Students]] won't pay premium. [[Customer_Segmentation|Managers]] won't buy cheap-looking food. Match your prices to the segments in your [[Locality|district]].

=== Check Inventory Waste ===
Are ingredients expiring before you use them? Track what you order versus what you actually sell. Reduce order quantities, use FIFO (first in, first out), and switch to manual ordering if auto-replenishment is over-ordering. See [[Inventory_Management]].

=== Check Staff Costs ===
Is payroll too high relative to revenue? Don't overpay if revenue doesn't support it, but don't underpay either — low [[Morale_and_Welfare|morale]] hurts both quality and speed.

== Customers Are Not Buying ==

=== Low Foot Traffic ===
You may be in the wrong [[Locality|location]]. Check whether your district actually contains the segments you're targeting. For example, Foodies and Tourists concentrate in the Tourist Zone, not the Residential area.

=== Customers Leave the Queue ===
Your service is too slow. [[Training_and_Development|Train]] your staff — each training level adds 10 speed points. Level 0 staff have only 40 speed points. Also check whether you're understaffed for your volume.

=== Customers Look But Don't Buy ===
Your price is too high for the segment, or your recipes don't match what they want. Check segment preferences in the [[Quick_Reference]].

=== Low Satisfaction or Bad Reviews ===
Food quality is too low. Remember that your [[Training_and_Development|training level]] caps quality — a Level 1 employee maxes out at 50-point food no matter what ingredients you use. Train first, then upgrade ingredients.

== Can't Afford Anything ==

=== Cash Flow Crisis ===
Cut ingredient costs first — switch to cheaper recipes. Reduce order quantities to stop waste. Consider relocating to a cheaper area. Only take a [[Loans|loan]] if you have a clear plan to become profitable. See [[Banking]] for loan details.

=== Debt Spiral ===
Taking loans to cover losses is the fastest way to fail. Stop borrowing. Fix the business model first: lower costs, adjust prices, relocate if needed. A loan won't fix a fundamentally unprofitable setup. See [[Common_Mistakes#Mistake 6: Borrowing to Cover Losses|Common Mistakes]] for more.

== Staff Problems ==

=== High Turnover ===
Your wages are too low. Staff leave when [[Morale_and_Welfare|morale]] drops. Increasing wages improves retention, which is cheaper than constantly rehiring and retraining.

=== Low Morale ===
Pay fair wages. [[Training_and_Development|Training]] also boosts morale. Overworked staff burn out — check your scheduling and staffing levels.

=== Quality Not Improving Despite Good Ingredients ===
Training level is the cap. A Level 1 employee produces maximum 50-point food regardless of ingredient quality. You must train your staff before premium ingredients make any difference. See [[Training_and_Development]].

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-top:1em;"
|+ '''Training Level Quick Reference'''
|-
! Level !! Title !! Quality/Speed Cap
|-
| 0 || Burger Boss || 40 pts
|-
| 1 || Grill Starter || 50 pts
|-
| 2 || Flame Rookie || 60 pts
|-
| 3 || Sizzle Pro || 70 pts
|-
| 4 || Blaze Expert || 80 pts
|-
| 5 || Inferno Chef || 90 pts
|-
| 6 || Michelin Maestro || 100 pts
|}

== See Also ==
* [[Common_Mistakes|Common Mistakes]]
* [[FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]]
* [[Getting_Started|Getting Started]]
* [[Quick_Reference]]

Troubleshooting - Revision history

Maintenance script at 15:14, 23 February 2026