2023 Party Goals: Cost to Rent A Food Truck For a Party

You're here because you've decided to up your party game and provide your valued guests with the hottest gourmet eats around and need answering to the question ‘how to rent a food truck for an event’. Renting a food truck can be a complicated affair, but not when you partner with Best Food Trucks, the industry leader in food truck catering for parties. There are a variety of considerations in your preparations for your party and since we started the first mobile food truck vendors association in the country back in January 2010, we have literally seen everything one can see in this industry, and our experience is yours, helping you cut through all the complications to ensure your party goes off without a hitch. And one of the first questions countless individuals have asked us is the cost of renting a food truck for their party.

If you want beverage and/or dessert options (with a savory truck) in addition to your cuisine catering, expect a range of $1-$5 in addition per person, with food truck rentals for parties.

Further, a general rule of thumb is that requests of cuisine orders under a total of 50 people will likely face food truck rental minimums, increasing your per person cost. Some trucks will have minimums below this amount while others will be higher, but this is the general ballpark to expect when planning your order and remembering when you want to rent a food truck for party.

But Why Am I Bound To Cover A Minimum Food Truck Rental Cost?

A food truck minimum is the cost you have to pay to get the truck on site and make the job financially beneficial to cover a truck's operating costs regardless of the number of eaters that show up. Food truck operation is expensive and the truck's responsibility lies in making great food for your guests and not in promotion of said event. If people do not show up and trucks eat the set-up costs, they won't stay in business. Hence, the minimum cost to rent a food truck for a party ensures all base costs are covered. Staffing, food costs, fuel costs, automotive maintenance, thorough truck cleanings, etc., are just a few expenses that go into rental food truck operation.

Factors That Affect Food Truck Rental Prices

There's a lot that goes into the rental cost, determined by the specifics of your party. Let's get started!

• Type of Event: The anticipated number of guests and the event's theme will both play a role in determining how much it will cost to rent a food truck for a party. Since corporate clients typically book multiple food truck rentals for parties & events, the price per person would rise for corporate events. Prices for private events (birthday parties, wedding receptions, etc.) would be lower than the prices for a corporate event due to the lower number of guests and the trend of hiring a single food truck for such events.
• Variety of Cuisines: When catering to a larger crowd, such as at a wedding or an office party, the host may opt for a more diverse menu to provide guests with additional dining options. This implies more food trucks to hire for parties, raising the cost per person.
• Power Cost: You need to take into account the cost of power supply which you would be providing for each food truck coming to your event. Food truck rentals use power to operate their mobile kitchen, this includes working with ovens, microwaves, refrigerators for desserts and more.
• Travel Cost To Reach Your Event: Food trucks do not usually travel long distances to cater an event, but if they do, most food truck owners would expect an extra travel fee if your party location is farther away. This cost even depends on whether or not your city permits food trucks operations, or has certain restrictions on food trucks catering parties. Another factor that affects travel cost includes the cuisine type, for instance common food trucks catering tacos and bbq are relatively cheaper to rent than a fusion or any fine cuisine food truck.

In a nutshell, if you are calculating the cost of renting a food truck the first thing to consider is what you want to serve and how many people are going to attend your event. While there are other considerations, these two are responsible for the majority of the bottom line. Hope this blog helped you answer ‘how to rent a food truck for an event’.