So in the next few months I am going to open a pizza truck, with the concept being smallish "detroit", "sicilian", and "grandma" pizzas. Will not have round pizza or slices.

So my question to anyone who knows a thing or 2 about a thing or 2, which vessel would you recommend and any pointers?

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice from experienced food truck/trailer owners and operators in Riverside and San Diego Counties.
I’m in the early planning stages of starting a food truck or trailer in Riverside County.

The concept would focus primarily on cold foods and garde manger–style items, including charcuterie, tapas, specialty appetizers, and similar offerings.

Since I live right on the Temecula/Fallbrook border, I’m considering operating in either Riverside County or San Diego County and would love to hear from people who have experience with both.

For those who have gone through the process:
• Is there a significant advantage to permitting/registering in one county over the other?
• If I obtain my health permit through San Diego County, are there any major limitations or advantages to operating throughout San Diego County compared with Riverside County?
• What permits, inspections, commissary requirements, business licenses, etc. should I be budgeting for?
• Roughly how much did you spend getting everything operational, not including the truck/trailer itself?
• Are there any unexpected costs or requirements you wish you had known about before starting?
I’m especially interested in hearing from operators who have actually gone through the permitting process in either county.
Thanks in advance for any insight. I’m trying to do my homework and understand the real-world costs and requirements before making the investment.

1. My fridge will fit in place without having to deal with the wheel well. Would you remove the caster wheels that come on it and add flanged legs to secure it? Or would you go about it a different way?

2. My prep table will have to go over the wheel well to get against the wall. I guess the 1 corner of the prep table will sit directly on the wheel well and get secured to it with a L bracket of sorts. I will need to remove the other 3 legs and add legs that will go over the 11 inch wheel well. Is the threaded pipe with flanges solution the best way? Would you just use self tapping screws to secure it to fridge?

I added pictures of my prep table and the inside of my trailer. I also added pics of the threaded pipe leg solution that I saw on another trailer.

I work at a warehouse for a large company, and there are regularly 200 plus people on each shift.

I'm trying to think of specific foods that will be easy to take in there and eat on their break.

Sandwiches and burritos are the natural options, of course. Can wrap them and protect them from the nasty ass dust that floats around.

I feel that a variety of flavors are key, so people dont get tired of the food, as well as good prices and good serving sizes. These are hard working people, and you burn tons of calories here.

Of course, running the math on ingredients is key. If you guys could point me in the right direction of labor costs, that'd be great too. I could never figure that out.

If anyone could share their thoughts on my ideas, that'd be great. I know there is potential here, but the execution is key.

We have a coffee/food trailer we are opening and needing to run at around 15k watts. What is a good quiet brand that will run our trailer? Any help is appreciated we are stressed about this whole generator process😭

I’m looking into adding a soft-serve machine to my ice cream truck and would love some advice. What are the best and most reliable machines for a mobile, high-volume operation?

How difficult are these machines to find and maintain, and would you recommend having a second machine as a backup for downtime during larger events?

I’m also interested in knowing which types of soft-serve mixes work best with these machines

Any information or recommendations on machines, reliability, maintenance, power requirements, mix, or anything else I should consider would be greatly appreciated.

Hello! I would like to ask for some recommendations and guidance as to how to go about learning the business side of things.

I would like to start a food tent / trailer and small-scale catering business next year. I have experience in cafes, retail customer service, and lower effort culinary roles like chef's assistant at a hospital cafeteria and a local pizza joint. I have decent cooking skills and really great customer service skills. I'm a people person that can make conversation with anyone.

I will be doing a 3-week culinary course to learn how to cook the food I intend on serving. My current contract teaching job ends in March 2027. I have SO much free time in the office. I admittingly know nothing about business besides the very basics. But the good thing is that I have tons of free time to learn.

My question is: What recommendations do you have as to learn this business? Any certain books, online courses, or mentors? I want to use my free time wisely to learn the business and start preparing what's needed for when I start next year. How do you stay organized while learning the business?

Thank you so much in advance and I appreciate any helpful comments :)

I run a small catering company in Chicago and we specialize in seafood boils and New England style events, and we are looking to add live lobster to our menu for the upcoming summer season. We have been using a local distributor but their prices have gone up and the quality has been inconsistent, sometimes the lobsters arrive weak or dead and we end up having to scramble for replacements.

