Owning a food truck is a much greater time commitment than most potential owners think. You need a license for every city you visit. Food truck catering costs range from $10 to $35 per guest. You can probably cut costs up to $20–$25 for each guest if you hire a food truck for the event. Despite the importance of food costs, many restaurant owners do not calculate food costs correctly. For most food trucks, food cost can be around $1,000 – $2,000, with serverware expenses being an additional $300. New, made-to-order trucks can cost anywhere from $75,000 to $150,000, according to Restaurant MBA, and they take months to build. The cost of renting vs. buying a food truck. (There is usually a minimum cost, which may range from $800 to $1,300.) If food cost figures incorrectly, the food truck will have issues with cash flow in the future. Learn the cost to rent a food truck for an event and set your budget. Liability insurance will run upwards of $1,900 per year. 1. To a certain extent, you’re correct. Licenses and Permits Expect it to cost you a lot more than you think to run your business. How much does it cost to hire a food truck for an event? Lobster food truck – $18-$25 per person, with a rental minimum of about $1,200-$1,500. Ice cream truck – $5-$10 per person, with a rental minimum of about $400-$800. A reported cost of food truck licenses in Arizona in 2016 are as follows: license and permit fee paid was $700, the food and beverage safety training or the SafeServe certificate for the food manager costs for $160, and the permit for the 4 sticker logo is around $160 each. Take into consideration if it is a prime location or if you have an anchor tenant that drives in lots of traffic then you can increase your rent/fee. 4. And this will deeply effect food truck costs. Fuel costs are very high—most trucks only get about 7 MPG. However, how much food trucks pay very much depend on the type of event, what products are being sold and the length of trading hours. Since food trucks are essentially micro-restaurants on wheels, you might assume that launching a food truck business is going to cost you only a fraction of that of a traditional brick-and-mortar full-service restaurant. Perhaps the biggest (and priciest) question new food truck entrepreneurs face is whether to rent or buy their vehicle. One food truck estimated to use about 1,000 square feet, at minimum i could charge $150. By vendors paying a fee: If asking a food truck or mobile food vendor to pay a flat fee to attend your event, keep in mind that the truck or vendor will need to earn 10 times the amount of the fee. BBQ food truck – $10-$20 per person, with a rental minimum of about $1,000-$1,300. Pizza food truck – $12-$20 per person, with a rental minimum of about $1,000-$1,300. 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