food truck catering business plan

Food Truck Business Plan Template

Food truck business plan.

You’ve come to the right place to create your food truck business plan.

We have helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their food trucks.

Food Truck Business Plan Example & Template

Below is a template to help you create each section of your food truck business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck is a new food truck located in Portland owned by local critically acclaimed chef, Zane Benedict. The menu will consist of popular food options that consist of burgers, sandwiches, gyros, and tacos uniquely made with the creativity and uniqueness that Chef Zane can offer. Chef Zane’s eclectic style and consistency make him a favorite among Portland foodies and his food truck will garner a loyal following amongst young professionals and college students.

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will be located in the immensely popular food truck pod known as Cartopia. Chef Zane will receive lots of exposure by being a part of this community as there are plenty of neighboring food trucks, bars, nightlife, and entertainment options nearby. With the popular location of Cartopia and an impressive Instagram social media following, Zesty Zane’s Food Truck is destined to become a local go-to dining destination for anyone craving delicious, interesting fare at an affordable price.

Products Served

The following are the products to be offered by Zesty Zane’s Food Truck:

• Sandwiches & paninis
• Assorted non-alcoholic beverages

Customer Focus

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will target customers in Portland who live, work, or socialize near Cartopia. This area is frequented by numerous young professionals, college students, and the late-night crowd who regularly eat at food trucks. Anyone seeking trendy dining options are the target customers of Zesty Zane’s Food Truck.

Management Team

Chef Zane has worked in the culinary industry for over ten years and is accustomed to the long, demanding hours of operating a kitchen. He attended culinary school in San Francisco and returned home to Portland to be a part of the world-renowned food scene that Portland has built for itself. After working under three award-winning chefs, Chef Zane is ready to venture out on his own and start his own business as a food truck.

Chef Zane Benedict will be the owner and operator of his food truck. He will operate the food truck Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 am until 1:00 am. Chef Zane will also employ two part-time cooks to assist him during peak hours of operation.

Success Factors

The following success factors will set Zesty Zane’s Food Truck apart from the competition:

• Exceptional cuisine made fresh with locally sourced ingredients.
• An eclectic menu that is unlike any other in the Portland food scene.
• Convenient location: Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will be located in a highly-trafficked food truck pod that is frequented by college students, young professionals, and night-life regulars.
• Delicious food at a good price. Zesty Zane’s food items will be cheaper than other food truck dishes without sacrificing quality.

Financial Highlights

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck is seeking $40,000 in debt financing to open its food truck. The funding will be dedicated for the purchase of the food truck, cooking supplies and equipment, working capital, three months worth of payroll expenses and opening inventory. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Purchase of food truck – $20,000
• Food truck kitchen supplies and equipment – $10,000
• Opening inventory – $2,000
• Working capital (to include 3 months of overhead expenses) – $3,000
• Marketing (website design and management) – $5,000

The following graph outlines the pro forma financial projections for Zesty Zane’s Food Truck:

Company Overview

Who is zesty zane’s food truck.

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck is a startup food truck business located in Portland, Oregon. The menu offerings are eclectic, made-to-order, bistro-type dishes served fresh and fast in the entertainment district of Portland. The ingredients are locally-sourced from independent food growers and artisans in and around the Portland region. The dishes are incorporated with an ingenious twist to commonly known popular food menu items. The menu options are simple dishes commonly seen at food trucks, but Chef Zane adds his own spin to the typical fare – sandwiches, gyros, burgers, and tacos all made his way unlike any other food establishment.

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck is owned and operated by Zane Benedict, a local Chef classically trained in culinary school and under the most prestigious chefs in Portland. Chef Zane is known for his creativity, consistency, and quickness in the kitchen and his dishes receive multiple positive reviews in the restaurants Zane has been employed. Chef Zane specializes in fine French, Italian, and Mediterranean cuisine with a creative twist not typically found in other restaurant establishments.

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck History

After graduating from culinary school in 2008, Chef Zane Benedict worked as a sous chef in three different restaurants in Portland. All of the chefs Zane worked under were award-winning, locally-acclaimed chefs that frequently trained their apprentices to prepare dishes up to their expectation and standards.

Chef Zane learned a great deal from these chefs and garnered a reputation himself for his creativity and consistency. Now that Zane feels he has learned as much as he can from the senior chefs, he would like to venture out on his own and start his own business. Due to the large amount of capital required to open a full-scale restaurant, Chef Zane decided a food truck business was the most cost-effective option for his operation.

Since incorporation, Zesty Zane’s Food Truck has achieved the following milestones:

• Developed the food truck’s branding image, social media, and website.
• Has a soft hold on a used food truck that recently went out of business.
• Developed and finalized the menu of the dishes Chef Zane will serve.
• Obtained a food permit license to be able to prepare and sell food and drinks in Portland County.
• Obtained a sales and use tax permit for use in Portland County.

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck Products

The following are the types of menu items Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will produce:

Industry Analysis

Food truck vendors will continue to perform well over the next five years, benefiting from consumers with deeper pockets who are able to spend on pricier gourmet food options. Revenues are expected to increase to $1.4 billion during this time period.

Industry operators are expected to continue to experience growth, as generally positive economic conditions and momentum from the gourmet food movement propel growth.

Consumers nowadays demand higher-quality food, a wider variety of styles and tastes, better presentation and, most importantly, more healthy menu options. Therefore, operators that include healthy options on their menus will be best situated for success over the next five years. Vendors that continue to offer unique food options will also be in a strong position by carving out a niche and developing a loyal customer base.

The industry will also benefit from an increase in the urban population, which is expected to comprise the majority of the US population in five years. The industry benefits from agglomeration because it relies on high foot traffic. Additionally, urban dwellers are also more likely to purchase meals rather than cooking at home due to their above-average incomes and limited spare time.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will target the population of Portland that frequently dines in the entertainment district. There is a large food truck area of Portland known as Cartopia, where Chef Zane will set up his business. This area is home to numerous dining establishments, nightlife, bars, clubs, and food trucks. The target market of this area are usually young professionals and college students who have disposable income.

The precise demographics for Portland, Oregon are:

Customer Segmentation

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will primarily target the following customer profile:

• Local residents of Portland who partake in late-night activities such as socializing with friends or bar-hopping
• Business professionals that work and reside in the Portland Cartopia area – law offices, hospitals, clinics, insurance agencies, retail, and schools
• College students who are in search of fast, cheap, and trendy eats

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will be competing with other local food trucks in the Portland community. A profile of each competitor is below.

Potato Champion

Potato Champion is a local favorite of Portland foodies that is also located in Cartopia. Started in 2008, Potato Champion quickly established itself as a fan favorite for late night food. Potato Champion serves a limited menu of hand cut, twice fried Belgian style fries, a variety of dipping sauces, and their own version of the Canadian classic Poutine, as well as other fry related dishes. They pride themselves in using the highest quality ingredients and focus on an inventive menu that combines tastes from all over the world with one of the most popular foods found on the globe, the french fry.

Potato Champion is open for lunch, dinner, and late-night. They are available for catering and delivery through Postmates. Followers of Potato Champion are also able to purchase swag from their store that includes music, bags, pins, and hoodies.

Started by John Eads in 2009, Pyro Pizza was built out of a 8’x16’ food cart that he custom-built with a cast iron wood fire oven. Aside from wood fired pizza, John also makes his own sodas using all real ingredients and natural cane sugar. John’s belief is that good ingredients make good food. His crew makes many components in-house and sources regional flour, pepperoni, sausage, blue cheese, soda ingredients, and seasonal produce all from Portland businesses and farms. In 2015, Pyro’s expanded to a new sandwich cart, Pyro’s Wicked Wiches – a scratch-made sandwich, soup, chips and cookie food cart.

Pyro’s serves an assortment of wood fire pizzas made from scratch. Their choices are margherita, marinara, arugula and mushroom, pepperoni, quattro formaggi, fennel sausage, veggie bianca, breadsticks, salads, and sodas.

Chicken and Guns

Chicken and Guns is another local favorite among Portland foodies. Also found in Cartopia, Chicken and Guns serves up Latin American chicken, wings, tacos, salad, soup, and their “guns” are crispy seasoned potatoes. The chicken is served by the quarter, half, or whole bird. Another item they are acclaimed for is their peruvian aji sauce, habanero carrot sauce and chimichurri sauce. They have been named the best fried chicken in Portland by the PDX Eater.

Chicken and Guns is open everyday from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm for takeout and delivery options. With a large Instagram and social media following, there is always destined to be a line at the Chicken and Guns food truck.

Competitive Advantage

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck offers several advantages over its competition. Those advantages are:

Marketing Plan

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will offer a unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Delicious food made fresh with locally sourced ingredients using exquisite techniques.
• Located in the ultra-hip food truck area known as Cartopia.
• Great food at a great price. The menu offerings of Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will be accessible to customers of all walks of life.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Zesty Zane’s Food Truck are as follows:

Social Media

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck’s main source of marketing will be through social media, primarily their Instagram page. Chef Zane has become adept at taking appealing photographs of his dishes. He will post pictures of his menu and add details on the location and hours of operation. His food truck account already has over 3,000 followers and he posts daily “Coming Soon” teaser photos.

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will be parked in the immensely popular food truck hub known as Cartopia of Portland. There are dozens of food trucks located in this pod and there is always a crowd of people. Cartopia hosts bands, art shows, shopping events, and other social gatherings to enhance the entertainment vibe of the pod. By being part of Cartopia, Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will receive lots of exposure and traffic.

SEO Website Marketing

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck plans to invest funds into maintaining a strong SEO presence on search engines like Google and Bing. When a person types in “local food truck” or “top food trucks in Portland”, Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will appear in the top three choices. Zesty Zane’s will also invest in their website also to ensure that it is user friendly, always up to date, and displays professional photographs of its menu items and location.

Third Party Delivery Sites

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will maintain a presence on sites like GrubHub, Uber Eats, Doordash, and Postmates so that people looking for local food with the option of delivery will see Zesty Zane’s listed.

The pricing of Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will be moderate and on par with competitors so customers feel they receive value when purchasing their menu items.

Operations Plan

The operations plan for Zesty Zane’s Food Truck is relatively simple as its overhead and cost is small. The functional roles for its employees are as follows:

Operation Functions:

• Chef Zane will run the food truck operation. He will be in charge of inventory, menu creation, marketing, customer service, and bookkeeping. Chef Zane will work every day that he chooses to open the food truck. Chef Zane plans on operating the food truck Tuesday through Sunday 11:00 am to 1:00 am.
• Two part-time cooks that will alternate helping Chef Zane during the hours of operation. As business picks up, there will be two cooks at the same time assisting Chef Zane during peak hours.

Milestones:

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck aims to open in the next 3 months. The following are the milestones needed in order to obtain this goal.

4/15/202X – Purchase food truck

5/1/202X – Finalize menu

5/15/202X – Social media and advertising campaign begins

6/1/202X – Finish cleaning up the food truck and prepare it for operation

6/10/202X – Purchase food and drink inventory, stock truck, and park it at Cartopia

6/11/202X – Grand Opening of Zesty Zane’s Food Truck

Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will be owned and operated by Chef Zane Benedict.

Chef Zane Benedict, Owner

Chef Zane Benedict is a Portland native who attended culinary school in San Francisco and returned to Portland to become a part of the world-renowned food scene Portland is uniquely known for. Zane was trained under three different chefs at fine dining establishments in downtown Portland and was awarded Best Sous Chef of Portland in 2017. Chef Zane has won two local culinary competitions, placed runner-up in a statewide competition, and participated in a cooking competition show on the Food Network.

Chef Zane has received numerous awards for his creativity and consistency of his food while being able to prepare dishes in a short amount of time. His ability to prepare food under pressure allows him the unique skill of serving numerous customers without having them undergo long wait times. This will keep customers happy and coming back for more.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Zesty Zane’s Food Truck will come from the menu items being offered daily.

The cost drivers will be the ingredients and products needed to make the menu items (oil, bread, meat, chicken, produce, drinks) as well as the cooking materials (pots, pans, bowls, plates, utensils, etc.). Other cost drivers will be the overhead expenses of payroll for the part-time employees and propane for the food truck.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following table outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the business loan.

Initial Number of Customers Per Day: 50

Average Menu Item Cost: $9.00

Average Order per Customer: $15.00

Annual Cost for Maintenance of Truck: $10,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, food truck business plan faqs, what is a food truck business plan.

A food truck business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your food truck business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can  easily complete your food truck business plan using our Food Truck Business Plan Template here .

What Are the Main Types of Food Truck Companies?

There are a variety of types of food trucks, each specializing in a specific type of cuisine or food item. There are food trucks that sell burgers, cookies, ice cream, tacos, pizza, sandwiches, salads and more.  

What Are the Main Sources of Revenues and Expenses for a Food Truck Business?

The primary source of revenue for food truck businesses is its food and beverage sales. 

The key expenses for a food truck business are the food production cost, salaries, and transportation expenses. 

How Do You Get Funding for Your Food Truck Business?

Food truck businesses are typically funded through small business loans, personal savings, crowdfunding and credit card financing.

What are the Steps To Start a Food Truck Business?

Starting a food truck business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Food Truck Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed business plan for your food truck that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your food truck business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your food truck business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Food Truck Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your food truck business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your food truck business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Food Truck Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your food truck business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your food truck business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising. 

Learn more about how to start a successful food truck business:

• How to Start a Food Truck Business

Other Business Plan Templates

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How to Write a Food Truck Business Plan – Download Template

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Want to look inside the business plan of a real food truck business? We’ve organized detailed business plan templates from successful food trucks and made them available to you in PDF and Word doc in this post. In addition to offer templates, we give you detailed instruction how to complete each section of the plan using this guide.

Before we dive in, keep in mind that it could take weeks if not months of planning to develop a business plan that’s helpful. Whatever time takes for you to write the business plan will be well spent. When researched correctly this document serves as the “game plan” for operating your entire mobile food business and sets the direction of your company.