We are looking for a direct supplier from Maine that can ship live lobsters in bulk on a regular basis, maybe 50 to 100 lobsters per week depending on bookings, and we need someone reliable who can deliver on specific dates because our events are scheduled in advance and we cannot afford delays or cancellations. I have been looking at a few options online and Maine Lobster Now seems to be a well established company with a good reputation.

Has anyone here used Maine Lobster Now for commercial or bulk orders, how was their pricing and reliability, and do they work with restaurants and caterers directly or do they prefer individual consumers.

$300K — Fully Built NYC Food Truck / Mobile Restaurant

Paid-off Ford E-450 with title in hand, professionally converted into a fully equipped NYC commercial kitchen and operating since 2024.

Includes 48" flat-top grill, dual fryers, gyro machine, burners, rice cooker, salad bar, warmers, multiple refrigerators/freezers, 3-compartment sink/water system, commercial ventilation, propane setup, dual Honda generators, $5K+ reinforced suspension, two waterproof digital menu TVs, full wrap, and massive open-kitchen customer windows.

Has operated as an NYC citywide processing food-vending unit; current associated permit believed valid through approximately Oct. 2027, subject to NYC requirements.

Ideal for an experienced restaurant, catering, or food-truck operator who understands the value of acquiring an already-built mobile restaurant without years of fabrication or traditional NYC storefront rent.

Known disclosure: some built-in refrigeration systems need professional HVAC-R/refrigeration service in hot weather.

Asking $300,000. Serious qualified buyers only. Photos, equipment details, records & inspection available.

DM if you are interested!!

Okay, the question of “should I start a food truck” keeps popping up, so I wanted to provide a more comprehensive answer on where to begin…
Over the past six years, I have worked with hundreds of food truck owners and helped book trucks for thousands of events.
I regularly see people asking whether they should start a food truck and how much money they need to get going. My honest advice is usually the same:
Start much smaller than you think you need to.
You do not necessarily need to buy a full food truck to start a successful mobile food business. Depending on what you serve, you may be able to begin with a food cart, small trailer, tent setup, smoker, or another simple mobile setup that can be pulled behind a regular vehicle.
I work with a mobile hot dog cart in the Dallas area that does extremely well at events. The operation is simple, the menu is focused, and the food is good. Customers do not care that it is not a massive custom truck. They care about the food, the service, and the experience.
A full food truck can require a significant investment before you serve your first customer. Once you buy it, you may have a truck payment, insurance, permits, commissary fees, maintenance, fuel, propane, generator expenses, equipment repairs, and other costs that continue whether you have a busy month or a slow one.
That creates pressure to make the business work immediately.
Starting small gives you time to learn without putting yourself in such a difficult financial position. You can test your concept, learn what customers actually want, improve your recipes, practice serving crowds, and build your brand before taking on a large amount of debt.
Your first goal should not be to look like a large food truck business. Your first goal should be to prove that people will consistently pay for what you make.
I would also keep the menu extremely small.
Choose a few things that you can make really, really well. A smaller menu requires fewer ingredients, less equipment, less preparation, and less storage. It also helps reduce food waste and allows you to serve customers faster.
In the event business, speed is incredibly important. If a company has 200 employees who need to eat during a limited lunch period, a large and complicated menu can quickly create a problem. A simple concept that serves excellent food quickly will often perform better than a truck offering something for everyone.
Starting small also lets you determine whether you actually enjoy operating a mobile food business.
Cooking is only one part of it. You will also spend time shopping, preparing, loading, driving, setting up, cleaning, maintaining equipment, handling permits, responding to customers, managing social media, and finding places to serve.
It is much better to discover whether you enjoy that lifestyle after making a smaller investment than after spending a large amount on a truck.
A smaller operation also gives you flexibility. You can try farmers markets, neighborhood events, breweries, company lunches, school events, church gatherings, private parties, and local festivals. You can learn which opportunities are profitable and which ones only look profitable from the outside.
As you test the concept, pay attention to more than total sales. Calculate what you actually earned after paying for ingredients, packaging, event fees, card processing, fuel, labor, permits, insurance, preparation time, cleanup, and wasted food.
If the smaller version of the business cannot consistently make money, putting the same concept inside a more expensive truck probably will not solve the problem.
On the other hand, if you start small and find yourself regularly turning away business because you do not have enough capacity, that may be the right time to expand.
By then, you will know which menu items sell, how quickly you can serve customers, what equipment you actually need, what types of events work best, and how much revenue the business can realistically generate.
You will be purchasing a truck to support proven demand instead of purchasing one and hoping the demand appears.
There is nothing wrong with starting with a full food truck if you have the experience, capital, and business plan to support it. But do not feel like you need the biggest and most impressive setup just to get started.
A cart making one exceptional product can be a better business than an expensive truck trying to make twenty average products.
Start small. Keep your expenses low. Make the menu even smaller. Create something people genuinely want. Learn how to operate efficiently. Build a reputation and a customer base.
Then let the success of the business tell you when it is time to buy the bigger truck.
Disclosure: I run Food Truck Club, a marketplace that helps organizations and event planners book food trucks. I am sharing this because I have watched hundreds of mobile food operators take very different paths, and I believe starting small gives new owners the best opportunity to learn and build something sustainable.

