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Guide
How to price food truck catering
Why one price per head is wrong for a truck
A truck has a large cost that does not depend on how many people eat: the people working the window, the fuel, the time to set up and pack down. Food is the only cost that grows with each guest. If you quote one per-head price for every job, the small jobs lose money and the large jobs quietly pay for them.
The fix is to separate the two kinds of cost, price each one honestly, and let the guest count move the per-head figure the way it really moves.
The four layers of a catering price
Every catering price is the same stack: food, labour, overhead recovery and margin. For a truck, add travel to the direct costs.
- Food: what one guest eats, costed from your own recipes and your current supplier prices, including what you waste. Our guide to cost per head shows how to build it.
- Labour: the crew the job needs, for the hours it needs them (set up, service, pack down), at what you pay them. In the example below, 3 crew for 5 hours at $36 an hour is $540, whether 40 people come or 100.
- Travel: fuel, tolls and the drive. The example uses $60. If nothing in your quote knows the distance, you are guessing, and a guess of zero makes a long drive look free.
- Overhead recovery: a share of the costs that exist whether you work or not, such as insurance, registration, the kitchen and the truck itself. The example uses 12% of direct costs. That is an assumption, not a measurement. Yours comes from your own year.
- Margin: what you want left. It is the only layer that is a decision. The example takes 35% of the price, not 35% on top of cost, which is a different and larger number.
A worked example: the same job at four guest counts
Food costs $9.00 a head. The crew and travel are fixed at $600. Overhead recovery is 12% and the margin is 35% of the price. The only thing that changes between rows is how many guests come.
| Guests | Food | Crew + travel | Cost | Price to quote | Per head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | $360 | $600 | $960 | $1,654 | $41.35 |
| 60 | $540 | $600 | $1,140 | $1,964 | $32.73 |
| 80 | $720 | $600 | $1,320 | $2,274 | $28.43 |
| 100 | $900 | $600 | $1,500 | $2,585 | $25.85 |
These are example inputs, not market rates. The 12% overhead share is an assumption. It also assumes the same 3-person crew can serve every row; a bigger crowd may need another pair of hands, which is a step in cost, not a smooth line.
What the table tells you to do
40 guests need $41.35 a head and 100 guests need $25.85 a head for the same truck, because the fixed cost is spread over fewer people. That gives you three honest ways to quote.
- A per-head price with a minimum guest count. Quote the per-head price for the number you expect and a floor, for example "$41.35 a head, minimum 40 guests".
- A minimum spend. Quote the total for your smallest worthwhile job ($1,654 in the example) and let guests order up to it.
- A hire fee plus a per-head price. Charge the fixed cost (crew, travel, set up) as a flat fee and the food per guest on top. It is the most transparent for the customer and the most accurate for you.
What this method cannot tell you
Costing gives you the floor. It does not tell you what the market will pay, and a wedding will carry a price that a staff lunch will not. It also does not know about a peak Saturday, which costs more to staff and means turning other work away. Build a date premium into the price rather than discovering it at the quote.
Run your own numbers in the pricing calculator, and check the result against what customers in your area actually accept.
Questions
Short answers
- How much should a food truck charge for catering?
- There is no number that is right for every truck, because it depends on your food cost, your crew and how far you drive. Build the price from those: food for the guests, crew hours, travel, a share of overheads, then your margin. The same job costs more per head at 40 guests than at 100, so set a minimum guest count or minimum spend.
- Should a food truck charge per head or a flat fee for a private event?
- Usually both. A flat fee covers the costs that do not change with the crowd (crew, travel, set up) and a per-head price covers the food. If you quote only per head, a small guest count leaves you under water. If you quote only a flat fee, a large crowd eats your margin.
- What is a minimum spend for food truck catering?
- A minimum spend is the least a customer pays for you to turn up, set at the total price of your smallest worthwhile job. If fewer guests come than expected, the minimum still covers your crew, fuel and set up.
- What margin should a catering food truck aim for?
- Decide it deliberately rather than inheriting it. Work out your cost per job, then choose the margin you want as a share of the price. This guide uses 35% as an example, not a benchmark. Your own history of which jobs made money is a better guide than a quoted average.
- How do I price a food truck for a wedding or corporate event?
- Use the same stack, then check it against what that kind of customer will pay. Weddings and corporate events often carry a higher price per head than a public market day, and they often need more crew and more lead time, which belongs in the labour layer rather than the margin.
Next
Do the sum with your own numbers
Use the catering pricing calculator, or see how food truck software does it for every job.
- Also read: catering cost per head
- Also read: food truck event fees