Approach this document seriously because it can become the roadmap to operate your business and ensure you’re set up for success. When you’ve finished writing your plan, you should know where you plan to vend, estimated food costs, the marketing plan, and how you’ll raise money for the food truck. Pretty important stuff right? Let’s dig in.

Food Truck Business Plan Guide 

Introduction

• Download Templates
• Components of a Food Truck Business Plan
• Executive Summary
• Mission Statement
• Company Concept
• Market Analysis
• Management Structure
• Product Line and Services
• Sales and Marketing
• Funding Request
• Financial Projections

I want you to get the most value possible out of your business planning process. Why? I believe having an accurate business plan gives you the best odds of success for operating a profitable food truck.

And if you’re going to be investing tens of thousands of dollars into a food truck or trailer, cooking equipment, and permits, why not invest a few days creating a detailed plan for how to run the business.

Here’s one example why going through this process can be helpful from our Annual Food Truck Academy class, where train future food truck owners how to start a food truck. One student completed her research estimating food cost, overhead, and anticipated sales as part of her business plan. Then she came back and revealed that based on her current plan, the food truck wouldn’t be profitable. After factoring in tax, labor, and food costs there were no profits left over.

Our student was initially discouraged by the numbers, but I was happy. It’s much better to identify a revenue short-fall before you start the business than months after when you see sales coming in, but can’t figure out why there’s nothing left in the bank account. As a result of the work invested on the front end through planning, she was able to evaluate her ingredient cost and pricing to create a business plan that set herself up for success.

Still, many first time food vendors don’t take the time to put in this work. It’s a shame because it’s so easily avoidable.

One more tip before we get into researching and writing the business plan, don’t get overly hung-up on the structure of the document. Unless you plan to apply for a small business loan (then you will need to be more concerned about formatting, but let’s worry about that later), you’re not going to be graded on how pretty the document looks or how nice the nice fonts and illustrations. This isn’t an assignment for school where you’re going through the motions to get a B.

Instead focus your energy on making this plan useful for your business. Find specific locations that you plan to sell food. Get the contact information for these venues to learn how you can get into them. Figure out your exact food cost and how much it’s going to cost to get permits in your area. Putting ink to paper or word document is going to make the operations of your business real.

Now let’s get on with making your game plan!

Note to Reader: This is part of a series of posts following the process of starting a food truck with Anthony Salvagno (featured in the image below) as he writes a business plan, seeks funding, develops a concept, builds a menu, and ultimately launches his first food truck. Listen to the audio lesson inside this post to learn more about writing a winning food truck business plan.

The person that doesn’t have one [a business plan] sets themselves up for failure. – Anthony Salvagno on the importance of thinking before leaping into a business.

Serious about Starting a Food Truck?  Click Here To Get Our Free Food Truck Business Kit.

Download Business Plan Templates

In my opinion, this case study is most effective when listening to the audio and downloading the example that Salvagno was kind enough to provide for this post. I’ve also linked to other resources that can help you write your own business plan.

Download Business Plan – Yes, this is the PDF business plan used to acquire $5,000 for a food truck during a business pitch competition. This document is referenced in the companion podcast.

Download Business Plan Template – Here’s a sample template you can use and edit for your own truck.

SBA – Create Your Business Plan – The Small Business Administration (SBA) does an excellent job outlining the steps needed to create a business plan. It’s not food truck specific, but it gives you what you need and there’s plenty of valuable information here.

You can learn a lot by reading business plans for other food businesses like restaurants as well. Operating a profitable restaurant is similar to operating a successful mobile food business. The main different is that a trailer is that it’s mobile.

Components of a Business Plan

Below is an outline of the key sections you’ll need to complete for a standard business plan with a description of how each section applies to a food truck or trailer business. Complete each section and you’ve got yourself a real plan for your business my friend.

Keep in mind that if you’re creating this document for yourself and not a banker you don’t need to get fancy with the formatting. The important thing is to have a detailed plan for the business before you open. If you feel the burning desire to make this look nice, you can make formatting updates after the

Executive Summary:

This is an overview of the information contained in the business plan and should introduce the name of your food truck and the food you plan to serve. This section should only be one page in length. Give readers the high-level overview of what the plan. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to dive into the nitty gritty in the next sections of the document.

The purpose of this section in most business plans is to give prospective investors information about your startup. Lenders reviewing a small business loan might be another audience, although they will be much more focused on financial side of things. But for most of our readers this section is for you, a business partner, and potentially a spouse.

For our Executive Summary we included 2 – 3 sentences describing these important aspects of the business. The provides anyone reading this document with a general understanding of what the business is and how it expects to make money:

• The food item we plan to sell and specialize in.
• The key people that will manage the business. In this case, the food truck will be owned and operated by two partners.
• The business entity we plan to form. We formed an LLC.
• Where you plan to operate the business and hours of operation. Our initial plan had us operating 5 days per week for lunch and dinner.
• The basic marketing plan. Again you’ll dive into the details in the marketing and sales portion of the document.
• Projected cost to fund the business and anticipated revenue.
• Future goals. How will you know you’ve won? For some this will be a specific revenue number and for others this could be opening up a franchise with 100s of locations.

Again, unless you plan to bring on outside investors don’t worry too much about perfect formatting in the executive summary. This is to ensure you and your partners are clear on the high-level plan for the business.

Food Truck Mission Statement:

The mission statement for a food truck can be as short as a sentence or as long as a paragraph. This statement should define what you plan to serve, who you will serve, and the ultimate vision for the business. When done right the mission statement should guide every major decision you make for the business.

Here’s the mission statement from our business plan as an example: 

To provide the residents of our city, young and old, an out of this world gourmet peanut butter and jelly inspired sandwich experience. We use local ingredients and provide gluten-free, contaminant-free products for those with special dietary needs.

When a mission statement is done right it should actually influence how you operate and run your business day to day. For example, since the utilization of local ingredients is part of our mission statement, we’ve got to actively be looking for local suppliers to buy inventory. If we don’t, we’ve failed.

We also need to consider the dietary needs of different groups of people. This impacts the sandwiches we put on our menu every day. Again, if we don’t do this, won’t reach the goal we’ve set out to achieve.

A mission statement can be the most influential part of the business plan when it’s used the right way. On the other hand, this guide can be forgotten when it’s not used to guide decisions. To learn more about making impactful mission statements, watch this interview to go deeper on the subject.

Company Concept and Description:

This is the fun part. Here you will describe what you hope the food truck will become, the food you plan to serve, and why you believe it will be a successful business. For most food trucks this section only needs to be a few paragraphs in length.

Make sure to include information on why your food is both desirable and unique to customers in the area. Also, if you have some type of theme, like an island theme for example, include little details like this in the description.

If you plan to operate something more mainstream like taco truck, take the time to express what it is that makes you different in your market. A common way food trucks differentiate themselves is through their ingredients or style. For example, you could be the only taco truck in town that uses organic, locally raised meats. Or you might be the only one in town that specializes in making fish tacos. Find a way to standout and offer something that isn’t available elsewhere.

You want folks that read this section to be able to clearly envision the kind of overall experience they’ll enjoy when visiting your food truck. Here are a few guidelines for writing this section:

• What food will you serve?
• How is your food different than other vendors in the area?
• Is there a specific type of consumer you want to attract?

As you can see from our own business plan, we differentiated ourselves through seasonal menu changes all the time and have menu options that cater to people that require a gluten-free diet. It’s also worth noting that our core product of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is unique to the market.

Market Analysis:

Understand the players in your market before starting a business.

For smaller markets with a couple hundred thousand people living nearby this section might be short and include just 4 – 5 other trucks. However, if you’re entering a market like Los Angeles this section will be larger and more in-depth.

If you’re planning to enter a market that has 10 traditional taco trucks and you plan to start a traditional taco truck too, it will be to differentiate yourself from other vendors in the area.

Consider adding a spin to your own food concept like serving Asian tacos instead to provide local consumers will more variety and fill a potential need. If you’re not sure about the type of truck you want to create yet, looking at the market and seeing what type of food is missing can be a smart way to approach this.

In this area you’ll also want to identify the type of customer that will frequent your establishment. Any data about local trends that you can find will be useful to include as well like this report from IBIS World that forecasts growth in the United States food truck industry for the next 5 years. Google can be a good friend in locating the data to include in the document.

Management Structure:

Most food truck owners start with a management structure of one.

This section is straightforward for most food vendors. You can list yourself as the owner and operator if that applies. But don’t forget about key employees or partners too. Many food trucks need a team of 3 – 5 employees to operate successfully during a lunch rush. Make sure these long-term players are accounted for.

In our business plan, it’s a partnership between brothers. The work load is split up between one brother operating the front of the house and marketing: accepting orders, booking new business and events, emailing and calling catering leads. The other brother focuses more on the chef duties including sourcing ingredients, cooking food, working with suppliers, and ensuring food quality.

Industry Survey Results: What is the Average Income of a Food Truck Vendor?

If you have more than one owner of the business this is where you want to take the opportunity to clearly define roles. This is an extremely important section of the document when multiple parties and their money are involved. By outlining everyones responsibilities in this document, it serves as a record of who was in responsible for certain aspects of the business. The more people involved, the more diligent you need to be with assigning tasks.

If it’s not written down, it’s easy for partners to recall things differently. This will help avoid conflict in the future for all parties involved. You need this.

The more stakeholders involved, the more complicated this section will be. You should also include investors and advisors in this section even when people aren’t excepted to help with the daily business operations. Outline what value these people have delivered to the business and what return they can expect in the future.

Product Line:

Ready-made meals can be a great way to diversify your product line.

Finally… This is the section you finally get to describe your food. I recommend outlining the main menu items and any signature dishes that you have in this section. But don’t stop at just the food that you plan to serve.

Other products and services that you plan to offer could include corporate catering gigs or weddings. These can be the biggest money makers for a mobile food vendor.

It pays to think outside the box too in this section. Some vendors that started out by serving food out the window of a truck exclusively have now begun to sell their trademark dishes in stores, online, or at restaurant. Don’t forget to think about possible paths for growth in the business.

• Previous guest of the show Martie Richie of Motley Crews is an excellent example of someone that is doing just that. They’ve expanded to selling snacks online through their e-commerce website and at local gas stations.
• Malcolm decided to open a restaurant to attain more consistent sales, especially through the slow winter months.

Sales and Marketing:

A food truck can serve as a mobile promotional platform.

How do you plan to market your business and get sales? One of the biggest factors that determine the success / failure of a lunch truck is location. Will you be able to get into major events or areas with a lot of potential customers?

One of the biggest favors you can do for yourself to input into your sales and marketing plan is to create a tentative list of places you might be able to vend. Get extremely granular with this task. In fact, it might even help to print out a map to evaluate where the best potential vending locations are in your area.

Here’s the information you should gather as part of this process. You can add this information inside the sales and marketing section of the business plan as you gather it. 

• Name of the vending location and cost details.
• Contact information including telephone, email, and address. Ideally a dedicated point of contact in charge of booking vendors.

Here are some locations that work well for food trucks:

• Farmer’s markets: You can usually find vendor information listed on the website.
• Annual events: Browse your cities website for a list of upcoming events like car shows, fairs, or parades.
• Social Media: One of the easiest ways to find good vending locations is to monitor the social media accounts of popular food trucks in your city. If they are vending somewhere, it’s probably a lucrative location that you might be able to vend at as well.
• Corporate Workplaces:  Big corporate employers with a few thousand employees working at a single location can be a good option for generating consistent lunch sales.
• Breweries and Wineries: Places like this often don’t want to build in a restaurant into their operations and partner with mobile food vendors to supply food to guests.

Pro Tip: Make sure to have a a lot of  different parking location options before getting started. Not every location you try is going to be profitable. By developing a big list of opportunities upfront, you won’t feel stressed about vending options because your dream vending location didn’t work out.

There are an endless number of tactics you can use to attempt to drum up business in the early days, but for most successful food business getting into events with big hungry crowds is the first step to building a brand locally and gaining traction. Learn more about finding profitable vending locations here.

Funding Request:

Just another day on the food truck.

The key to a good funding request is knowing exactly how much money you need and having a detailed plan explaining how you plan to use it. For food truck owners, the biggest early expense will be in buying a food truck and the kitchen equipment installed onboard.

You should also account for the amount of money you’ve raised or have on hand in this section. In our business plan for example, we were looking at $55,000 all-in to start the business. This would include the purchase of a food truck, our initial inventory of food, and permits. Be extremely diligent in outlining how you intend to spend every dollar in this section. It will safe you time late in the process and lenders will appreciate your attention to detail.

We were able to bring $14,850 or 27% of that total investment to the table that was raised mostly through personal savings, a small crowd funding campaign, and winning a business plan contest. The remaining 73% was acquired through the help of a small business loan. Being able to start a real food business like this for below $15,000 out of pocket is pretty cool.

Reader’s Note: If you’re not planning to seek funding through a traditional bank (or are simply planning to take out a personal loan based on your credit history) you can technically disregard this section, although you should still analyze closely how you intend to spend your money.

If you plan on asking for friends and family for money this attention to detail can help too. Even if they’re not in the food industry, it’s easy to understand that a commercial oven or fridge could cost a few thousand dollars. If you have a specific use for funds that makes sense, it increases the likelihood of obtaining a loan with friendly terms amongst family.

Financial Projections:

This is an extremely important area to spend time on before starting a food truck. I’d argue this section is as important as the product, sales and marketing plan of the business plan. This section will offer your first insight into whether or not the business idea you have is going to work or not in its present form.

From a practical standpoint, the main thing you want to figure out is what your break-even point for the business is. In other words, how much food do you need to sell in order to pay all of your monthly expenses? This is a simple, but critical question you must find the answer to before getting started.

You can determine the break-even point for a food truck business with this formula: 

Fixed Costs / (Price – Variable Costs) = Bread Even Point

Here’s the due diligence you’ll need to complete to find the break-even point for your food truck:

• Add up the total monthly expenses you expect for the food truck to find your fixed cost number. This number will include loan payments, insurance, cell phone, and everything else you need to pay on a monthly. Use our guide to create a quick estimate of monthly costs.
• The price refers to how much you plan to charge customers and how many sales you anticipate in a given month. From your perspective the less sales you need to break even the better as it will.
• The variable costs is the expenses you put into cost of goods sold. In your case this if the food you’re selling. As you sell more, your variable cost will also increase because you need to buy more product. This is a good thing!

