43,215 food truck businesses operate in the U.S.

According to IBISWorld, there are over 43,000 food trucks operating in the United States in 2023, which is nearly a 10% increase from 2022. The number is expected to grow even further in 2024.

Between 2018 and 2023, the food truck business grew at a 9.9% annual rate.

IBISWorld also reports 9.9% annual growth over the last 5 years, signifying that the food truck industry is thriving and is unlikely to slow down very soon.

Food truck income in the U.S. is expected to surpass $2 billion by 2030.

As per Grand View Research, the food truck industry is estimated to expand at a 6.4% average yearly from 2022 to 2030, totaling roughly $2 billion.

Over 40% of food truck consumers are below 45 years old.

Over 40 percent of food truck customers are below the age of 45. This could be attributed to various factors, including income levels, generational preferences, and a desire for ease and convenience when it comes to ordering food to go. Knowing more about customer demographics and age ranges will allow you to develop targeted marketing strategies and tailored products.

A new truck with a brand-new kitchen will cost between $125,000 and $200,000. 

Entrepreneurs interested in entering the food truck market can expect a significant financial investment, especially if they intend to buy a brand-new vehicle with brand-new equipment. During their first year of business, food truck operators also spend an average of $28,276 on licenses, permits, and continuous legal compliance.

Used food truck trucks typically range in price from $30,000 to $70,000. 

Toast estimates buying a pre-owned truck will cost $70,000 or less. However, you should consider that this option typically requires more time and money to do extra maintenance.

Annual food truck revenue is between $250,000 and $500,000 on average.

According to Toast, most food trucks generate anywhere between $250,000 and $500,000 in annual revenue. Keep in mind that these figures don’t account for any expenses, so your profit will be less — but most likely still significant. Clearly, the food truck industry is thriving and is predicted to increase in value by 2024 and beyond. 

Build Your Custom Food Truck Today

Need help bringing your food truck dream to life? At Legion, we can design and build a high-quality custom food truck for your business. Our team also provides expert assistance in branding, marketing, equipment, and more. Feel free to reach out to our team to started!

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Regular Inspection and Cleaning

By performing regular inspections for your truck and kitchen, you can catch any problems before they become more serious. During each inspection, check all parts of the truck closely, from the engine components to all kitchen appliances. As you search, keep an eye out for leaks, loose wires, or any signs of wear and tear. Don’t forget to inspect the propane systems and exhaust hoods for potential safety hazards. 

It’s also important to regularly clean the kitchen, floors, and appliances because of how quickly they can get dirty when preparing food. Watch out for cooking grease, which can build up in parts of the kitchen and cause a serious fire hazard. As for the exterior, a simple wash once a week can go a long way to keep your truck presentable and make a lasting impression on customers. 

Appliance Care

Your kitchen equipment is one of the most important aspects of your food truck business. Make sure that all appliances work well and are in good condition. Regularly inspect ovens, grills, fryers, and refrigerator units, and replace any malfunctioning or outdated equipment as soon as possible. 

Tire Maintenance

To avoid costly breakdowns or accidents while on the road, keep your tires in top condition. Over or underinflated tires can negatively affect your truck’s handling and fuel efficiency, so check tire air pressure regularly. If your tires are wearing out or losing tread, don’t hesitate to replace them. You should also rotate tires at least once a year. 

Engine Fluids and Filters

Keep up to date with routine auto maintenance like oil changes, transmission fluid changes, and filter replacements. This will help extend the life of your truck’s engine and prevent breakdowns and expensive repairs. Always follow your truck manufacturers’ guidelines when it comes to fluid types and frequency of changes. 

Exhaust System Maintenance

The exhaust system on a food truck is often overlooked, but it’s crucial to the truck’s functionality and safety. Make sure to keep your exhaust hood and ventilation system clean of grease buildup. Not only does exhaust maintenance keep the kitchen safe, it prevents unpleasant odors from spreading in the interior of your truck.

Stay Up To Date on Health Codes

Like any food-related business, you need to follow all health codes so you can pass inspections without issues. Make sure you understand your local requirements, which may vary depending on where you’re operating your business. Sometimes health codes are changed and updated, so pay attention to any new rules or laws that apply to you and your business. 

Check Digital Components

Regularly check digital components on your food truck like POS systems, mobile ordering, or accounting software, making sure they’re all fully updated and working properly. If you have internet in your truck, take a look at the router and do a network test. 

Perform Regular Safety Checks

Last but certainly not least, check all safety features like fire extinguishers and emergency exits, completing any maintenance tasks required by the manufacturer. If you use propane on your truck, perform leak tests and if needed, have a licensed technician do repairs.  