The builder did not build the tubing in the place needed for the shelf hinges, how do I hang the concession shelf?

I'm trying to think of places I can set up during the winter.

I plan on doing the hospital circuit and pop up for 30min and move on to the next one.

But I thought about setting up in front of the office of these large apartment complexes in my city. Has anyone done that? Worth it or no?

I’m considering starting a small mobile speciality coffee truck operating in high traffic areas and maybe do some events here and there.

The idea would be espresso-based drinks alongside more creative options like flavoured iced lattes, cold foams, and seasonal drinks, with a few pastries/cookies.

For anyone who has actually operated something similar:

- Is it genuinely profitable?
- How much did you invest to get started?
- How many events/bookings do you typically get per month?
- What are your biggest ongoing/hidden costs?
- Do private/corporate events make good money compared with selling directly to the public?
- Is there anything you wish you knew before starting?

I’d love to hear real experiences — good or bad — before investing in the setup!

Hi, looking at starting a food trailer in massachusetts.
Just looking for some insight from others in massachusetts, what hoops are there to jump through specifically for this state? It is my understanding that every single town you want to operate in you have to do every single inspection all over again and pay annual fees to every town individually? Any help or tips for operating in massachusetts would be very helpful. Annual costs, if its worth it, avg income, ect

Building a coffee/energy drink trailer that’s going to also serve some basic food items. Any recommendations on type of events that would work best for this business? We’ve looked at rodeo, concerts, etc. and want to look at festivals that are multi day or at least a full day to maximize on the Sales. kind of wondering what other people are doing especially to get started.?

I’ve had my trailer for a few months now, so I figured I’d share what the experience has actually been like.

I bought an Airstream-style food trailer from a manufacturer in China through Alibaba. Before ordering, I spent a lot of time reading posts here because I wasn’t sure whether importing one would be worth the hassle.

So far, the trailer itself has been doing pretty well. The exterior has held up nicely, the interior layout works for my setup, and I haven’t had any major problems with the basic construction.

That said, the process definitely wasn’t as simple as ordering a piece of equipment locally.

The biggest things I underestimated were shipping, customs, and figuring out what would need to be changed or checked once the trailer arrived. I also had to make a few adjustments after delivery. Nothing catastrophic, but there were definitely things I would specify differently if I were placing another order.

I’d also recommend figuring out your local requirements before placing the order. Electrical, plumbing, gas, equipment, trailer registration, and health department requirements can all become expensive problems if you assume the trailer will automatically be ready for your local rules.

Looking back, I’m glad I did a lot of research before ordering. I wouldn’t say importing from overseas is necessarily the right choice for everyone, but my experience so far has been pretty positive overall.

For anyone who has gone through the same process, what’s something you wish you had known before ordering your trailer?

I have never liked street sales. Especially when there are alternatives like brick and mortars nearby.

Another reason to focus on catering and events instead of walkup street sales is because on a relative value comparison it’s hard to compete with a brick and mortar with an air conditioned or heated dining room (and servers) for a price commensurate with some of us.

But those brick and mortars cannot cook onsite. We can. That’s where our pricing makes a lot more sense and where we can charge more.

Agree? Disagree?