Based on your current fixed cost and variable cost estimates, find out how many total sales of your food total you would need to generate to pay all your bills. Does that number seem seem attainable based on the frequency you plan to vend each month?

Figuring out what your sales is going to be in the future will be the biggest leap of faith you make in the business plan. I always urge people to be being super conservative with sales estimates. You are going to have slow days and extremely busy days when you get out into the real world. Being financially ready for challenging times will make your business more resilient.

Forecasting Financial Projections:

In the financial projections, focus on estimating how much money you will make in the first year of the business. Investing too much time on longterm projections 5-years out doesn’t make any sense since you haven’t actually started the business yet. After the business has been operating for about a month, you’ll want to go back and review the previous estimates to ensure everything is making sense.

While estimating the projected revenue will require some guessing, figuring out startup and monthly operating expenses once the business gets going is much simpler. While there might be unexpected expenses that pop up before opening the business, you already know the monthly bills like insurance, phone, inventory, loan payments (if you have one), commissary.  Read our post that includes a spreadsheet on the Complete Breakdown of Food Truck Operation Costs for help researching this section.

Here are a few other quick tips for the financial projections section: 

• Always start a business with some extra capital on hand and establish an emergency business fund. We suggest $3,000 – $5,000 minimum. You don’t want to find yourself underfunded going into the second week so and not be able to purchase supplies. Unfortunately, break downs also happen in this business so you want to be ready for them.
• You’ll need to be comfortable making a few “educated guesses” in this section especially when it comes to revenue projections. Always be conservative with sales estimates. If you do end of exceeding expectations then that’s fantastic.
• The primary goal of completing this process is to understand how much money you’ll require to operate the business and break even on a monthly basis. After determining a break-even, find out how much it will require to pay yourself a comfortable wage after taxes.

This is the place to include your permit from the health department, photos of the vehicle, and other legal documents needed to operate a mobile food business. This is a good spot to add photos of food or people smiling and enjoying your meals at events (if you’ve vended at an event already). Add in anything else you feel could be helpful too.

Bonus Tips When Creating Your Building Plan

Here are a few key concepts pulled straight from the audio companion of this guide.

• Don’t be afraid to ask current food truck owners for help when writing a plan. They have the best understanding of what the market looks like and may even help you to create more accurate market projections. Not everyone will be willing to lend a hand, but some might.
• The financial projections section is the most important and practical element of the business plan. You need this to be able to evaluate how much money you’ll to start the business and what prices you’ll need to charge for longterm success.
• Don’t invest a ton of your time into longterm projections especially years 3, 4, and 5 of the food truck. Restaurants come and go. You won’t be able to make accurate projections out that far anyway.
• You should be extremely detailed when estimating expenses. Including often overlooked items like sandwich wrappers, napkins, mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies. Knowing how much cash you need for day one of starting the truck right is critical.

Is Creating a Business Plan a Total Waste of Time?

Good question. That really depends on who you ask.

There’s a whole group of like savvy entrepreneurs and business people who don’t believe in the business plan at all. They’re like okay, you have this written document that you never ever use again. But then there’s this whole other group of people that actually believe in the business plan.

If you’re planning to try to get a traditional bank loan you will need to create a business plan. Having a written plan does not guarantee you will be approved for a loan. In fact, you might get turned down even with an okay credit history.

While it’s not perfect, I firmly believe going through the process of writing a business plan, when taken seriously improves your chances of success. You want to understand your competition. You want to understand where you plan to park. You want to have a few ideas about how you might market your business and what your overhead is going to be before starting the business. This document helps you make more educated decisions based on the work you’ve put in.

The Bottom Line: Will drafting a detailed business plan like this one take a long time? You bet it will. If you do it right, it could easily take a month or two to complete. But the benefits of doing so can be worth it and pay dividends for the life of your business.

So what’s the next step? I suggest enrolling in our free food truck business kit to learn more about the startup process. 

Want to start your own food business?

Hey! 👋I’m Brett Lindenberg, the founder of Food Truck Empire.

We interview successful founders and share the stories behind their food trucks, restaurants, food and beverage brands. By sharing these stories, I want to help others get started.

If you liked this story, sign up for our newsletter that includes our food business startup kit and most popular interviews sent straight to your inbox.

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How to write an effective food truck business plan

Key takeaways

• Highlight what makes your business unique in the executive summary of your food truck business plan
• Perform a comprehensive market analysis to identify your ideal customers and explain how you’ll stand out from the competition
• Create accurate but positive financial projections to impress potential lenders and track your growth

When you can take your business on the road, there are endless possibilities for growth. With fewer limits on who you can reach, you can explore new markets and fresh offerings. Food trucks also provide the flexibility that many entrepreneurs love—and with the industry reaching $1.2 billion in value in 2022 and year-over-year growth, food trucks also have significant potential for increased profits. 

If you want to enter the food industry without investing in a brick-and- mortar restaurant , starting a food truck business is a financially savvy choice. Follow this step-by-step guide to create a food truck business plan that will help you make better business decisions and access the funding you need.

1. Executive summary

A food truck business plan typically begins with an executive summary, a one-page overview of your food truck and what will make it a successful business . A good executive summary introduces each section of your plan while still capturing the reader’s attention.

Include a few key facts that demonstrate to lenders why your business idea is unique and profitable. For example, maybe your food truck is the only vendor offering birria tacos in your metro area, or your revenue has a projected 100% growth rate in the next year.

Ideally, you should write your executive summary after you’ve completed the rest of the plan. This will ensure you’re featuring the most impressive information and there aren’t any inconsistencies.

2. Company description

While your executive summary is limited to one page, your business description dives deeper into what your business offers, how it operates, and what makes it successful. Be sure to include these key details:

• Legal business name
• Business structure (such as sole proprietorship or limited liability company )
• Founding year or launch date
• Location or service area
• Mission statement
• Business goals
• Primary services and pricing
• Target market demographics

Highlight compelling details about the type of food you sell and what gives your business the competitive advantage—essentially, why your target market will choose you. Maybe it’s the quality of your ingredients or your wide array of vegan menu items. Perhaps it’s the speed of your service.

If you follow a consistent schedule, include where your food truck will be stationed each day of the week, whether it’s at a farmer’s market or office building. If you’re a mobile food business that’s mainly booked for events like weddings or festivals, include your service areas. 

It’s also important to mention your business structure in this section of your food truck business plan . Simply stating that you operate as a LLC , for instance, can tell investors a lot about your tax obligations, paperwork requirements, and personal liability. This is also a good place to offer more insight into your business model , since lenders will want to know how you expect to make money and pay your team members.  

3. Market analysis

Doing market research can help your small business identify opportunities in your area and anticipate challenges. In the market analysis section of your food truck business plan , explain any relevant findings so readers can understand your decision-making and further determine your likelihood of success. 

Your market analysis may include:

• Trends in the food truck industry , such as increased demand for street food
• Insights into your competitors, including similarities and differences in your products, target market, and expertise
• Untapped opportunities, such as customers who live in a food desert

Then, explain where your food truck business fits into the broader market. How will you stay ahead of the competition? One answer could be that you are reaching an underserved target market .

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4. Menu items and services

No matter what type of food truck you operate, lenders and readers need to know what kind of service to expect from you—primarily, your menu items . A sushi truck that sells California rolls caters to a different audience than one that sells nigiri, and even ice cream and cupcakes can come in a wide range of flavors. 

In the menu items and services section of your food truck business plan, list out your menu items with specific descriptions, including ingredients and pricing . If you offer a food truck catering service, provide a breakdown of your rates. For example, you might explain your travel fees, event fees, and minimum spending requirements.

5. Management team

Before readers buy into your business, you need to prove you have what it takes to run a successful food truck —and much of your success depends on the proficiency of your management team . 

Introduce your readers to the food truck owners , even if you’re the only one, and highlight each person’s relevant experience, education, and awards. For example, if you graduated from culinary school and have three years of experience as a business owner , you can use that to build lenders’ confidence in your venture.

If you have people on your management team beyond your food truck owners , introduce them with a brief description of their experience.

6. Marketing plan

A solid business plan always includes a marketing strategy . Whether you’re launching a new food truck or running an existing one, you need to promote your business to maintain its growth. In this section, describe each marketing channel you’ll use to reach your target market and how you’ll approach them.

As a food vendor , you can launch campaigns on many marketing platforms. Some ideas include:

• Creating social media accounts to engage directly with clients and inform them of special events or deals
• Claiming your Yelp Business Page and updating it with accurate business information , contact details, and photos so clients can see what you offer when searching for businesses like yours
• Running Yelp Ads to show up above search results and on competitors’ pages
• Using email marketing to send promotions, event schedules, and other valuable information directly to customers’ inboxes

Your marketing plan will likely change over time, but a solid food truck business plan gives readers a sense of how you will promote your business.

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7. Financial plan

The final section of your food truck business plan should guide readers through your projected costs and growth. This section is especially critical if you’re applying for a business loan or pitching to an investor, as they’ll want to ensure your business is profitable. And even if you have funding in place, a financial plan can help you set your budget and track your progress toward your financial goals.

If you’re launching a brand- new food truck , start by listing your startup costs . These may include the cost of your own food truck , business licenses , business registration fees, and equipment, such as a flat-top grill.

Next, list your monthly operational costs, including recurring expenses like your point-of-sale ( POS ) system subscription, fuel, ingredients, and marketing expenses.

This section should end with financial projections that depict your expected growth for the next five years. With the help of a financial analyst or accountant, mock up some financial statements—including cash flow and income statements—with positive but realistic growth projections.

Build an effective food truck business plan

A business plan can help you make more strategic decisions and access funding from investors and lenders . But no matter what stage of business growth you’re in, following this food truck business plan template can set you on the path to success. 

Building a plan challenges you to think deeper about what your business does, who it serves, how much you’ll spend, and how you’ll market your business. For more tips to accelerate your food truck business , try these local marketing tips .

The information above is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice and may not be suitable for your circumstances. Unless stated otherwise, references to third-party links, services, or products do not constitute endorsement by Yelp.

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Catering businesses are often an ideal expansion to a food truck operation as it can create another revenue channel as well as an opportunity to growthe customer base. But there are things to know upfront well before you sign on to cater a customer's party or business shindig.

June 7, 2021 | by Richard Traylor — Writer, WebstaurantStore

Before you begin buying equipment or drafting a business plan for a catering operation, it's important to understand what makes a catering business unique.

With catering jobs, you're either preparing food in a rented kitchen or on-site. During the event, you and your food are at the mercy of the venue space, their amenities, the weather, and staff you may not work with often.

It's also important to consider what type of catering business you're interested in pursuing: • Corporate events: conferences, cocktail parties, staff meetings. • Social gatherings: weddings, galas, charity events, birthday celebrations. • Personal uses: cooking a meal in someone's home for a small gathering or date night or preparing meals ahead of time that clients can take home and reheat later.

Once you've determined that a catering company is right for you, use the following steps to get your business off to a successful start.

Gain exposure and experience

Like any business venture, it takes a certain level of experience to successfully execute a start-up. While researching what you'll need and how to operate is helpful, it won't compare to the hands-on experience and guidance you can gain with learning from a food truck operator who's been in the catering business for awhile. One good practice approach is to host a holiday party for friends and family or prepare a church luncheon for a small crowd. Operating on a smaller scale first allows you to find and fix potential problems and gain honest feedback from a forgiving crowd.

Choose a concept

Creating a solid concept or theme can enhance the marketability of your catering business. Try to focus your concept on something you're already selling – your food truck cuisine. Or you can create a separate concept such as brunch foods, casual sandwiches, desserts, finger foods, comfort food, or any idea that gives your business direction.

Create a menu

Create your menu before you begin to evaluate your food truck space and equipment. Figuring out what types of food you'll be cooking means you can decide what equipment, appliances, and space you'll need to successfully prepare your offerings.

You need to offer a menu with versatility to accompany a wide range of tastes, preferences, and dietary restrictions. Create a selection of offerings that are, for example, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, or low carb. And if your menu items are especially spicy, be sure to offer a few less spicy or not spicy options as well.

Once your menu is established, determine how you'll price your items or event packages. It's important to have a sample menu prepared and pricing figured out before meeting with your first potential clients.

Test your menu

Try testing your menu concept and dishes in small, no-pressure scenarios. Gather friends and family together, or offer to cook for a small gathering or fundraiser in your community.

Be sure to ask for candid feedback from your guests. You can even provide everyone with pen and paper to write their thoughts down anonymously. Once you've successfully served your crowd and received feedback, it is important to keep tweaking your recipes. Practice making them over and over again while focusing on efficiency, taste, and presentation.

Assess liability issues

Before you cater your first event, you must apply for any proper permits (i.e. if the catered event is at a local park or public area) and ensure your kitchen and staff are well-aware of food safety practices and regulations.

Plan for potential problems

A little planning can go a long way when it comes to unexpected foodservice emergencies. Think about common obstacles you could encounter with your catering business, and work with staff to establish a response plan. Potential problems could include:

• Inclement weather at an outdoor event.
• More guests to feed than you had expected.
• Shortage of staff.
• No access to power.

Choose your staff

Finding the right staff members to help prepare and serve your offerings can be a challenging task. When choosing a catering staff and introducing them to your business, be sure to consider the following:

• Decide whether your operation is large enough to hire additional employees.
• Begin with a temp agency until you can grow your business.
• Create a dress code or provide uniforms.
• Offer adequate training in serving protocols and food safety.

Make a marketing and advertising plan

Once you've laid the groundwork for your catering business, it's time to promote it. Start by figuring out who your target audience is and go from there. This can be determined based on the type of catering operation you plan on running. For example, if you're interested in social gatherings, you can showcase your menu at bridal expos and contact event planners.