Bring Your Dream Food Truck To Life

At Legion Food Trucks, we specialize in designing and building custom food trucks from the ground up. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help bring your dream truck to life. In the meantime, feel free to check out our free resources like the Food Truck Equipment Checklist or our startup guide, Getting Started in the Food Truck Business.

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Do You Need a Bathroom for Your Food Truck? 

Whether or not you should have a bathroom in your food truck depends on a few things:

• Regulations in your area
• The size of your truck 
• Where you’re planning to sell food 
• Personal preference 

While bathroom regulations vary from city to city, most places require you to be near one wherever you’re parked and serving food. However, some cities also have restrictions on how long you can leave your truck unattended, which means you can’t be away for long. If you have space and your city allows it, a food truck with a bathroom on board can be a convenient addition that saves you time and helps you avoid breaking regulations.   

Pros and Cons of Having a Food Truck with a Bathroom

Pro #1: Productivity

Installing a bathroom in your food truck means your staff won’t need to go offsite to use one. This saves time, increases productivity, and allows you to serve more customers. 

Pro #2: Convenience and comfort

Public bathrooms are not frequently cleaned, and sometimes you might run into long lines whenever you want to use them. Equipping your food truck with a bathroom will help you avoid these issues.

Pro #3: Customer Perception

No customer wants to see the individual who cooked or served their food leave the restroom without the option of immediately washing their hands. Having a food truck with a bathroom prevents this from being a problem.

Con #1: Time

Dealing with gray water tanks or composting your bathroom can significantly add to the time you’ll spend cleaning and maintaining your food truck. However, failing to clean it when it’s dirty may cause customers to question your kitchen’s cleanliness, which can negatively affect your truck’s public image. 

Con #2: Space

If your food truck isn’t too big, installing a bathroom can take up a lot of valuable space. If you decide to have a bathroom in your truck, make sure it doesn’t interfere with the space you need to install counters, cabinets, refrigerators, and other equipment. 

We Bring Your Dream Food Truck to Life

Whether or not you’re considering a food truck with a bathroom or one without, Legion Food Trucks has you covered. We use top-quality materials to build a custom truck that fits your exact specifications. We’ll help you through the entire process, from initial conception and ideation to construction and installation. Reach out to our experts today to get started bringing your dream food truck to life!

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Still, like any business, launching a food truck requires plenty of planning to be successful. In this article, we’ll share six things you should consider before building your food truck. 

1. Financing 

The cost of building a food truck is usually lower than starting a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but it’s still a big investment. Besides the cost of the truck, you have to account for marketing, staff, equipment, fuel, inspection, as well as licensing and permit fees. Luckily, there are plenty of financing options available to help you fund your business without the large upfront costs. 

2. Location 

The three rules of real estate also apply to mobile food service: location, location, location! It’s always best to set up your truck in a place with lots of foot traffic. Make sure to also set a schedule that ensures you’re open during peak times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as big festivals or events. 

3. License and Permits 

Licenses and permits typically differ depending on the location. A shortlist of possible locations to park your food truck will help you study and list the required permits. Evaluating the licenses and permits needed per area will help you align your business plan. By doing so, you’re also be able to compare costs and settle on what fits your budget best.

4. Staff Size

Another consideration to make before building your food truck is the number of staff you’ll need to hire. If you’re enlisting more than two or three people to run your business, you’ll need to consider a larger truck to provide a comfortable working environment. More space will also make your team more efficient and reduce the risk of spills or accidents.

5. POS and Payments

One crucial decision for any food truck owner is whether or not to include a POS system. These systems allow for the use of card payments, but because they require internet access, many trucks go without them and stick to cash-only. We recommend investing in a POS simply because more and more people are going cashless, and not being able to accept cards will drastically limit your customer base. 

6. Equipment and Supplies 

Depending on the food offerred, most food trucks require a range of equipment, including grills, deep fryers, refrigerators, sinks, and more. You’ll need to consider not only what equipment you need, but also how you’re going to arrange and store everything in your truck. Be sure to store equipment in a way that makes it accessible while also not getting in the way of operations. 

We’re Here to Help You

The food truck business can be exciting and lucrative, but careful planning is essential. Make the necessary preparations beforehand and you’ll be ready to run an efficient operation and build a reputation of excellent food and service in your community. When you do it right, there’s no limit to what you can achieve with your food truck! 

If you’re ready to start your food truck business — or just learn more about the process — Legion Food Trucks is here to help. We’re dedicated to creating quality custom food trucks that are built to last. Get in touch with us today, and let’s help you build your dream food truck.

The post Before You Build a Food Truck: 6 Considerations appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

Three-Compartment Sink

It goes without saying that every food truck needs a sink — but what you might not know is the importance of having a three-compartment sink. Instead of using one for all cleaning purposes, a three-compartment sink has separate areas for washing, rinsing, and sanitizing to ensure safe handling of food and drinks. Just like any food-related business, it’s extremely important to follow proper safety guidelines, so it’s worth going the extra mile and investing in this piece of equipment. 

