5 Tips for Organizing Food Truck Catering for Your Event
Food trucks are one of the most popular catering choices for just about any event type nowadays. They’re a super flexible, location-independent, hassle-free way to provide a wide range of food choices to your hungry crowd.
So if you’re looking to organize food trucks for your next event, keep reading to learn the top five things you can do now to ensure your day goes off without a hitch!
Best Occasions for Food Truck Catering
Any occasion can be a good food truck occasion if you have the right amount of people. Typically, caterers in this field look to have between forty and sixty customers per hour to make the service worth their while, but if you have the right kind of disposable income on hand to afford a potentially higher cost, food truck catering can be an excellent choice for your smaller event, too. Not to mention, supporting your local food trucks will be supporting local entrepreneurs!
Really any event that brings large groups of people together is going to be ideal for a food truck rental, but to give you a better picture, here are a few common events that our food trucks can cater to:
- Anniversaries
- Baby Showers
- Bar Mitzvahs
- Block Parties
- Concerts and Music Festivals
- Conventions
- Dances
- Fundraisers and Charities
- Graduation Parties
- Holiday Parties
- House-Warmings
- Marathons
- Parades
- Quinceneras
- Rehearsal Dinners
- Religious Events
- Town Events
- TV and Film Production Events
- Sporting Events
- Street Fairs
- Weddings
- Workplace Events
Organizing a Food Truck Event
Organizing a meal for a large group of people can be incredibly stressful, but by choosing to plan your next event with food truck catering, you’ve already given yourself an advantage. Sure, you won’t be able to eliminate all of your event-related stress, but by going with a food truck or mobile kitchen, you don’t need to worry about finding kitchen spaces for catering staff, booking expensive restaurants out months in advance, or hiring waitstaff to make sure everyone is taken care of.
Instead, you can sit back, relax, and easily organize food truck catering for your next event by following these simple steps.
1. Do Your Research
Before you host any food truck event, you need to make sure you take at least a little bit of time to do a little bit of research. Depending on your event, different types of food may be more or less appropriate than others, so it may benefit you to run a few quick searches online to determine which options will be the best food truck for you.
If you’re hosting a more upscale event, messier foods like BBQ or tacos may not be the best choice. And if your event is catering to a Little League baseball crowd, food trucks offering seafood or more technical modern dishes might need to be passed over in favor of classic American comfort dishes like burgers and hot dogs. Lastly, consider the weather and time of year, since a hot summer day might call for ice cream!
2. Be Aware of Your Location’s Accommodations
One of the reasons food truck catering is so popular is because food trucks are location-independent. They can drive to and set up pretty much anywhere to serve your crowd. However, it’s important to keep in mind that you’ll still need to have an appropriate space for them to set up with easy access for your party guests.
Take the time to map out your venue to determine the best placement for your catering truck so that you have ample room for everything you need–this is especially true if you have multiple food trucks. Keep an appropriate amount of distance between your food options and your main event area to make sure that you have enough room for people to line up and wait for their food without too much overcrowding in any given area. Try and keep seating and picnic tables further away from your food truck area if possible as well because they can congest standing areas and limit line space.
It’s important to note that for some event spaces, you’ll need to get prior approval from your location manager and any necessary permits for parking the trucks on land whether it’s public or private. There will often be vast differences in your capacity to host trucks between, for instance, a corporate event versus a birthday party or wedding catering.
3. Book a Food Truck Early
Mobile food is becoming more and more popular these days, so you need to make sure that you book the ones you want well in advance. This will save you the hassle of having to scramble for new options last-minute that may not offer all the dishes you want.
To have the best possible chance of getting the food truck you want, call them up and ask how far in advance you need to book to ensure your event is catered, and don’t forget to check on how far in advance you are permitted to book them. Some food trucks won’t let you book more than a few weeks in advance while others may have a months-long event list.
4. Communicate with the Food Truck Owners
Communication is key with any relationship, and your relationship with your food truck owner is no exception. You need to keep clear lines of communication open and have honest conversations with your caterer to make sure you’re both on the same page when it comes to your event. Go over details like crowd size, service speed, and availability to limit confusion and possible stress on the event day.
A few points you may want to clarify together prior to the event include:
- Whether the food will be made to order on-site, or if the caterer will be reheating previously-made meals
- How long it takes for your caterers to deliver an order after the customer submits their request
- Which menu items are available for a catering event
- How much space the truck requires
- Whether any electrical or water hookups are required
- Whether orders can be placed ahead of time for pickup
- Which forms of payment are accepted or preferred
5. Know Your Crowd
No matter what kind of event you’re hosting, always keep in mind the needs of your party. Have an idea about the kinds of food people would most want during your event, and make sure you accommodate those needs as well as any dietary restrictions you are aware of.
If you’re hosting a morning event, breakfast or brunch options with easy access to coffee may be the best choice for you. If you’ve got a relaxed evening event, perhaps choose some easy finger foods or a drinks truck.
Also, keep in mind that the larger your crowd is, the more diverse their tastes may be. It may be a good idea to book multiple food trucks to provide a wider variety if you have the budget and crowd to afford it, since adding more options will increase your catering cost.
Key Takeaways
Food trucks provide you with a super convenient way to cater your next event. They’re low-stress, low-hassle, planner-friendly catering options that are sure to keep your hungry crowd happy. Just remember that no matter what kind of event you’re hosting, you can succeed by doing your research, understanding your accommodations, booking early, communicating with your caterer, and knowing your crowd.