If you're looking to expand your food truck business without the financial undertaking of operating a restaurant, catering could be an enticing option. And with proper planning using the steps above, your business will be off to a good start. No matter what type of catering you decide to do, be sure to create a mouthwatering menu and dynamic concept future customers will flock to.

Richard Traylor

Richard Traylor graduated from Temple University in the winter of 2014 with a degree in Strategic Communications. After graduating, he taught English in South Korea for two years, during which he was fortunate enough to travel and see the world. In October 2016, he returned home and started to work in SEO Content at Webstaurant Store. This blog previously ran on Webstaurant Store.

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Food Truck Business Plan

Start your own food truck business plan

Street Eats Food Truck

Value proposition.

Street Eats Food Truck offers high-quality, diverse, and affordable meals on-the-go. We blend creativity with culinary tradition, bringing global flavors directly to local communities, events, and private functions.

The Problem

People on the go often lack access to diverse, quality meals at affordable prices. Many food options in densely populated areas are either fast food or expensive sit-down restaurants.

The Solution

Street Eats Food Truck provides a solution by offering quality, flavorful, and affordably-priced meals directly to consumers in various locations. Our dynamic menu keeps customers interested and promotes a fun dining experience.

Target Market

Our primary target market includes busy professionals, students, and families looking for a quick and unique dining option. The secondary target market includes event organizers looking for catering services for festivals, private functions, and corporate events.

Competitors & Differentiation

Current alternatives.

• Other food trucks
• Fast food restaurants
• Casual dining restaurants

Street Eats Food Truck stands out with its creative, globally-inspired menu, focus on quality ingredients, and commitment to customer service. We also leverage location flexibility, serving customers at numerous hotspot locations, events, and festivals.

Funding Needs

The estimated startup cost for the food truck, including the truck, kitchen equipment, initial food supply, permits, insurance, and marketing, is approximately $100,000.

Sales Channels

• Street Eats Food Truck (various locations)
• Catering for private events and festivals
• Online orders for pick-up via the business’s website
• Partnerships with local businesses and events

Marketing Activities

• Social Media Campaigns
• Local SEO and Online Advertising
• Participation in Local Food Festivals and Events
• Collaborations with Local Businesses for pop-up events

Financial Projections

2023: $150,000

2024: $175,000

2025: $200,000

Expenses/Costs

2023: $110,000

2024: $120,000

2025: $130,000

2023: $40,000

2024: $55,000

2025: $70,000

• Obtain necessary permits and licenses — July 1, 2023
• Purchase and outfit the food truck — August 1, 2023
• Launch website and social media accounts — September 1, 2023
• Open for business — October 1, 2023
• Cater first private event — November 1, 2023
• Participate in a local food festival — May 1, 2024

Team and Key Roles

Owner/operator.

Responsible for daily operations, menu creation, customer service, and event coordination.

Prepares the food, ensures quality control, maintains cleanliness and food safety standards.

Part-time Staff

Assists during peak hours and large events, helps with food preparation, customer service, and cleanup.

Partnerships & Resources

The purpose of these partnerships is to increase visibility, reach more customers, and create a thriving food truck business.

Local Suppliers

Partnerships with local food suppliers ensure fresh and quality ingredients, support local economy, and can potentially attract customers interested in locally-sourced food.

Event Organizers

Collaborations with local event organizers can provide access to large audiences at festivals, concerts, and private functions.

Local Businesses

Partnering with local businesses for pop-up events can attract their customers and provide mutual benefits.

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Starting a Business | How To

How to Start a Food Truck Business in 9 Steps

Published March 6, 2023

Published Mar 6, 2023

WRITTEN BY: Mary King

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This article is part of a larger series on Starting a Business .

Starting A Business?

• Step 1: Research Local Food Trucks & Laws
• Step 2: Choose a Menu, Name & Logo
• Step 3: Register Your Business & Open a Bank Account
• Step 4. Raise Funds
• Step 5: Get Licenses, Permits & Insurance
• Step 6: Procure Your Food Truck
• Step 7: Purchase Equipment & Supplies
• Step 8: Hire & Train Staff

Step 9: Market Your Food Truck

• Pros & Cons

Bottom Line

There has never been a better time to start a food truck business; in fact, the number of food trucks grew by almost 10% from 2022 to 2023. If you’re looking for a money-making business idea , a food truck is a great one. Successful food trucks can bring in more than $500,000 per year, with startup costs from $40,000–$200,000.

Starting a food truck typically takes three to 12 months and requires the nine steps below. Download our checklist to help you stay on track.

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Step 1: research local food trucks & laws.

When starting your food truck business, it’s essential to make sure you are filling a hole in the market, supplying a demand, and operating within the law. So, you should evaluate the food truck scene in your area and research local food truck laws and regulations. This information will help you decide if a food truck is the best-fitting business for you to start .

Evaluating the Local Food Truck Scene

Before you sketch out your menu and business plan, you should find out what trucks are most successful in your area. A quick internet search for “food trucks” and your city or county name will generally yield plenty of results to start.

When evaluating other trucks, take note of their:

• Cuisine: You want to pick a food concept that isn’t being done by other food trucks in your area; you don’t want to be the third falafel food truck in a small town. But you also want to pick a cuisine that has widespread appeal.
• Prices: If most of the trucks in your area serve food in the $5 to $8 range, you probably won’t want to stray too far from that price point. On the other hand, if your town has a lot of higher-priced, gourmet-style trucks, you know you can let your imagination run wild.
• Parking Location: This will give you an idea of which neighborhoods are truck-friendly and not.
• Serving hours: If many people commute to your town for work, breakfast or lunch hours might be a busy time for trucks, so developing a breakfast or lunch concept is a good idea. If you are in a tourist or college town, nights and weekends may be busier, so you might be better off opting for a dinner or late-night snack menu.

Introduce yourself to truck owners and ask them about their biggest operational challenges. You’ll find that most are eager to share their knowledge with an up-and-coming food trucker. One of the best aspects of food truck communities is the camaraderie and support of other truck operators.

Researching Local Food Truck Laws

Food truck regulations fall into three major categories: health, zoning, and vehicle requirements. Health regulations govern what equipment your truck must have, what permits you and your employees need, and whether you need a commissary kitchen. Zoning regulations determine where you are permitted to park your truck and what types of neighborhoods are not permitted.

There will also be laws governing what type of vehicle you can use, what emissions regulations your truck must meet, where you need to register your vehicle, and if your truck driver needs to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Every state, county, and major city has its own laws regulating food trucks and street vending.

New York City, for example, requires every person working on a food truck to have a mobile food vending license . Los Angeles requires that all food trucks post No Smoking signage on their trucks. Many major cities and counties also require all food trucks to have a current contract with a commissary kitchen.

Commissary Kitchen: Sometimes called a “support kitchen,” this is a commercial kitchen, rentable by the hour or day, that supports mobile food operations. Commissaries are equipped with cooking equipment, refrigeration equipment, ice machines, and storage areas that meet local health department requirements. Many also provide areas to dispose of grease and greywater, truck maintenance areas, and a secure place to park overnight.

Food trucks are regulated mostly by city or county authorities. In rural locations, you’re mostly dealing with county offices. In densely populated areas, the city has jurisdiction. You can learn your local regulations by checking your local health department website. However, you’ll get faster and more accurate information if you put in a couple of phone calls—one to your city or county health department and one to your city or county clerk’s department. When you get a person on the line, you’ll want to ask:

• What permits and licenses do I need for a new food truck, and what do they cost?
• Do I need separate food safety certificates for each employee, or is one food manager’s safety license enough?
• What on-truck cooking, refrigeration, and sanitation equipment does the health department require?
• Does all equipment need to be professionally installed?
• Must I use a registered commissary kitchen?
• Do I need separate vending licenses for each employee or only for the business?
• Are there limitations to vehicle size?
• What zoning regulations must my truck adhere to when street vending?
• Does driving a food truck require a commercial driver’s license?

The answers to these questions will have a considerable impact on how expensive it is to start a food truck in your location and how long the process takes.

Step 2: Choose a Menu, Name & Logo

Food trucks are known for their clever remixes and personal flair. The most successful food truck concepts reflect their owner’s interests and personal experiences. Consider popular Las Vegas truck Buldogis , which serves Korean-inflected gourmet hot dogs that reflect the owners’ American and Korean backgrounds. Start with your menu, then your name and logo should naturally follow.

Food Truck Menu Tips

Keep your final menu simple and streamlined. Most food trucks get by with a rotating list of three to five signature items and a couple sides. You can change items seasonally to keep customers interested, but a food truck is not the place for a 30-item menu; you simply don’t have the space to store that much food.

Consider these ideas to start brainstorming your ideal food truck menu:

• Fusion dishes: This concept combines two distinct cuisines to create dishes that appeal to a broader audience, such as Tex-Mex or sushi burritos.
• Regional cuisine: Local specialties like breakfast tacos in Texas or lobster rolls in New England are always a hit, especially in tourist destinations.
• Organic and health foods: Acai bowls, cold-pressed juice, and interesting salad combinations are all examples of trendy health foods.
• Comfort foods: From fried chicken to mac and cheese, grilled cheese, tacos, and burgers, comfort foods usually equal big food truck business.
• Gourmet sandwiches: Who doesn’t love a good sandwich? To stand out, use nontraditional ingredients or have a theme.
• Pizza: A wood-fired pizza truck has widespread appeal (though it may also require a fire department inspection and permit, so check that first).

The primary customers for food trucks are 18 to 34 years old, so food truck foods tend to be very trend-driven. Alternative everything will be the name of the food truck game in 2023; alternative flours, alternative sweeteners, and plant-based meat alternatives all sell well to this age group.

Name Your Food Truck

With a general idea of your concept, you need a name that fits your food. Your truck name will become your social media handle and logo and will be emblazoned on the side of a truck, so it’s important to get it right. Our restaurant name generator can get your creative juices flowing.

But here are some general tips for choosing a good name for your food truck:

• Choose a unique name: You risk violating a trademark if there’s another restaurant or food truck with the same name. You can use the free United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) online search tool to check if your name is taken already.
• Make your name descriptive: Your name should describe your food, theme, and concept so your potential customers will immediately know what to expect.
• Make the name memorable and easy to pronounce: This is especially important for food trucks because they rely on word-of-mouth for much of their business. Avoid long, confusing names―four words or less is a good rule of thumb for your food truck’s name.
• Choose a name that can grow: Your business name should be fun and catchy and grow with your business if you add more trucks, new menu items, or open a traditional restaurant.

Design Your Food Truck Logo

The last piece that completes your food truck concept puzzle is a business logo . You’ll need something that evokes quality food and is exciting enough to compete with other food trucks. You will also use your logo on menus, business cards, social media, and all of your advertising efforts. It will provide the basis for your truck design and uniforms (if you have them).

A captivating logo can make a huge difference in whether people step up to your truck or pass right by, so you want this important marketing element to be in the hands of a talented designer. You don’t need to break the bank to do this. Freelancer sites like Fiverr let you browse portfolios from freelance graphic artists who’ve designed both simple food truck logos and full vehicle wraps, with prices starting at just $5.

Step 3: Register Your Business & Open a Bank Account

When starting a food truck, you’ll need to create a business entity and register with your state. For most food truck operations, an LLC makes the most sense. It protects your personal assets in the event of a lawsuit or business bankruptcy and shows vendors, insurers, and permitting agencies that your business is legitimate.

Filing fees vary from state to state, but forming an LLC isn’t necessarily expensive. Costs range from $40 to $500, and you can find the forms you need on your state’s business office website. Filing LLC paperwork can be tedious and a little complicated. If you need guided assistance, we recommend working with a legal website like Incfile or one of our other recommended online legal services . Incfile doesn’t charge fees beyond your state filing fee to file your LLC and can usually process LLC paperwork by the next business day.

Open a Business Bank Account

You’ll need to separate your personal finances from your business finances by opening a business bank account . This account will hold funds invested in your food truck and be used to pay permitting, licensing, and vendor fees. When your truck is up and running, your credit card deposits will run to this account, and you will pay employees and suppliers from it. You can inquire about business banking options at the bank that handles your personal banking, or see our list of the best small business checking accounts .

Step 4. Raise Funds for Your Food Truck

Starting a food truck business can cost anywhere from $40,000 to $200,000, depending on your location, the cooking appliances you need, and the type of truck you purchase. The table below gives you a rough estimate of the itemized costs involved in starting a food truck business. We break down the costs in the charts below.

Food Truck Business Estimated Startup Costs

• One-time costs
• Recurring Costs

The first step to raising the funds you need is writing a business plan.

Write a Food Truck Business Plan

Like any other business, your food truck will need a well-prepared business plan if you want it to succeed. Your business plan puts your concept on paper so potential investors and loan officers can see that your food truck is a good investment. Having a plan for becoming profitable gives you a better understanding of how long it will take for your food truck to turn a profit and what funds you need to sustain your business until that point. Your food truck business plan serves as a basis for how you envision your business to start , run, and grow.

Your food truck business plan should include the following sections:

• Executive summary: Briefly describe the food truck industry in your region, the present outlook and future possibilities, your concept, theme, and other markets and industries that can directly impact your business. This should be no more than a page.
• Competitive analysis: Identify market trends in the food truck industry, your target market, and analyze competitors. For example, are there food trucks in your area selling the same kinds of food or traditional restaurants with the same target customer base? Describe how your truck will uniquely appeal to this audience by offering a distinctive take on a beloved dish or spicing things up with a secret sauce or spice blend.
• Organization and management: Explain how you plan to run your business, including standard operating procedures, staffing, and responsibilities of each key partner and employee. Will your truck operate solely street-side, or will you also cater private events? Where will you prepare and store the majority of your food? Describe the layout of your truck. How many customers can you serve in an hour?
• Product line: Detail your menu and ingredients, as well as the cost of preparing the food and how much you plan to sell it for. If you are sourcing ingredients from a local farm or notable vendor, note it here. This section should show that you have a firm grasp of food cost and profitability.
• Marketing plan: Describe how you plan to market your food truck business. Important marketing channels for food trucks include word-of-mouth, influencer marketing, and social media marketing . Participating in well-attended annual food truck festivals can also boost your marketing efforts.
• Financial projections: Break down your projected expenses, profits, and losses for at least your first three to five years. If you live in a place with lots of seasonal weather changes, you should include a month-by-month breakdown for busy and slow months.
• Financial requirements: State how much funding you need to start your food truck and exactly how you plan to have it funded. If you’re applying for a business loan , specify how much money you need to borrow.

