Starting a food truck requires careful planning and a well-researched business plan. This comprehensive guide provides a food truck business plan template alongside real examples, financial projections, and expert tips to set your mobile business up for success.
Creating a business plan is crucial because it forces you to:
Thorough planning increases your odds of building a thriving food truck enterprise. Our template simplifies the process.
Use this template outline as a framework when writing your mobile food business plan:
Executive Summary
Company Description
Products & Services
Market Analysis
Marketing Plan
Operations Plan
Financial Plan
Let's explore what to include in each section using real food truck business plan examples.
Tacos & Tapas is a new Dallas-based food truck offering traditional tapas appetizers with a southwest twist, alongside signature taco options. With an expansive bar menu and fun brand imaging, Tacos & Tapas provides the social atmosphere of happy hour combined with grab-and-go convenience.
We will be the first truck to bring an authentic tapas menu designed specifically for on-the-go patrons seeking shareable appetizers and drinks for any occasion. Our fusion menu fills an unmet niche and gives us a differentiated edge.
Taco Monster Truck LLC is a new Austin-based food truck focused on monster-sized tacos stuffed with quality local ingredients. Founded in 2021 by Chef Jordan Wilkes, Taco Monster brings 15 years of high-end restaurant experience to reinvent street tacos into epic yet accessible mobile cuisine. The company is structured as an LLC with Jordan serving as both Executive Chef and General Manager overseeing daily operations.
The Roaming Flatbread food truck provides build-your-own flatbread pizzas baked to order inside our woodfire pizza oven. Patrons first select their base including original Italian, multigrain, or gluten-free. Next, toppings are added such as artichoke hearts, prosciutto, arugula, roasted peppers, and our fresh buffalo mozzarella. Finally, flatbreads get finished in our 900-degree oven for perfect crispiness before serving.
Our rotating craft beer and wine menu provides the perfect pairing with flatbread pizzas for an upscale street food experience.
Big AZ Burgers targets college students and young professionals in Tucson seeking an indulgent yet affordable burger option. Our demographic is largely University of Arizona students along with recent grads and young families in surrounding neighborhoods.
These patrons want a quality burger focused on flavor and ingredients rather than ambiance. They appreciate convenience for fast meals between classes or meetings with options to eat-in at our patio tables or take burgers to-go.
Our closest competitor is Rollin’ BBQ – the only other bbq food truck in Springfield. However, their concept differs in important ways:
By focusing on better quality meats, diverse sides, strong branding, and value pricing, our concept stands apart from competitors.
After analyzing foot traffic, event calendars, office density, and residential patterns, we have identified the following routes:
Monday: Corporate office parks in Oakland during lunch hours due to high daytime populations
Tuesday: UCSF Medical Center where we will cater to hospital staff on evening shifts
Wednesday: Cal Games when Berkeley students crowd the stadium and need late night options.
Thursday: Downtown Walnut Creek dinner rush from 5-9 pm when pedestrian traffic peaks
Friday: Livermore wine country for weekends and event catering
Optimizing routes for heavy populations and timing offerings to meal windows will maximize sales.
Rockland Lobster Company’s marketing strategy includes:
This omni-channel plan will build our brand and repeat customer base.
All Peruvian food prep and cooking will take place in our state-certified commercial kitchen rented monthly. The kitchen provides all necessary health department requirements for proximate food storage and preparation.
Our food truck is a new custom-converted truck purchased from Prestige Food Trucks. It features:
Inventory is stored in sealed food-grade containers to avoid contamination or spills. Our Operations Manager conducts thorough startup inspections of both truck and kitchen daily before service.
Total startup expenses are estimated at $55,000:
Truck customization and equipment will be financed through a small business loan. We are seeking a loan of $42,000 to cover these startup costs. The remaining $13,000 consists of founder capital injection.
Year 1
Revenue - $385,000Cost of Goods Sold - $96,000
Gross Profit - $289,000
Operating Expenses Payroll - $156,000Marketing - $18,000Depreciation - $8,000Rent - $24,000Utilities - $9,600Supplies - $8,000Insurance - $12,000Other - $5,000Total - $240,600
Net Income - $48,400
Year 2
Revenue - $543,000Net Income - $92,000
Year 3
Revenue - $701,000Net Income - $182,000
Avg Burger Price - $11
Avg Burger Cost - $4Monthly Fixed Costs - $14,000Daily Break-Even Sales = $580
We will break even at 53 burgers daily. Converting just 20% of the Smith College student population alone exceeds this volume.
Use this template to model your food truck’s financial outlook across the first years of operations. Factor in realistic sales projections based on market potential.
Writing a comprehensive business plan takes work upfront, but prevents costly errors down the road.
Use our food truck business plan template and examples to guide yours. Analyze competitors, pinpoint profitable locations, create marketing plans, and model cash flows based on real expense estimates.
The upfront research and planning will prove invaluable as you start serving hungry crowds your specialty fare. Now venture forward armed with a strategic blueprint to make your food truck enterprise a success!