Food truck business plan template and example
A food truck plan lives or dies on the route: where the truck is parked each day, how many covers that spot produces, and what the spot costs. This example for a fictional taco truck shows the weekly route as a table, which is what a lender wants to see.
Example business: Salt & Lime Tacos, a 16-foot truck working office parks, a brewery, and weekend markets in a mid-sized US city. Fictional; the numbers are illustrative and consistent with each other.
Executive summary
Salt & Lime Tacos is a taco truck with a nine-item menu, operating a fixed weekly route of three office parks, one brewery taproom, and two weekend markets. The founder ran the kitchen at a 120-seat Mexican restaurant for six years. The truck (used, 2019, $68,000 with kitchen) and the first three months of operating costs are funded by $45,000 of owner savings and a $60,000 equipment loan. The plan projects $328,500 in year-one sales from an average of 118 covers a day at $11.60 over 240 service days, with break-even in month five and a 12% net margin in year two.
Key numbers
| Menu | 9 items, 3 proteins, average ticket $11.60 |
| Covers per service day | 118 average (office park 90-130, brewery 140-180, market 200-260) |
| Year 1 revenue | $328,500 (240 service days × 118 covers × $11.60) |
| Truck and build | $68,000 used truck with kitchen, $9,000 wrap and POS |
| Startup costs | $101,000 including permits, commissary deposit, insurance, opening inventory, $12,000 reserve |
| Commissary | $650/month |
| Permits | Mobile food vendor licence, health permit, fire inspection, four city event permits |
| Funding | $45,000 owner + $60,000 equipment loan, 6 years |
| Break-even | Month 5 at about 96 covers/day |
The weekly route
| Day | Spot | Hours | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Off: commissary deep clean, maintenance, ordering | ||
| Tuesday | Office park A (2,100 workers) | 11 am to 2 pm | 90 to 130 |
| Wednesday | Office park B (1,800 workers) | 11 am to 2 pm | 90 to 130 |
| Thursday | Office park C (1,500 workers), or a catering booking | 11 am to 2 pm | 90 to 130 |
| Friday | Brewery taproom (season agreement) | 4 to 9 pm | 140 to 180 |
| Saturday | Weekend market (alternating between the two markets) | 9 am to 3 pm | 200 to 260 |
| Sunday | Off |
At full route a week averages about 145 covers a service day. The year-one average of 118 includes the first months and the winter, when the markets are smaller.
How much it costs to start a food truck: startup budget
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Used 2019 truck with kitchen | $68,000 |
| Wrap and POS | $9,000 |
| Permits and licences (vendor licence, health permit, fire inspection, event permits) | $3,200 |
| Commissary deposit and first month | $1,300 |
| Insurance (down payment on the first year) | $3,400 |
| Opening food inventory and packaging | $2,600 |
| Smallwares (pans, hotel pans, utensils, coolers) | $1,500 |
| Cash reserve (includes the $3,000 repair reserve) | $12,000 |
| Total startup costs | $101,000 |
Funded by $45,000 of owner savings and a $60,000 equipment loan over 6 years (about $1,080 a month at an assumed 9%). The extra $4,000 stays in the bank.
Monthly operating costs and break-even
| Cost | Per month |
|---|---|
| Line cook wages and payroll taxes | $6,000 |
| Owner draw | $3,000 |
| Market stall fees (about 4 market days a month) | $1,200 |
| Fuel, propane, generator | $1,100 |
| Loan payment | $1,080 |
| Commissary | $650 |
| Marketing ($4,500 a year) | $375 |
| Maintenance reserve | $300 |
| Insurance | $290 |
| Phone and POS software | $120 |
| Total fixed costs a month | $14,115 |
Food is 31% of sales, packaging 3%, card fees 3%: each dollar of sales leaves 63 cents.
Break-even: $14,115 ÷ 0.63 = about $22,400 of sales a month. Over 20 service days at $11.60 a cover, that is about 96 covers a day, reached in month five.
Revenue projection
Year one: 240 service days (five a week, minus 8 rained-out market days and a two-week winter break) × 118 covers × $11.60 = $328,500. Catering is upside: two office lunches a month at $900 from month three would add about $18,000, and the plan does not count it.
Market
The three office parks host about 5,400 workers with one cafeteria and a 12-minute drive to the nearest restaurants. The brewery averages 400 visitors on a Friday evening and has no kitchen. The two weekend markets draw 3,000 to 6,000 visitors each. Food truck spending in the metro has grown with the return of office attendance; the city issued 31% more mobile vendor permits in 2025 than in 2023.
Competition
Two other trucks rotate through the office parks (a burger truck and a Korean bowl truck); the parks allow three trucks a day, so the slot is shared, not contested. At the brewery, Salt & Lime would be the only truck on Fridays under a season agreement. Supermarket meal deals are the price competitor at $8; the plan answers with a $9 two-taco lunch special.
Marketing and sales
Route posted weekly on Instagram and a Google Business profile with the day's location. Text list for the office parks (goal: 800 subscribers by month six). Brewery co-promotion. Catering menu for office lunches from month three, targeting two bookings a month at $900 each. Marketing budget $4,500 in year one.
Operations
Prep at the commissary 6:30 to 9:30 am, service 11 am to 2 pm at office parks, 4 to 9 pm at the brewery on Fridays, 9 am to 3 pm at markets. Founder plus one line cook on weekdays, two on weekends. Propane, generator, and a 40-gallon water tank; fuel and generator maintenance budgeted at $1,100 a month. Food cost target 31%.
Risks and what the plan does about them
- Weather: markets cancel in heavy rain; the plan assumes 8 lost market days a year.
- Truck breakdown: $3,000 repair reserve and a relationship with a second commissary that has a loaner cart.
- Permit changes: the city is reviewing downtown vending zones in 2027; the route avoids downtown for that reason.
Your food truck business plan, from your numbers
Answer twelve questions about your own business and get all ten sections written with the arithmetic shown, plus a one-page summary. Nothing invented; every figure to verify is listed. $29, once. Write my business plan
Want the blank structure first? See the ten-section business plan template.
Food truck business plan questions
How much does it cost to start a food truck?
This example totals $101,000, and the truck is two thirds of it. A used truck with a working, inspected kitchen is the usual way to start; a new custom build costs much more. Permits, the commissary, insurance, and a cash reserve are the lines first-time owners forget.
How much does a food truck make?
In this plan, $328,500 in year one and a 12% net margin in year two. The driver is covers per service day: the plan breaks even at about 96 and averages 118.
What permits does a food truck need?
Usually a business licence, a mobile food vendor licence, a health permit, a fire inspection, food handler certificates, and a permit for each event. Many cities also require a licensed commissary. Rules differ by city and county, so start with your local health department.
What should a food truck business plan include?
The ten standard sections, plus a weekly route with covers per spot, the truck and equipment costs, the commissary arrangement, and a plan for bad weather and breakdowns. Lenders read the route table first.
Do I need a business plan for a food truck loan?
For an equipment loan or an SBA microloan, yes. The lender wants the startup budget, the route, and break-even covers per day, which is what this example shows.