When preparing your business plan, make sure that you include all the details. For example, itemize your marketing strategy, explain how each line item will reach your target consumers, how much it will cost, and how many customers it will likely bring in. List your product line to include all food items, how they will appear on your menu, the ingredients, and at what price you plan on selling each item. Include your logos and branded menus. If you have sourced a truck, include photos of the truck and possibly an artist’s rendering with your logo and branding.

Food Truck Funding Options

Most people don’t have immediate access to the kind of capital required to start a food truck. Financing your business will be an essential step. Most lenders require a business plan before issuing a loan, so be sure to have your thorough plan ready, along with the amount you need and your credit history.

Here are some financing options available for aspiring food truck owners:

• Equipment loan/financing program: Some truck sellers or equipment financiers will loan to you to purchase the truck.
• Rollover for business startups (ROBS): If you have more than $50,000 in a retirement account, you can set up a ROBS , which will allow you to use the funds in your retirement account to fund your business without paying early withdrawal penalties.
• Business credit cards: If you are good at paying off debt, a business credit card may be a good option.
• Personal loan: This is a good option if you have a good credit score and need less than $50,000.
• Microloan from Small Business Administration (SBA): Microloans are considerably smaller in size than conventional business loans but may be sufficient to cover food truck startup costs. Check out SBA’s Microloan Program for loans of less than $50,000.
• Find investors: Whether it’s a friend or family member, finding investors for your food truck business requires strategy. Prepare your concept and a solid business plan to help convince investors to fund your venture.

Not all funding comes from banks and big investors. If you have an active fanbase of friends and family who support your food truck concept, crowdfunding can provide some or all of your opening budget. Your business plan will give you a great jumping-off point to create a compelling crowdfunding page. A bonus of crowdfunding for a food truck is that you’ll already have a fanbase excited to see your truck come to life.

For a detailed look at crowdfunding, see our guide on how to crowdfund a small business .

Step 5: Get Licenses, Permits & Insurance

FoodTrucks need at least three types of licenses and permits: general business licenses, food service licenses, and vehicle licenses. Depending on your location, most food truck licenses and permits will cost between $100 to $500 each. Your total permit and license fees can range from $1,500 to $20,000.

A mobile food vending permit is one of the licenses your truck needs. (Image from NYC Dept. of Health)

• General Business Licenses
• Food Service Licenses
• Vehicle Permits

General business licenses include things like:

• Doing Business As (DBA) Registration: If you operate your truck as a sole proprietorship or want to operate your truck under a different from the LLC you registered with the state, you’ll need a DBA to register the fictitious name.
• Employer Identification Number (EIN): This number is assigned by the IRS and acts as your business’s identification for tax purposes. If you hire any employees, you’ll need one. You can register for free on the IRS website .
• Business license: All small businesses need a license to operate in the state in which they are located. Costs for this license vary from state to state and are generally less than $500. Some states lump the business license process in with the business registrations process, but not all. You should check with your state business agencies to find out your local requirements.
• State sales tax permit: This license registers your business with your state’s sales tax authority. All of your food truck sales are subject to state and local sales taxes, and you will need to register with your state so you can log your sales tax payments accurately. This permit is typically free.
• Reseller’s license: This license enables you to purchase wholesale goods that you will resell tax-free.
• Vendor’s permit: Also sometimes called a “Peddler’s Permit,” some locations require mobile businesses like food trucks to acquire this from the city, county, or neighborhood governing body. This license typically shows local authorities that your truck has permission to operate in a certain area. These are common in tourist locations and cities with popular historic cores.

Food service licenses are issued by your state, county, or city health department. You will need various licenses to cover your truck, your prep kitchen, yourself, and sometimes your individual employees. Most food service permits and licenses require you to pass a food safety test or for your facilities to pass a food safety inspection.

Foodservice licenses include:

• Health permit: Requirements vary from state to state . Generally, obtaining your final overall health permit requires obtaining all of the permits and licenses listed below before applying for this general permit. Depending on the size of your operation, prices can vary from a couple of hundred dollars to nearly $1,000.
• Mobile food facility (or unit) permit: In some locations this permit is issued through a local Parks department, rather than the health department, though it still has a food safety component. Many towns offer lower pricing tiers for food carts, kiosks, small trucks, and trucks that only serve pre-packaged foods and non-perishable drinks. Prices typically range from $300 to $500.
• Food Safety Manager’s Certification: This certificate is typically required to obtain a health permit for your business. You’ll need to take a food safety class and pass a food safety test in order to get one. Costs are around $199 through ServSafe.
• Food handler permit for employees: Some states, like California, require all food service workers to have their own food handler’s permit. Your staff can obtain these for $15 to $18 through ServSafe.
• Commercial kitchen lease contract: In most locations, getting your truck’s foodservice permits requires a signed lease with a licensed commercial kitchen. In some cases, health inspectors may ask for a signed affidavit from the kitchen owner, stating that you are a tenant in good standing. Prices will vary based on your lease terms.

Unlike what you see on “The Great Food Truck Race,” most food truck food is not prepared from start to finish on the truck itself. In many locations, local food safety laws require food trucks to prepare and store most of their food in a licensed commercial kitchen. This may sound like a form of red tape, but prepping your food in a brick-and-mortar commercial kitchen ensures that it can be kept at safe temperatures below 41 degrees and above 140 degrees Fahrenheit (which can be hard to maintain on a truck).

You can find commissary kitchens in your area by asking other food truck operators or by checking sites like Commercial Kitchen for Rent . Commissary kitchens are not your only option. In most locations, any commercial kitchen inspected and licensed by the local health department will do. This might be a restaurant kitchen you lease in its off-hours or a school kitchen you rent for evenings, weekends, or summer months. Some social and religious organizations like Elks lodges, VFW halls, and churches also have licensed commercial kitchen facilities that fit the bill.

Your truck itself will require a visit to the department of motor vehicles for commercial license plates. You may need to acquire a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in some states if your truck goes over certain length and weight limits. Other states prohibit vehicles that require a CDL from operating as food trucks.

You may also need to acquire parking permits for your truck. Food trucks can’t just park anywhere that a regular vehicle can. Every city has different regulations limiting parking opportunities. Additionally, neighborhood associations and local health departments might require you to comply with their own guidelines.

Here are some tips to make sure your food truck is parked in the right place:

• Ask your county clerk for a list of places where parking is not allowed or where permits are required.
• Contact your local motor vehicle department for lesser-known parking restrictions.
• Add overnight vehicle parking to your commercial kitchen contract.

Step 6: Procuring Your Food Truck

Several of the permits and licenses you need depend on the type of vehicle you purchase. So this step typically happens simultaneously with your permitting process. Food trucks can cost anywhere from $3,250 for a secondhand trailer to as much as $300,000 for a new, custom-built truck, although $5,000–$125,000 is the general range.

Regardless of your budget, you should invest in the best quality truck you can afford. Investing in a quality food truck from the beginning minimizes your risk of incurring repair expenses down the road, and protects you and your staff from dangerous cooking or vehicle-related accidents.

Make sure your truck is fitted with equipment that’s up to code, including:

• Refrigerators and ovens are working properly
• Hot and cold water are available with adequate pressure
• Fire extinguishers and first aid kits available on board
• Proper storage for food items
• Professional installation of essential equipment

Some locations require proof that your truck’s electric and gas equipment was installed by a licensed professional. If you are considering a used truck, ask for this documentation.

Buying a Food Truck

You have several options for purchasing your food truck. You can purchase a used truck from an individual seller on eBay or Craigslist, or via an online directory site. By purchasing a used truck, you typically can get a fully outfitted truck for around $50,000, although you will have to repaint the outside and possibly renovate the inside of the truck to match your business.

A few good directory sites to find used food trucks are:

• Commercial Truck Trader
• Used Vending
• Road Stoves
• Miami Trailer & Equipment Company

If you purchase a used truck sight unseen online, it is a good idea to use an escrow service. The escrow service holds your funds in trust until the seller delivers your truck and will only release the funds when you accept the truck. For example, eBay offers a built-in option to pay via Escrow.com to protect its buyers and sellers.

You can also purchase a new food truck directly from a manufacturer like 800BuyCart. Prices for its standard trucks start at around $18,000. Major car manufacturers like Ford, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz also supply food truck compatible vehicles; you’ll need to contact a local dealer for pricing and options. When buying new from a major manufacturer, you should expect prices starting at $40,000, plus equipment.

Building a Food Truck

Custom-built food trucks can set your food truck apart from the competition if you have the budget for one. Companies like Prestige Food Trucks, Cruising Kitchens, and Northwest Mobile Kitchens specialize in custom food trucks built to your exact specifications. New custom food trucks will cost around $100,000 to $200,000. The benefit, of course, is that everything is new, built for purpose, and usually under warranty. You don’t need to worry about how previous owners cared for the truck or if a professional installed the gas lines.

Leasing a Food Truck

If you’re only operating seasonally or your funds are limited, you may want to explore leasing a food truck. Brands like Los Angeles-based Mobi Munch and RoadStoves lease trucks month to month. If there are truck agents in your area, leasing is an attractive option because leases tend to come with lots of included service. RoadStoves customers, for example, get overnight truck parking, a health permit, and access to a commissary kitchen included in their truck lease. It is common for food truck leases to run from $3,000 to $4,500 per month.

The downside to leasing is that the truck won’t be customized to your needs. You’ll also need to get creative with magnetic decals to customize the truck with your logo and menu. When your lease term is up, you may also have to pause your business until you find another truck.

Step 7: Purchase Equipment & Supplies

Even if your truck is fully outfitted with cooking and refrigeration equipment, you’ll still need some extra tools. Generators, condiment tables, registers, and point-of-sale (POS) systems are all standard food truck equipment. Increasingly food truck owners are adding rooftop solar panels to offset fuel costs. You’ll also want to open accounts with food suppliers so you can buy in bulk and avoid paying sales tax.

A portable solar kit, like this one from Bluetti is a popular food truck add-on. (Image from Bluetti)

Truck Wraps & Exterior Decor

Those vibrant trucks with nose-to-tail designs are covered in a “truck wrap.” A truck wrap is basically a giant vinyl decal that adheres to the outside surface of your truck. A full truck wrap lasts from three to five years and should be installed by professionals. The cost for installing a truck wrap ranges from $2,500 to $5,000 (including design and installation). You can have smaller vinyl decals printed at a local sign shop and install them yourself if you are short on funds. But you should leave anything larger than two to three square feet to the pros.

You can source truck wraps from several companies, including:

• Wrap Solutions
• Custom Vehicle Wraps
• Flash Forward Wraps

Painting your truck exterior is also an option. This costs less than vinyl wrap—from $1,000 to $3,000—but is also best done by professionals. Painted decorations are less robust than vinyl wraps and may not last as long.

In addition to showcasing your business logo and contact information, when you drive, your truck exterior needs to display your menu when it is stationary. Food truck menus that change often can be handwritten on chalkboards, or dry erase boards. If your menu remains standard from day to day, you may wish to display a professionally designed, printed menu. You can typically request a menu design from the person that designed your food truck logo. Or use an app-based menu-maker like the one offered by Canva .

Cooking & Serving Equipment

Between your truck and your commercial kitchen, you may have most of your primary equipment needs covered. However, if your menu requires unique cooking elements like wood smoke, rotisseries, or metal skewers, you may need to purchase that yourself. And while commercial kitchens likely have blenders, tongs, and spatulas you can use, supplies in a shared kitchen space can be tight.

You’ll likely want to purchase some of your own small equipment like a food processor, baking sheets, and Cambro containers to store your prepped food and transport it to your truck. Just make sure your commercial kitchen lease comes with secure storage, so you don’t have to lug your food processor back and forth from the commissary every day.

If you offer catering, you’ll also want a couple of sturdy collapsible tables and chafing dishes to keep your food warm outdoors. You’ll be able to find most small equipment at a local restaurant supply or kitchen store. Popular cooking chain Sur La Table even offers a 10% discount to culinary professionals. However, you can also find these items through mainline distributors like Sysco. The one type of equipment that it doesn’t make sense to invest in is table linens. You or your catering clients can rent those to match the events’ color schemes.

POS Equipment

While it is technically possible to operate a cash-only food truck, the inability to accept credit, debit, and mobile wallet payments can seriously undercut your sales. The simplest way to accept card and digital payments is to use a cloud-based, mobile POS system.

These tools are increasingly affordable for small businesses like food trucks. Our top-ranked food truck POS systems can operate via Wi-Fi or cellular networks, and many are free to use. Our favorite food truck POS, Square for Restaurants , operates on iPads, and you can download the software from the Apple App Store and start taking payments in a couple of hours.

A POS goes beyond payments, though. A good food truck POS system will track your supply levels, prompt you when your stock is low, help you count inventory, and track every cash transaction (reducing the likelihood of employee theft). Modern POS systems also come with tools to help you log customer contact information for targeted marketing campaigns, manage social media accounts, and stay on top of internet reviews.

Setting Up Vendor Accounts

If your food truck is even a little bit busy, you’ll want to open accounts with wholesale suppliers. This gives you a price break on food and beverage supplies and saves driving time, as most distributors will deliver directly to your commercial kitchen space.

Also, once your credit application is approved, most vendors operate on a net 30 system, meaning that you’ll have 30 days to pay the supplier invoice.Try to find at least one vendor that supplies most of your food and beverage needs; the fewer suppliers you work with, the fewer invoices you need to process every month.

Pro tip: Speed up your vendor account creation by putting together a single sheet with your credit application information. Include your name, your truck name, business address, EIN, and banking information.

