How Much Does a Food Truck Cost?
Food trucks are becoming increasingly popular, and these days you can find them on nearly every street corner serving up delicious fare to hungry patrons. While you probably already know that food trucks are experts at providing quick, fresh, and affordable meals to the masses, you might not realize that they also offer the same benefits for catering events.
If you need to feed a crowd, food trucks are a fun, unique way to provide guests with made-to-order specialties that are sure to impress. The best part is, food trucks are often a more affordable alternative to traditional catering options.
If you’re interested in hiring one of the best food trucks in LA to help you pull off your event, but you aren’t sure how much you should be prepared to spend, this article will help you understand how food truck business pricing works:
How Does Food Truck Pricing Work?
There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ formula when it comes to determining the cost of an event. This also rings true when it comes to determining the cost of hiring a food truck. There are several factors that go into calculating how much a food truck rental will cost, and when you reach out to a food truck vendor, they’ll provide you with a quote based on things like:
● Number of people
● Location
● Time of day
● Time of year
● Cuisine
● Special requests
You should also keep in mind that almost all operators have food truck minimums, which is essentially the minimum amount you’ll need to pay, regardless of the number of guests that attend your event. Food truck owners rely on any event being profitable. They’re entrepreneurs just like any other small business owner, and so their business plan relies on the ability to consistently turn a profit. With this in mind, a minimum is there to protect the food truck owners directly.
Operators enforce this policy because between the cost of fuel, labor, ingredients, and the time it takes to get to the location, bringing a mobile kitchen to an event requires a significant investment from the business.
Though every food truck is different, you can generally expect food truck minimums to be about $500. This means that food trucks are usually better suited for events where you have enough guests to make this cost feasible.
Different Events, Different Average Costs
Since there are so many factors that impact the price of hiring a food truck, the average price is more of a range than an exact figure. Generally speaking, the average cost of a food truck is usually between $10-$35 per person, which is cheaper than traditional catering options.
Each type of event might also entail different price ranges, so let’s take a more in-depth look at the average cost of hiring a food truck for commonly catered events:
- Weddings: If there’s one thing for sure, it’s that getting married isn’t cheap. Couples often spend tens of thousands of dollars to tie the knot, and feeding guests accounts for a significant chunk of the expenses. As with any event, a wedding’s time and location play a significant role in determining costs. Traditional wedding caterers usually charge between $60-$70 per person, while food trucks usually fall into the $15-40 range. Not only is hiring a food truck more cost-effective, but it’s also a way to make your special day even more memorable!
- Birthdays & Anniversaries: Since food trucks do have a price minimum, it typically only makes sense to hire a food truck if you’re planning a large birthday or anniversary bash. That said, if you do want to go all out for a party, if you have enough guests food trucks can be a great deal. Plus, they leave your guests free to eat when they please, mingle, and enjoy the party!
● Corporate Events: The more people you have at an event, the lower the cost per person tends to be. This means that large corporate events where you might be hosting hundreds of guests can be the perfect opportunity to hire a food truck. The level of formality, type of cuisine, and whether you want to feed guests a full meal or a light snack all impact how much you can expect to pay.
Food Truck Catering vs. Traditional Catering
At the end of the day, using any type of catering service costs money. However, when you hire a food truck for your next event, you and your guests will get a lot more for your money than you would with traditional catering.
Not only are food trucks a lot more fun than going through a standard buffet line or sitting down to a set menu, but they also allow your guests to choose from more options. With the overwhelming diversity of options in the food truck industry in Los Angeles, everyone can select from the food truck’s expertly crafted eats, and chow down whenever they please.
Food trucks tend to foster a more social atmosphere than traditional catering options, which is worth a lot when you want to throw a fun event. Benefits aside, when you break down the costs of a food truck in comparison to traditional catering, you’ll often find that food trucks give you more bang for your buck, too.
Benefits of Hiring a Food Truck
When you’re planning an event, you want to ensure you’re spending your money wisely. This means considering how you’re going to allocate your budget carefully and choosing a catering option that you’re confident will provide the kind of food and service you’re looking for.
When you opt to go with food truck catering, the price covers more than just the food. You’re also paying for the following benefits:
- Freedom & Flexibility: Food trucks are unmatched when it comes to flexibility. Since they operate on wheels, as long as the truck has a place to park, they’re able to serve up top-notch food. With a food truck, you’re paying for the luxury of having the truck drive directly to you—and for them to simply drive away with no clean-up or break-down required at the end of the event.
- Better Equipment: While most catering options have to set up make-shift workstations, rely on sternos to keep things hot, or make do with cramped prep rooms, food trucks are completely self-contained—so they already have everything they need for success.
Plus, they’ll have all the specialty equipment necessary to pull off cranking out specific types of food. For example, you might want fresh pizza at your event. If you use a traditional catering company, they won’t be able to bring a pizza oven on-site. On the other hand, if you go with a pizza food truck, they’ll have exactly what they need to serve fresh-made pies to your guests. You can’t put a price on being able to get exactly the type of experience you want!
- Professional Staff: Food trucks bring their entire operations with them, including their staff. This means you don’t have to worry about hiring extra hands to help your event flourish. Food trucks are operated by professionals who are not only great at the culinary aspects of catering an event, but who also know how to put smiles on all your guests’ faces.
Hiring a Food Truck Pays Off- Literally
Budgeting is a crucial part of planning events both big and small, and there’s nothing better than knowing you got exactly what you were looking for—at a great price. Hiring a food truck to cater your event is often less expensive than traditional catering options, and you’ll benefit from the time, effort, and stress you save yourself as well.
Food trucks make any event more unique, memorable, and of course, delicious. Working with an FTALA vendor is the perfect way to ensure your guests have the best experience possible while keeping your wallet happy, as well!