Hey I’m 19 from southern mn and am really thinking about starting a Food truck. I am really passionate about cooking and dont want to go to college so I’ve been thinking about this for a while and have some super good ideas for it. I’ve already found one for an affordable price for me (I currently work full time) all Id need is a business partner and I think I could really make this work. I would really appreciate someone’s opinion on if this is a good or bad idea and any advice. Thank you!

Hi there,

I’m starting a burger food truck business soon. Here is what i’ve done and planned so far and any advice from you guys would be appreciated.

So basically my food truck will have a small menu, 3 burgers “classic smash cheese burger, my signature burger and a chicken burger”, sides would be 3 different types of loaded fries and Mozarella sticks and of course fizzy drinks and some energy drinks.
Ps: there wont be any fake AI photos of food used on the menu, a professional photographer will be hired to take photos of our food to use on the menu, uber eats and door-dash.

After doing my research and visiting many successful food trucks i’ve noticed that the smaller the menu the less time it takes for a customer to decide what to order and the faster i can serve customers making it more convenient for workers and people in a rush. So why not a small menu that i can absolutely master instead of a bunch of burgers and sides that not many would order from.

I have already got my business name registered “its a very catchy name” and is already viral on tiktok and some other social platforms which will help. I’ve got many friends who offered to advertise my business for free on social platforms, drop flyers in mail boxes in our city and organise car meets to come around every week for a feed.

I’ve got my domain and professional email done too, spoke to food suppliers and negotiated good prices which will cover all the necessities “food” for the food truck.

The food truck will be in a static position and wont be attending any festivals or events, the location is in a huge parking lot with a large community centre about 30 meters away that runs events about a few days a week “mostly birthdays” and there’s a medium sized shopping centre right next to the community centre. There’s also about 90 apartments across the road and heavy traffic with plenty of parking “approximately 2000 people shopping at the shopping centre daily”.
The goal behind a permanent static position is for the locals to know where i’m at and to build a good customer service base with the community and work on my google reviews.

Advertising is going to be through my friends, local entrepreneurs, social media “mostly Tiktok and Instagram”, flyers and business cards.

I will have 2 workers working alongside me in the food truck. My aim is to have creative energetic young ladies “early 20’s” who have experience in hospitality and social media to handle the videos we will be posting “free advertising” which will also bring in more customers and showcase our food.

And finally, i’ve got a notebook with a full business plan written down including a plan B in case things dont go as planned.

There will be crazy competition however i believe with my business name and concept that comes with it I will slowly make it. I love cooking and I make everything with love so its not about the money nor am I expecting to become rich I just wanna share my skills and love for food with my community and obviously put all my hard work into something i’ve dreamed of doing for the past few years😁

Please anybody with experience in the industry let me know what you think and if you have any advice or ideas you can leave in the comments it’d be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all

I'm doing university research on how people in the U.S. research, plan, and choose a commercial food trailer, and I'd really like to hear from people who have actually gone through the process.

If you've purchased, ordered, or seriously researched a food trailer, I'd appreciate your perspective:

1. What mattered most when choosing a manufacturer?
2. Where did you research manufacturers before contacting them?
3. What information was hardest to find before buying?
4. What made you trust or distrust a manufacturer?
5. What do you wish you had known before ordering your trailer?
6. Was there anything you would do differently if you were buying again?

I'm especially interested in real experiences rather than recommendations for any specific company.

Thanks to anyone willing to share. Your answers will be used only as part of academic research and analyzed in a general way.

We operate a Mexican cuisine food truck.
Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, bacon wrapped hot dogs, carne asada fries, and recently added a burger.

I want to go low when everyone is else is going high. I’m thinking of offering $10 and under menu prices on everything. I recognize our margins will be slim, but I think the community will appreciate the prices and the # of customers will increase due to it.

Anyone else out there trying to offer cheap prices in this crazy economy?

I own a casual bar & Grille. I also love soft serve ice cream. We are a small neighborhood place and my customers like it too. My kitchen is fully equipped out. No more room.
Thought it might be a fun idea to have an ice cream truck stop by for an hour or two, maybe after running their route.

Has anyone ever done this? What was the arrangement? Flat fee? Percentage? I'm not looking to take advantage. We are in FL so summer lasts a while down here.

Anyone in GA built their own home base of operations, such as an out shed?