Step 8: Hire & Train Staff

Food truck owners do a lot of work themselves, but you’ll still likely hire some hourly employees. Most trucks operate with a staff of two to four employees. The staff you hire should fill in skills you lack or areas you cannot pay attention to. For example, if you are an expert grill cook, you’ll need to hire cashiers. But if you have a welcoming personality and are great at add-on sales, you might be stronger in a customer-facing role and hire cooks instead. If you get a lot of catering inquiries, it might make sense to hire an event salesperson to send estimates and wrangle catering contracts.

Common Food Truck Staff

Window attendant, catering salesperson, catering servers.

(Image by Kampus Production from Pexels)

Your window attendant takes orders at the truck window, interacts with customers, and processes payments. Someone with a friendly personality and cash-handling experience is good in this position. Window attendants are typically hourly, minimum wage positions and may earn tips.

If you are struggling to find staff, a window attendant can be replaced by a self-service kiosk . This is one of the simplest solutions if you are short-staffed.

(image from RODNAE Productions, Pexels)

A truck cook cooks and serves dishes on the truck itself. Depending on the number of cooktops you have and your menu style, you may need two cooks in the truck all the time. Truck cooks tend to be hourly employees who earn at least minimum wage; however, you should definitely pay more if your truck cook is experienced. They are frequently included in on-truck tip pools.

(image by Mikhail Nilov, Pexels)

If your truck is busy, you may need a hand with off-truck prep cooking. Hiring a prep cook to work in your commercial kitchen while your truck is on the road can significantly reduce your turnaround time between events. Prep cooks are usually part-time staff who earn at least minimum wage. Depending on your local labor laws, prep cooks may or may not be included in tip pools.

(image from Harvest Kitchen)

You don’t want to miss the chance to book private catering events. These can be a massive boost to your truck’s bottom line. A catering salesperson responds to all private event inquiries and works directly with your clients to create a menu, execute an event contract, collect deposits, and hire rental equipment. Catering salespeople typically earn a small hourly base pay or salary, plus a 3% to 10% commission on their booked events. They are typically not tipped, though their commission fee may appear as a service charge on the final invoice.

(Image from cater-waiters.com)

Large events sometimes request tray-passed food or to have some foods served at individual tables. Event coordinators may hire this staff themselves, but it can help to have some staff of your own to call in. Having your own catering servers can give you an edge in landing bigger (and higher budget!) events. You may pay catering servers a flat hourly wage (usually higher than minimum wage) or minimum wage plus tips.

Where to Find Food Truck Staff

The first step to hiring food truck staff is writing a solid job description. Be clear with what tasks the potential employee needs to perform, what experience they need, and what licenses or education are required. If you are operating in New York City, for example, you may give priority to applicants who already have an active Mobile Food Vendor license.

Post your completed job description with salary range on popular jobs sites like Indeed, and share your job opening with friends and family members. Personal referrals can lead to great applicants.

Training Food Truck Staff

You will need to train every staff member on your menu and your truck processes. Depending on your team’s experience level, you’ll need to allow two days to two weeks to get everyone on the same page. You should prepare itemized copies of your menu with ingredient lists and common allergens, along with what items can and cannot be modified. For example, if your housemade chili is cooked with bulgur wheat, it cannot be made gluten-free.

All of your truckers should know how to use fire safety equipment on your truck. Make sure they know where fire extinguishers are located and how to use them. If your truck has a fryer, ensure that everyone knows how to handle a grease fire.

You’ll also want to train your team on the policies and procedures at your commercial kitchen. If there are strict operating hours, designated storage areas, or designated parking areas, you’ll want to cover that explicitly, so your team reflects well on your brand.

If your truck collects tips, you may also run a tip pool to distribute tips to your staff. For tips on managing a tip pool, see our guide to restaurant tip pooling laws and tipping out . A tip pool based on hours is a popular way to distribute food truck tips.

Once you have your truck and your location all set, the final step in starting your food truck business is marketing your truck. A good food truck marketing strategy involves a combination of online and traditional marketing strategies, including social media marketing, vending at local events, building a website, and joining advocacy groups.

Social Media Marketing

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are great ways to connect with your local community and help potential customers find your business. Plus, Instagram and TikTok are ideal places to show off pictures of your tasty food. For maximum impact, post regularly, and be sure to use any local hashtags to help your business get discovered. Don’t just stick to food photos; part of the appeal of food trucks is their personal story and camaraderie of their team. Let users see your personality and passion.

Also, be sure to post your locations and hours so that customers can easily find you. If you accept orders online or over the phone, have that information in your social media biography. You can also use stickers and buttons on your Facebook or Instagram accounts to add shoppable links to your online ordering site or to purchase gift cards.

Work With Influencers

It’s no secret that social media—Instagram in particular—is full of food fans. You don’t need to target high-profile Instagrammers with advertising fees. Your ideal influencer is someone near your town who has a lot of followers and posts about food. Send a direct message to a few local food folks offering a free meal and see what organic posts result. To make this strategy work, you should meet them personally and suggest a hashtag that promotes your truck. If your truck has an eye-catching design that pops in photos, even better.

Participate in Festivals & Local Events

Festivals are a great way to get customers and gain some insight from fellow food truck owners. Especially in the spring and summer months, tons of towns and cities have outdoor events, from fairs to farmers markets. Participating in these events is a great way to spread awareness about your business while also getting extra sales.

There are also many festivals dedicated to food trucks. Try to book as many events as you can. You’ll have a captive audience to market your business and are all but guaranteed to make sales. If you participate in several events, fairs, or festivals, create an event calendar that you can hand out to customers so that they know where to find you next.

Join a Street Vending Advocacy Group

Many cities with a vibrant food truck community also have food truck advocacy groups. Joining one will put you in contact with other like-minded business owners who can help you troubleshoot problems and send you business if their truck is not available for an event. The added benefit of joining an advocacy group is, of course, advocacy. These groups work together to encourage local regulations that are food truck friendly, which can’t help but boost everyone’s business.

The National Food Truck Association is an excellent place to start. It currently hosts local chapters in:

• Southern California
• San Antonio
• New York City
• Philadelphia
• ….and many other states and cities

Create a Website

A website is essential for any small business, but especially so for a food truck. A website helps potential customers know who you are, what kind of food you sell, and how to find your truck. Your website is also a great place to post your event calendar or a contact form for catering orders. Our guide on how to make a business website will walk you through the process.

A website can also give your business the polish of offering a business email address that is branded with your truck name. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get a professional-looking food truck website. Hosting services like Bluehost offer plans that let you register a custom domain name, host your website, access a WordPress web builder, and get a business email address for just $3.95 per month.

Pros & Cons of Starting a Food Truck

Like any other business venture, the food truck industry offers both advantages and disadvantages.

Starting a Food Truck Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How much does a food truck cost.

Starting a food truck typically costs between $40,000 and $200,000. The cost varies based on whether you purchase or lease a truck, the truck type, necessary equipment, and the cost of permits in your location.

How profitable is a food truck?

Successful food trucks can be very profitable, bring in around $500,000 in annual sales, and sometimes as much as $50,000 per month. Hitting figures like that requires a targeted menu, excellent marketing, and a full-time commitment to managing your costs and overhead.

Having a highly profitable food truck may also involve expanding your truck operation to include private catering, online ordering , and other revenue streams like selling a shelf-stable signature sauce or retail merchandise. It helps to operate in a food truck-friendly city—like Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or Denver—that has regulations that allow food trucks to thrive.

Is owning a food truck hard?

Owning a food truck takes a lot of work, but can be very rewarding. The days can be long; food prep can start in your commissary kitchen several hours before service, and your day doesn’t finish until the truck is parked, the food unloaded, the greywater drained, and all surfaces scrubbed and sanitized. You’ll interact with excited food fans, but you’ll also be responsible for scheduling staff, processing payroll, and dealing with parking tickets. Marketing is important and all on your shoulders, as are less creative things like paying your sales taxes.

If that sounds manageable to you, then owning a food truck won’t feel hard. But if that description sounds overwhelming, you might want to bulk up your restaurant management or general business skills before taking the step to food truck ownership.

How can I start a food truck with no money?

If you want to start a food truck with no money, crowdfunding is your best bet. Or consider starting with a smaller operation like a cottage food operation or tent vending to build a brand and fan following while you save to start your truck.

Why do food trucks fail?

Many food trucks fail within their first three years of operation due to a lack of funds. Difficulties can include unexciting concepts, tough regulations, poor supply choices, truck breakdowns, poor marketing, and more.

Some of the biggest reasons food trucks lose money and ultimately fail are:

• Local regulations designed to protect traditional restaurants
• Poor operating and financial planning
• Unforeseen vehicle repair expenses
• Underestimating the daily number of hours needed
• Ineffective marketing

If you’ve been dreaming of how to start a food truck business, you should know it is a fun—yet time-consuming—process with plenty of opportunities for growth and profit. The food truck business is demanding but, ultimately, rewarding if you take the time to create a careful business plan with market research and a solid marketing strategy. Ensuring you have plenty of startup capital and the right equipment is the best way to encourage success.

About the Author

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Mary King is an expert retail and restaurant contributor at Fit Small Business. With more than a decade of hospitality experience, Mary has worked with some of the best restaurants in the world, and some of the most forward-thinking hospitality programs in the country.

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How to Set Up a Food Truck Catering Business

Over the past 5 years, the catering business has seen steady growth. Most companies hosting events such as holiday parties, investors’ celebrations, product launches, etc. have become their major customers. Unfortunately, the year 2020 has been a challenge due to the lockdowns and social distancing measures enforced by the government. 

But this year, the food catering industry is back on track, with a rebound plan. Some food entrepreneurs are now on the move again to start a food catering business to follow the track of these successful mobile caterers . 

The venture only needs a little investment, has low operation costs, and can be set up in unlimited market locations. If you are one of the many people who want to start a profitable front, here are the steps on how to set up a food truck catering business.

What’s Inside

Carry Out a Market Research for Your Food Truck Scene

Choose a concept for your catering business, create a food truck catering business plan, get funding for your mobile catering business, get licenses and permits, purchase the food truck, equipment, and supplies.

The first step to set up a catering business is to carry out market research for your niche. This is to make sure that your idea will stand out and sustain itself in the long run. 

Start by doing market research about food catering in your city. Find out what are the existing concepts relevant to the business that are available in your locality. Then, find out the demographics of your potential customers. 

The key is to determine that there is a demand or need for food catering in the area you are targeting. You may also need to research spaces where your food truck can park and sell. Determine which of these spaces are most visible to customer traffic to plot a tentative location for your food truck.

The second step is to choose a solid concept. This can enhance the marketability of your food offerings. Try focusing on menu ideas you are interested in or passionate about. It may be an all-day breakfast, brunch foods, comfort foods, finger foods, savory sandwiches, seafood specials, etc. 

It is important that your food offering is versatile to all types of customers. They should be flexible enough as dairy-free, gluten-free, low carb, or vegan. After choosing your concept, estimate how you will price the items and packages. 

Afterward, you can select the name and logo for your food truck business. It should be attention-grabbing, descriptive, memorable, and unique. A well-thought concept, name, and logo can make a major impact on your potential customers. 

These catchy taglines and slogan ideas might help as well!

After establishing the concept of your food business, it is time to start with your business plan. A business plan is an outline of how you will achieve your business goals. It is the document you will present to potential funding investors to prove the financial worth of your business. 

The sections of a food truck business plan must include:

• Company Description, which includes your business name, manpower needed, target customers, target locations, and payment terms. 
• Executive Summary to establish your food truck identity. It lays out your food offering, goals, and visions. It also differentiates your food truck business from the rest.
• Financial Goals, which include how much capital you need, where you will source your funding, how you will pay them, and how you project your business to earn and grow. 

The next step is to get funding. Even if you haven’t saved an ample amount of money to start the business, you may need some kind of financing assistance . 

There are several ways to obtain funding for your business. They can come from the following sources:

• Business Credit Card
• Community Sponsors
• Crowdfunding 
• Equipment Loans 
• Financing Programs
• Personal Investors (such as family and friends)
• Rollover of Business Startup (ROBS) from a retirement account
• Small Business Administration Microloans

You may also choose to apply for a commercial truck financing to buy your food truck. 

Or skip the loans and visit UsedVending to get better deals. We have the largest selection of used mobile food trucks and kitchens. It’s easy to find a unit that just fits your budget!

The basic licenses and permits needed for a food truck catering business vary from state to state. So, it is important to check with the local government unit in your area about the required paperwork. Among the basic requirements for a food truck business are:

• Business License to operate your business. A food truck needs to get a business license for every state where it operates. 
• Employer Identification Number (EIN), a unique business ownership code for tax reporting with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This can be obtained for free online and does not expire.
• Food Handler Permit complies with a state’s food safety policy. Every food truck staff needs to pass this certification for proper food handling and preparation. 
• Fire Certificate issued by the local fire department to prevent the risk of fire and promote sanitation.
• Health Permit from the local health department serving as an assurance that the food you are serving is cooked and prepared safely.
• Seller’s Permit is the sales tax permit that allows your food truck to sell goods and services. For local government control, it summarizes the collection, payment, and reporting of sales taxes.
• Vehicle License is the updated registration certificate of the food truck itself. It should always be available and handy at the time of operations. Your food truck driver also needs to secure a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
• Zoning and Parking Permit from the local motor vehicle department. Zoning and parking restrictions apply to commercial and non-commercial properties. They also vary from state to state. 

For more information about the types of licenses you need when starting a food truck, read this article .

The final step is purchasing the trailer or the food truck itself. Finding the right truck for your mobile business can be very challenging. 

This guide can help you decide whether you should buy a new or used truck. 

Typically, most food truck operators spend around $70,000 to $250,000 to buy and customize a food truck. The price of a new food truck ranges from $100,000 to $175,000, while the price of a used food truck ranges from $50,000 to $100,000. A pro-tip when buying a food truck for your catering business is to consider a reputable dealer nearby. This gives you the convenience of less travel cost and time during maintenance and repairs. 

