How much does a food truck cost?

In recent years, the food truck market has expanded considerably, especially with the rise in popularity of street food. That’s why so many people want to get into the business. The problem is that opening a food truck requires a relatively large investment.

So what’s the budget for setting up a food tuck? What factors influence the price? Ecomag, your specialist in custom-built food trucks, takes a closer look at these questions.

Cost of buying a new or used food truck

Un business plan est un document stratégique qui formalise votre projet d’entreprise, de l’idée de départ jusqu’aux projections financières à trois ans. C’est à la fois un outil de pilotage pour vous-même et un support de communication pour convaincre des partenaires : banques, investisseurs, incubateurs ou collectivités.

Pour un food truck, il permet de :

Définir clairement votre concept, vos objectifs et votre positionnement ;
Évaluer la faisabilité économique et commerciale de votre idée ;
Identifier les besoins en financement et en équipement ;
Anticiper les risques liés à l’activité (saisonnalité, réglementation, concurrence) ;
Vous structurer avant de vous lancer, étape par étape.

Trop de porteurs de projet négligent cette étape et improvisent leur lancement. Résultat : mauvaise anticipation des coûts, trésorerie fragile, modèle économique bancal. Un bon business plan, c’est votre assurance-vie entrepreneuriale.

Comment structurer votre business plan food truck

Avant même de parler chiffres ou financement, un business plan commence toujours par une chose : poser les fondations de votre projet. Cela passe par un résumé clair de votre vision, une description précise de votre concept, et une analyse réaliste du marché. Ces trois éléments vous permettront de structurer votre offre, de vous positionner face à la concurrence et de donner confiance à vos partenaires.

Le résumé exécutif

The truck, the basic component of a food truck, is the most expensive element in a project to set up a mobile restaurant. Its choice will determine the development potential of your business. In street food, the truck is more than just a work tool. It’s your first communication tool. It’s what your customers will see before they taste your products.

There are trucks on the market in a variety of configurations and sizes, from small vans to large trucks equipped with a rear van or trailers. For a new truck, expect to pay between €50,000 and €80,000. If you opt for a used truck, you’ll need to prepare at least 25,000 euros. There is no ideal choice, since each type of truck has its own advantages.

Advantages and disadvantages of buying new

Buying a new truck offers many advantages:

It’s a guarantee of compliance with the health and safety standards required in the food truck world;
It’s also the guarantee of a customized food truck fitted out according to your needs, with all the equipment you need to run your business smoothly;
Finally, with a new food truck, the risk of breakdown is minimal. What’s more, with some suppliers, you benefit from a warranty in the event of breakdown, as well as more comprehensive assistance.

Description du concept

Dans cette section, décrivez en détail le concept unique de votre food truck. Expliquez le type de cuisine que vous proposez, votre style et vos spécialités culinaires. Mettez en évidence ce qui vous distingue des autres food trucks sur le marché et ce qui rend votre offre attrayante pour les clients.

Analyse de marché

Effectuez une analyse approfondie du marché des food trucks dans votre région. Identifiez votre public cible et évaluez la demande existante pour votre type de cuisine. Analysez également la concurrence et identifiez vos avantages concurrentiels. Cette analyse vous aidera à déterminer comment vous positionner sur le marché.

Factors influencing the price of a food truck

If you decide to buy a trailer or an unfinished truck, you’ll need to budget for other expenses to get your food truck up and running:

Fitting out the truck: this includes the purchase of equipment (generator, hob, fryer, worktop, hand-washer, freezer, etc.) and professional fees for fitting out the truck. Also included under this heading are the costs of finishing and design. All in all, fitting out your truck can cost up to 35,000 euros;
Small equipment : this includes small kitchen equipment such as pans, spatulas, whisks and knives;
Setting up payment methods: if you want to keep up with the competition and make life easier for your customers, you need to offer modern payment methods. Installing electronic payment terminals to accept bankcards and contactless payments can cost between 200 and 500 euros;

Estimated ancillary and operating costs

Investing in a food truck means more than just buying a functional truck: you also have to take into account a number of additional costs.

Raw materials

It’s impossible to produce dishes worthy of the name without quality raw materials. So, to run a food truck, you need to buy raw materials that include :

The basic ingredients needed to prepare dishes: vegetables, fruit, meat, flour, sugar, cooking oils, etc. … ;
Beverages ;
Packaging and containers: burger boxes, pizza boxes, etc. ;
Paper napkins;
Disposable cups.

It’s difficult to give a price range for this category of expenditure, since the price of the products listed above varies greatly from one merchant to another, and according to the quantity to be purchased. Nevertheless, to save money, we advise you to buy these products in bulk. You should also set up a good inventory management system to prevent perishables from being lost or wasted.

The fuel

Over time, this expense item can quickly become significant. The cost of fuel depends essentially on the fuel consumption of your vehicle and the number of trips you make. The further you travel from your garage, the higher the costs. So, set aside at least 200 euros per month to avoid unpleasant surprises and to help you set realistic sales targets so that you can break even.

Start-up costs

This fee depends on the nature of your activity and the legal form of your company. If you choose to operate as a sole trader, the fee will be around 45 euros. If you opt for a commercial company, the fee will be higher:

52.45 euros for a trading company carrying on a craft activity ;
21.4 euros for the declaration of beneficial owners ;
between 118 and 226 euros for publication costs with a legal advertiser (depending on the legal form of your company).

On the other hand, if you opt for the legal status of microenterprise, the formalities involved in setting up are free of charge.

Things to remember

Launching a food truck is an exciting project, but one that requires real financial preparation. From the choice of vehicle to fittings and operating costs, every item of expenditure must be anticipated to ensure the profitability of your project.

With these budget benchmarks, you now have a clear vision of the investments you need to make to set up your food truck. And to ensure that you have a truck or trailer that’s reliable, compliant and perfectly suited to your business, Ecomag can help you with tailor-made solutions, new or used models, and expert advice to bring your project to fruition with complete confidence.

Des fondations solides pour un projet crédible

Un business plan n’est pas une formalité administrative, c’est le socle de votre projet entrepreneurial. En prenant le temps de clarifier votre vision, d’expliquer votre concept et d’étudier votre marché, vous montrez que vous ne vous lancez pas à l’aveugle. Vous renforcez la crédibilité de votre démarche, aussi bien auprès de vous-même que de vos futurs partenaires financiers ou opérationnels.

Une fois ces bases posées, vous pourrez aborder plus sereinement la suite : stratégie marketing, organisation, prévisionnel financier et plan d’action concret.