On the other hand, when it comes to supplies and equipment, it would generally depend on your overall concept and menu. 

The following articles may help you:

• 4 Things to Consider When Buying a Cooking Equipment
• How to Choose the Perfect Food Truck Refrigerator and Cooler
• How to Find the Best Food Suppliers for Your Mobile Kitchen?
• 5 Brilliant Space Saving Kitchen Ideas for Your Food Truck
• A Guide to Food Packaging: The Dos and Don’ts

Do you need help setting up your food truck venture? Give us a call at (601) 749-8424 !

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Food Truck Start up Business Plan Sample

AUG.16, 2013

Do you want to start a Food Truck business plan?

Do you want to learn how to write a business plan for a food truck? If it is the case, you are probably thinking about starting a food truck business. Well, the food truck business can be a great choice if you are invested in making delicious food items. The business requires very little investment and you don’t need any specific education for starting it. 

A business plan for a food truck will contain every small and big detail about your startup ranging from the services it provides to the cost vs profit analysis. 

Now, if you want to write a business plan, you have two options. You can either write the plan yourself or you can hire a business plan consulting service to handle everything for you.

In this blog, we are providing a business plan for Eat Out. You can learn about the basic components of an operational plan from here as well as from a spices business plan .

Executive Summary

2.1 about the business.

Eat Out will be a food truck business e owned and managed by Henry Gilman. The main idea behind the business is to provide on-the-go food options to people so that they don’t have to spend precious time commuting from one place to another. It will offer a wide variety of services and menu options so that it quickly becomes a favorite of a wide range of customers. 

2.2 Management of Food Truck Company

This section will describe the food truck business plan executive summary. Thus, it will contain all the key takeaways of the whole plan. To ensure that the business plan for a food truck is perfect, it needs to contain all the details necessary to manage a food truck. This will comprise strategies for managing the truck transportation, menu options, locations, and financial analysis. All these aspects can be seen in detail from this sample business plan food truck.

To make sure that this business plan for food truck template had all the details to make Henry’s business a success, a business planning expert was also hired to oversee the listing and planning of resources. 

2.3 Customers of Food Truck Company

The customer base of Eat Out will comprise the working class who doesn’t have enough time to search for good food in their day. The main customer groups of the business will include:

• Office Employees
• Parents-on-the-go
• School Children

2.4 Business Target

The main target of Henry’s Eat Out is to provide sustainable alternative food options to people who are often busy. The business also aims to occupy a considerable market share in the fast-food/ cart food market. 

In this example business plan food truck, we are listing the financial targets that Eat Out wants to achieve within the first 3 years of operation.

Company Summary

3.1 company ownership and management.

As mentioned before, Eat Out will be owned and operated by Henry Gilman. As Henry has a considerable background and experience in management, he will act as the primary manager while the operations on the ground will be handled by the sub-operation managers hired by Henry. 

3.2 Company History

Eat Out was ideated when Henry realized that many people, especially in the working class had to spend a considerable amount of time if they wanted to eat something healthy as the options were few and far. He saw the opportunity to bring nutritious and tasty food to people no matter where they are. 

3.3 How the Food Truck company will be started

Step1: Look into the Market

The first step before you learn how to write a food truck business plan is to look into the market you are targeting. Henry wanted to target the residents and workers of New Orleans so he conducted market research to see if it was worth it. He then wrote a rough food truck start up business plan for the city. He was pleased to find out that there was a significant need for a food truck business in the area and hence decided to develop this food truck business plan sample pdf.

Step2: Plan the Business

Once he dug out the viability of the business, Henry had to plan out all the details of Eat Out including things like financial viability, operations, location, marketing, etc. For this purpose, Henry decided to look into all small start-ups in the area including an open frozen yogurt business to find out how they were conducting their operations. 

Step3: Find a Truck 

Next, Henry had to find a truck model that would perfectly fit his business needs. For this, he looked into as many food truck businesses as he could. He realized what he needed would require some customizations to the usual trucks. So he agreed upon a contract with a workshop business to get 3 trucks customized and ready for operations.  

Step4: Select Location of Operations

Reading a free business plan template for a food truck made Henry realize that the location of a food truck was essential to the success of the business. Therefore, he scoped out different areas in New Orleans and decided on 6 locations where his food trucks would transition between morning and evening. 

Step5:  Marketing and Branding

Henry decided that he could get a jump start on business by setting up at least one of his food trucks at the local carnival area every day. This would not only bring him customers but also help him in his marketing efforts.

You can learn how to make a business plan for a food truck in a better way if you know which services you want to offer to your customers. Deciding on your services in the early phase helps you focus only on those areas that relate to your startup. Outlining a list of services or products offered by the business is a must even in shaved ice business plan i.e. the businesses whose services appear to be too obvious.

To ensure that he could plan his business well, Henry set out a list of services and products that his business would provide. Deciding on these services as part of his food truck park business plan enabled Henry to adequately organize the business idea for attracting investors. 

If you want to develop a business plan, this food truck business plan template free can be a great guide for you. The services offered by Eat Out as listed by this food truck business plan example pdf include:

• Food On-the-Go

The biggest selling point of Eat Out is that it will provide mobile, quick, and healthy eating options to its customers. Some of the foods offered by Eat Out will include:

• Meat & Rice Combos

Eat Out will also provide catering services for different events. Customers can visit the website of Eat Out or any of the social media profiles to get catering services for events like parties, birthdays, and weddings. The food will be presented and served in beautifully-decorated food trucks.

Eat Out will also list itself on online food ordering services such as Uber Eats to that people can order from anywhere.

• Fresh Drinks

Since drinks are an important part of every meal, therefore, Henry would also offer a range of hot and cold drinks to be served alongside meals.

Marketing Analysis of Food Truck Company

Excellent work.

excellent work, competent advice. Alex is very friendly, great communication. 100% I recommend CGS capital. Thank you so much for your hard work!

Writing a food truck business plan requires the collection of a lot of information about the target market. This market analysis can help identify the gaps and opportunities that are still unexplored. Moreover, it can help investigate the viability of a business in a particular market, and the challenges and competitions a business could face. Henry included all of this information in his mobile food truck business plan. 

If you are looking for starting a food truck business plan, this business plan for food truck pdf can serve as a great guide. Henry laid out all the necessary market information for establishing a successful food truck business in his business plan food truck example. 

According to this business plan template for food truck, the customer groups served by Eat Out will include:

5.1 Market Trends

According to Zippia, the market size of the food truck industry is about €1.16 billion as of 2021. The industry has been growing at a steady rate of 12.1% since 2016, making it one of the best businesses to invest in. People are always on the lookout for quick food options. In addition, nowadays, people are more towards eating healthy and nutritious as well. 

5.2 Marketing Segmentation

The potential customer groups of Eat Out will be as follows:

5.2.1 Office Employees

Office employees in the New Orleans area will be the primary target groups for Eat Out. As office employees are continuously working, they need sustenance that is healthy and near, therefore, they will act as the main customers of our food trucks.

5.2.2 Parents-On-the-go

Parents are often tired of constantly taking care of kids and working full-time. Therefore, they sometimes need a good healthy food choice to feed not only their kids but also themselves. Henry decided to target this group of customers through a specific sales strategy.

5.2.3 School Children

Teenagers and young adults love walking around and having fun when free and Eat Out will provide them a great way to stay refreshed and sate their hunger. 

5.2.4 Tourists

Tourists usually do not go to big hotels and restaurants while on vacation. For such people, food trucks are a primary source of nutrition throughout the day. Therefore, Eat Out trucks will locations that see an influx of tourists.

5.3 Business Target

• To provide a unique food option to people in New Orleans.
• To expand food options while maintaining quality and nutritional value.
• To expand services to more locations throughout the city.
• To gain a net profit of €20k/month by the end of the first year through 3 trucks.

5.4 Product Pricing

The prices of food options offered by Eat Out will be comparable to the prices charged by other food truck businesses in the area. However, the rates for special meals and delicacies will be a bit higher.

Marketing Strategy

The success of a business, especially a business in transit, like a food truck business depends on targeting and continuous marketing. The marketing strategies should be influencing but not intrusive.

Understanding the importance of good marketing, Henry looked into the food truck industry of New Orleans to add details to his business plan for food truck sample pdf. He looked into the market trends and compiled a list of the biggest competitors in his business plan food truck template.

To make a comprehensive food truck business plan, Henry also looked into other business plans such as a business plan for a lemonade company . 

6.1 Competitive Analysis

The competitive advantages that Eat Out have over the market include:

• Versatile and healthier options as compared to other food truck businesses.
• Quick service to customers so they don’t need to wait for long.
• Food and drink options – all in one place.
• Delivery options for people who cannot make it to the food truck.

6.2 Sales Strategy

No business plan for a food truck is complete without a sales strategy. The advertisement techniques of Eat Out will be:

• We will advertise through word of mouth by having at least one truck in the main tourist attractions in the city.
• We will offer free delivery to the first 100 customers.
• We will advertise through all social media channels.
• We will decorate our food truck in various themes according to the ongoing national events and debates to get people’s attention.

6.3 Sales Monthly 

6.4 Sales Yearly

6.5 Sales Forecast

Personnel plan

Employee lists and average salaries are an essential part of food truck business description. These details are often part of every business plan including even gourmet food store business pla n.

To know how many employees he will require to run Eat Out, Henry looked into many business plans for food trucks.

7.1 Company Staff

The employees required to sustain food truck business model of Eat out are:

• 1 Co-Manager to help in overall operations 
• 5 Professional Chefs
• 2 Chef Assistants in each truck
• 1 Social Media Manager
• 4 Drivers for trucks

7.2 Average Salary of Employees

Financial plan.

Writing a food truck business plan that contains accurate calculations and financial analysis is not an easy task. If you are not experienced at it, you are advised to hire the services of business consulting firms.

It is because a financial plan comprises complex transaction details and cash flows. It requires graphical analysis to accurately predict break-even as well as business ratios. 

Even businesses whose financial management seems obvious such as vending machine business requires a proper vending machine business plan to direct all sales and operations toward achieving the monetary goals.

Despite having an extensive experience in management, Henry hired a financial analyst to develop a financial plan for a food truck business. Some segments of his business plan for food truck are produced below:

8.1 Important Assumptions

8.2 break-even analysis.

8.3 Projected Profit and Loss

8.3.1 profit monthly.

8.3.2 Profit Yearly

8.3.3 Gross Margin Monthly

8.3.4 Gross Margin Yearly

8.4 Projected Cash Flow

8.5 Projected Balance Sheet

8.6 business ratios.

• What is a Food Truck Business Plan?

A food truck sample business plan is a document that contains all the information you need to start a successful food truck business. For details, you can see the business plan food truck example given above.

• What are the main types of food truck companies?

There are multiple food niches for which food truck business plans are written. These include:

• What are the main sources of revenues and expenses of a food truck business?

According to the business plan food truck sample above, the main sources of revenue in a food truck business include catering gigs, regular sales, and delivery services. The expenses are related to employees’ salaries, fuel costs, and truck maintenance costs. You can look into this business plan food truck for expenses and more details.

• How do you get funding for your food truck business plan?

You can get funding for your food truck business by developing a food truck business plan pdf that shows the feasbaility of your business idea. Then, you should approach the potential investors.

Download Food Truck Business Plan Sample in pdf

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harvard business publishing food truck challenge

New Venture Simulation: The Food Truck Challenge

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In this online simulation, students try to run a successful food truck in the city of Boomtown. Students work individually or in teams to achieve maximum revenue over 5 simulated weeks and win the "Food Truck Challenge." In each round, students make decisions about where to park and what menu item to offer in hopes of finding the best menu-location combination and yielding the highest sales. They begin by analyzing market data and making a plan, but must then decide whether to a.) go to scale right away with the food truck b.) conduct further research and analysis, or c.) experiment with a low-capacity pushcart. In the class debrief, students discuss the trade-offs between analysis, experimentation, and scale. This simulation teaches students about the value of learning by doing, prototyping, and willingness to fail. It is ideal for discussions of innovation, product development, design thinking, lean start-up, entrepreneurship, strategy, marketing, and organizational learning. It requires no student prework and can be played in 20-30 minutes on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone.

Company: Harvard Business Publishing

Approximate price: $10.00

Playtime: 30 minutes

Learning objectives: Understand how learning by doing may have substantial advantages over formal analysis, research, and planning in turbulent, unpredictable environments. Learn that prototyping has powerful benefits, because entrepreneurs and innovators can test, learn, and adapt their products and business models. Explore the challenging tradeoffs that leaders face as they launch a new business, product, service, or process.

Link to simulation home page: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/7201-HTM-ENG

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SMITHFIELD, RI – Dedicated to innovation in teaching and learning, Trustee Professor of Management Michael A. Roberto is continually researching and developing effective practices for engaging students to help them reach their fullest potential. He is a believer in the power of immersive, experiential learning and applies a variety of methods in his teaching, including business simulations. He says they provide an “action-oriented perspective where students are actually doing things, making decisions, having to reflect on those actions and trying to understand what the lessons learned are.”

Watch this video of Professor Roberto on simulations and active learning. 

Roberto  has created three widely acclaimed business simulations to help students learn how to problem solve and make decisions in real-world situations. Two of his creations, the Everest and Team Leadership simulation and New Venture Simulation: The Food Truck Challenge , were recognized in Harvard Business Publishing’s recent feature, “ 6 Favorite Business Simulations to Teach—and Why .”

“A well-designed, rightly timed simulation can turn any class into an experience…They create shortcuts to mastery."

The award-winning Everest and Team Leadership simulation , developed by Roberto and co-author Harvard Business School Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management Amy Edmonson , “uses the dramatic context of a Mount Everest expedition to reinforce student learning in group dynamics and leadership.” This simulation was recognized as the best-selling simulation ever developed and distributed by Harvard Business School as the school celebrates 100 years of the case method . 

[The Everest] simulation was recognized as the best-selling simulation ever developed and distributed by Harvard Business School as the school celebrates 100 years of the case method . 

“A well-designed, rightly timed simulation can turn any class into an experience…They create shortcuts to mastery,” said Anna Tavis, Ph.D. , of New York University who chose the Everest simulation as her favorite. “This simulation works in a variety of courses addressing leadership, teams, and organizations. It is versatile enough to work from undergraduate to executive education levels.”

Debuting five years ago, Roberto’s New Venture Simulation: The Food Truck Challenge has quickly gained in popularity and was Georgetown University Professor  Stuart Levy’s top selection. “T he test-and-learn approach encouraged in the Food Truck Challenge leads to an “aha moment” for many of my students, who have been academically trained to conduct copious research before making decisions,” said Levy.

In 2014, Roberto created the Organizational Behavior Simulation: Judgment in a Crisis , which gives students the opportunity to play the role of a product manager at a medical device manufacturer. “It focuses on teaching about cognitive biases,” he said noting that Harvard produced a great video for instructors who use that simulation, which was filmed at Bryant University.

“It didn’t take me long as a young teacher to learn that I didn’t want to put students in a listen-only mode in my classroom,” Roberto wrote in a recent article for Chief Learning Officer . “When students were actively engaged in discussion and working through problems, as with the case method at Harvard Business School, they were more motivated and invested in learning.”

“Simulations go a step beyond to create a more active learning experience where students can react to the minute-by-minute feedback an executive receives when making a decision."

“Simulations go a step beyond to create a more active learning experience where students can react to the minute-by-minute feedback an executive receives when making a decision,” said Roberto. Combined with other teaching methods – readings, lectures, case studies, and discussions – simulations reinforce the lessons learned and make for a rich and rewarding educational experience that prepares students for the complex, real-world challenges they will face as leaders, no matter what path they choose.

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In this online simulation, students try to run a successful food truck in the city of Boomtown. Students work individually or in teams to achieve maximum revenue over 5 simulated weeks and win the "Food Truck Challenge." In each round, students make decisions about where to park and what menu item to offer in hopes of finding the best menu ...

The Food Truck Simulation is a powerful exercise that offers the flexibility to play individually or in teams. The simulation experience can be conducted asynchronously, outside of the classroom or in a virtual classroom by using tools such as Google Hangouts, Webex, Skype or Zoom.

Design Thinking: The Food Truck Challenge Made with Harvard Business School Publishing. Case Study The Problem Professor Michael Roberto, author of the award-winning Everest simulation, presented us with the concept for the Food Truck Challenge.

THE FOOD TRUCK CHALLENGE Customer Service: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week hbsp.harvard.edu/customerservice LEARNING OBJECTIVES Understand how learning by doing may have substantial advantages over formal analysis, research, and planning in turbulent, unpredictable environments

by Molly · 16 Jun 2016 Harvard Business Publishing and Forio have released a new simulation, New Venture Exercise: The Food Truck Challenge. Content for the simulation was created by Professor Michael Roberto, author of the best-selling simulation Everest, and Harvard Business Publishing.

$150 / seat Simulation Overview In the Design Thinking simulation, participants try to run a successful food truck business. The players play the role of an entrepreneur and try to maximize their revenue over five simulated weeks by selling ice cream, frozen yogurt, or smoothies at various locations in the city of Boomtown. Time Requirement

Using the Change Management Simulation: Power and Influence in a Virtual Classroom. Using the New Venture Simulation: The Food Truck Challenge in a Virtual Classroom. Using the Organizational Behavior Simulation: Judgment in a Crisis in a Virtual Classroom. Using the Data Analytics Simulation: Strategic Decision Making in a Virtual Classroom.

© 2022 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.

It is ideal for discussions of innovation, product development, design thinking, lean start-up, entrepreneurship, strategy, marketing, and organizational learning. It requires no student prework and can be played in 20-30 minutes on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. Company: Harvard Business Publishing. Approximate price: $10.00.

2 days ago Updated Please find below the technical specifications for simulations on the Harvard Business Publishing Education website. For a detailed list of technical requirements and specifications for a selected simulation, please visit: http://forio.com/hbp-support/#check/simulations/all --- Need additional assistance? Contact us.

Designed by Michael A. Roberto and made available online from Harvard Business Publishing for Educators, the food truck challenge provides a safe, yet fun, simulation to teach students the value of strategy and entrepreneurism.

Two of his creations, the Everest and Team Leadership simulation and New Venture Simulation: The Food Truck Challenge, were recognized in Harvard Business Publishing's recent feature, " 6 Favorite Business Simulations to Teach—and Why ."

New Venture Simulation: The Food Truck Challenge Food Truck Challenge

This award-winning simulation, developed in conjuction with Forio and Harvard Business Publishing, uses the dramatic context of a Mount Everest expedition to reinforce student learning in group dynamics and leadership. ... The Food Truck Challenge. Michael A. Roberto. In this online simulation, students try to run a successful food truck in the ...

You will work individually for two rounds of the simulation to achieve maximum revenue to win the "Food Truck Challenge." In each round, you will make decisions about where to park and what menu item to offer in hopes of finding the best menu-location combination and yielding the highest sales.

All Harvard Business Publishing Simulations. View this Simulation. Leadership and Teamwork: Everest Simulation ... The Food Truck Challenge Determine the ideal combination of product and location for a food truck to maximize revenue. ... Learn first-hand how an organization's structure can have a major impact on the business - particularly its ...

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Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the town of Elektrostal of the Moscow region is a Chamber of Commerce and Industry registered in Russia with the Company reg no 1045000000495. Its current trading status is "active". It was registered 2004. It can be contacted at Elektrostal .

Industry: Other Food Manufacturing , Dairy Product Manufacturing , Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing , Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills , Food preparations, nec See All Industries, Dietary supplements, dairy and non-dairy based, Soups and broths, canned, jarred, etc., Ready-to-eat meals, salads, and sandwiches, Honey, strained and bottled Textile goods, nec See Fewer ...

Get directions to Yuzhny prospekt, 6к1 and view details like the building's postal code, description, photos, and reviews on each business in the building

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Sample Food Truck Business Plan Template

Food truck business plan sample.

Have you been thinking about starting a food truck business in your locality?

It is no news that everybody needs food as a primary need for survival, so opening a business that solves those needs should be a priority in your list of businesses to start this year if you have one.

MORE: 8 Food Truck Grants To Apply For

The food truck business is a thriving business in different parts of the world. It is still finding its footing in Africa.

One prominent characteristic of the food cart business and trucking services  is that it is not capital intensive to set up and run when compared to the standard restaurant business with a fixed location.

From researches carried out by our team, it was found that people who run this food truck business don’t have more than four employees under them which makes it easy to run.

LIST: 200+ Ideas to Choose a Name for Your Food Truck Brand

There are two types of food trucks. One is the mobile food preparation car where food is been prepared inside the car while customers wait. The customer stops either stop the moving car and places an order or they go and meet the mobile food car at a spot and place their order.

ESTIMATE: Cost Of Renting A Food Truck

Business plan sample for a mobile food truck business The second type of food truck business is the industrial catering vehicle (ICV).

The industrial catering vehicle doesn’t prepare their food in the car, they sell already packaged food that customers just buy on the spot, without waiting or delay.

Food trucks of this nature are subjected to routine inspection and assessment by Key Government regulatory agencies. Adhering to health-department stipulations is a necessity to legally and successfully operate food businesses .

HOW TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE FOOD TRUCK BUSINESS PLAN

MARKET ANALYSIS Market Trends

In this present era, more people working class, professionals, mothers, families- can no longer create the time to attend to pressing matters. This development also includes cooking and the preparation of meals.

The mobile food business, therefore, sets out to meet this rising demand for meals on the go. Parts of the food truck marketing and sales strategies that shall be adopted include the following;

1. Submission of proposals to the management of infrastructural facilities such as sports centers, recreational spots, beaches, hotels, and schools, to become their official mobile food provider.

2. Submit proposals to big establishments and schools to become their official mobile food provider.

3. Sponsor-related events and programs, like cooking competitions, food TV shows, and others.

Target Market

The mobile food truck business attracts a large variety of markets. It is not intended that limits are placed on the scope and reach of the mobile food business. It is the belief that the food truck business can maximize gains and sales, by attending to any number of markets that include:

•  Construction sites
•  Universities
•  Carnivals and parade grounds
•  Stadiums and sports halls
•  Outdoor Events centers
•  Shopping malls
•  Military Institutions

Competitive Advantage

The ability to determine what is to be sold in terms of food and drinks gives the leverage to make as many sales as we can make in a day.

We develop a business plan to continually improve our knowledge and operations, to maintain our projected competitive advantage in our target markets.

We currently have a brand new fully fitted meal truck, which is sizable enough to accommodate orders from any number of customers. We are in the final stages of obtaining all relevant permits and approvals from the relevant regulatory agencies.

SALES AND MARKETING PLANS

The food truck business is an easily adaptable one, to respond to prevailing market demands and situations. If a location is experiencing low sales, the truck can easily be moved to another location with a larger turn-out of customers.

Several means have been chosen to promote and advertise the business and they include the following:

   1. Direct Marketing    2. Submission of proposals and contracts’ bids    3. Hiring Sales Representatives    4. Creating a pragmatic online marketing presence (we already have an official website, a Facebook page, a Twitter handle a food blog, and are on other social media platforms).

• Pricing Strategy

As a result of lower startup costs, we can afford to sell our meals a little below the average price for packaged foods.

Prices obtainable in the industry will guide our pricing but will not overly influence it. From our feasibility studies, we expect to make a reasonable profit taking this route and we will still retain the flexibility to respond to either an upturn or downturn in the market. We will always strive to offer only qualitative and wholesome meals.

Payment Options

Our payment policy embraces all payment methods, as we intend to serve customers who may prefer one payment means to another. The following payment options will be available to our customers:

1. Cash. 2. Payment using Point of Sale (POS) Machines 3. Online bank transfer (for customers we consult for, or who intend to explore franchise options with us) 4. Checks.

Startup Capital and Funds Generation

THE startup capital will come from several sources which will include:

• Personal  savings • Soft loans from family and friends • Bank facility

Sustainability and Expansion Plans

We have been able to identify and create channels that will enable us to access several streams of revenue within the mobile food industry. In pursuing expansion, we are determined to focus on our core competencies and engage in activities related to our core business service.

FOOD TRUCK BUSINESS PLAN EXAMPLE

Are you searching for a food truck sample business plan?

Here is a sample business plan for starting a food truck business.

• Executive Summary
• Management Summary
• Business Objectives
• Mission Statement
• Products and Services
• Market Analysis
• Sales and Marketing Strategy

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Zillops Food Truck is a standard food truck that specializes in the sale of different foods from a truck. It is going to operate more or less as a mobile restaurant.

Food is one vital aspect of our lives and with the increase in time spent doing every other chore or duty apart from cooking, there is always the need for the services of food on the go. This is what Zillops foods would offer people.

Zillops Foods is owned by Zack Emmy who decided to leave his pizzeria practice and go into the food truck industry.

Zillops Foods will cover three major streets in New York which are; Madison Avenue, Canal Street, and Houston Street, and would serve fresh foods that will cater to the needs of customers during breakfast and lunch hours.

MANAGEMENT SUMMARY

At Zillops Foods, we are well of the importance of good and fresh food to our customers. This is why our management team will comprise great and creative cooks that are aware of the safety and health requirements associated with the food industry.

This team will be headed by Zack Emmy, a graduate of food science and technology with five years of work experience handling a pizzeria. Each member of the team who would be in charge of any of the food trucks at the different locations will work in line with achieving our goals as a food truck business.

OUR MISSION

At Zillops Foods, our mission is to provide customers on the streets of New York with food-on-the-go with customer service that is both unique and trustworthy while observing all the safety and health regulations needed for this business.

Our vision is to become the leading food truck business in New York such that our food truck will be found on all the major streets and would cater to the need of each of our customers.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Zillops Foods is well aware of the fact that people are now considering eating healthily and most people have different eating preferences that vary from one person to the next. This is why we have arranged our foods in such a way that we can cater to a wide reach of customers.

The following will be our products and services at Zillops Foods.

 Burgers  Hot dogs  Sushi  Soft Drinks  Sandwiches  Tea and Coffee  Tacos  Burritos  Chips  Vegetables and Salads  Catering Services for birthdays, picnics, and other small occasions  Delivery services

Food as earlier mentioned is one important aspect of our lives and the food truck business has been one that has been in existence for a long time. This is because instead of going into a restaurant to eat in, most people tend to patronize food trucks where they get their foods to go with fast customer service.

Target Market 

Everyone, at some point, has to eat. This is why our menu w=is designed in such a way that almost everyone, no matter their age can get something from our food truck at affordable prices.

With this in mind in combination with the streets on which our food trucks will cover, our target market cuts across the following groups of people.

 Corporate Organizations  School Children  College students  Homes  Offices  Campuses  Passersby  Residents

SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

The food industry is one in which there exists very high competition. This is a result of so many sectors involved ranging from fast foods, cafes, big restaurants, sidewalk restaurants, food trucks, and so many others.

Since we are aware of this, we got professional advice for our sales and marketing plan and they include the following;

 Getting involved in direct marketing  Giving out free foods to loyal customers at intervals  Using a healthy as well as a food truck that has open space to display some of our food items to attract customers.  Using social media to create an online presence for more people to be aware of our food truck business  Make use of online advertising as well as in magazines, newspapers, journals, tv stations, radio stations, and others alike.  Hand out flyers in public places and corporate organizations  Encourage word-of-mouth marketing and advertising from both our team and customers.

PRICING STRATEGY

One advantage of using a food truck is the fact that you do not get to pay for rent or the cost of building a restaurant.

This makes food cheaper.

Foods sold from our food truck would have prices that are lower than our competitors and would vary depending on the order of each customer. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the above business plan for Zillops Foods would guide the management in achieving her goals and objectives.

The above food truck business plan  template is subject to change especially as more meals could be added to the menu depending on the needs of our customers

SAMPLE BUSINESS PLAN FOR FOOD BUSINESSES

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