Under-Counter Fridge and Freezer 

You’ll need a refrigerator and freezer to store ingredients and keep food from going to waste. But in a food truck, one of your most valuable assets is space, and putting in a full size refrigerator and freezer is going to take up a lot of available real estate. The solution: installing the appliances under the counter. They’ll be just as functional and accessible while giving you more space to run your operation efficiently. 

Stainless Steel Tables 

Every food truck requires plenty of table space for preparing orders, but it’s important to make sure your tables are stainless steel rather than aluminum, copper, or iron. These other metals can potentially discolor your food with brown, black, and grey pigments. They can even affect the taste, often giving food a slightly metallic flavor. Fortunately, stainless steel equipment won’t negatively affect your orders at all. It’s a good idea to also invest in stainless steel cookware and utensils for this same purpose. 

Color-Coded Cookware

It’s essential to avoid cross-contaminations and accidentally combining ingredients while preparing orders. Even a small amount of the wrong ingredient can potentially interfere with a customer’s dietary restrictions, or even cause a serious allergic reaction. A good way to avoid this is to have color-coded items like utensils, pots, pans, cutting boards, and storage containers to separate ingredients that shouldn’t be mixed together. As a bonus, color coding your equipment will make it easier to find what you’re looking for. 

Pay Attention to the Details 

The above examples may seem oddly specific, but they’re important if you want to make the most of your food truck business. Stocking your truck with the right equipment will help you maintain the quality of your meals, and paying attention to specific details will put your brand ahead of the competition. If you’d like more insight on the essential equipment to include for your food truck, check our free Food Truck Equipment Checklist. 

At Legion Food Trucks, we can help you build your dream custom food truck that matches your exact specifications. If you’re ready to learn more and start the process, be sure to contact our experts today. 

The post 3 Oddly Specific Types of Food Truck Equipment You Need appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

Regulation authorities provide guidelines on the minimum safety requirements that food trucks must meet, one of which is installing safety equipment. Here’s a rundown of the essentials you’ll need before starting your food truck. 

Fire Suppression System

Food trucks face significant fire risks from propane, portable generators, chemicals, cooking oil spills, and more. To minimize fire danger, it’s absolutely essential to install a fire suppression system. An automatic fire suppression system prevents fire from spreading by shutting down the fuel/electric supply to cooking equipment when a fire is detected. Once installed, the system should be professionally inspected regularly to ensure it’s always functional and meets the code requirements.

Ventilation System

Optimal ventilation is crucial, especially with the limited space of a food truck. Without proper ventilation, grease, vapor, and smoke buildup heighten the risk of a fire outbreak. Grease can also make the surfaces slippery, heightining the risk of slips and falls. Poor ventilation can also raise humidity, leading to food spoilage.

Different cities may have specific ventilation requirements that food trucks must meet. For instance, the San Diego County government requires all mobile food trucks to install exhaust ventilation equipment, grease baffles, and fans. The mechanical ventilation equipment must always be operational and maintained to meet the code requirements. The exhaust system may require more frequent inspections to check for grease buildup, as it significantly increases the risk of fire hazards.

Fire Extinguishers

Food trucks must also install portable fire extinguishers, which should be inspected by the fire department annually. There are two types of fire extinguishers food trucks need to have. 

• Class K extinguishers – These are specially designed to combat cooking fires. Oil, fats, and grease are highly flammable, burn at high temperatures, and spread quickly, making them hard to combat with ordinary extinguishers. However, for optimal performance of the extinguisher, you should deploy it after activating the hood suppression system.
• ABC extinguishers – In addition to class K, you still need ABC extinguishers to combat fires from other sources like electric, paper, and plastic.

First Aid Kits 

Food trucks must have first aid kits placed in an easily accessible location. Having the equipment ready enables you to administer the necessary aid promptly when a health emergency arises. 

Other important safety measures include having an emergency exit and fitting the deep fryers, coffee urns, and steam tables with secure, latch-closing lids.

Learn More About Installing Safety Equipment with Legion Food Trucks

Installing safety equipment in your food truck helps protect you and your staff against potential hazards. It also ensures your food truck is compliant with the relevant safety regulations. At Legion Food Trucks, we specialize in building custom, high-end food trucks that align with clients’ visions and meet the necessary government regulations. If you’d like to learn more about installing safety equipment in your food truck or want help bringing your dream to life, feel free to get in touch with us!

The post Building a Food Truck 101: Installing Safety Equipment appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

That’s why we’ve prepared this short yet comprehensive guide to outline the most common equipment to consider when building a food truck. 

Food Truck Cooking Equipment 

Building a food truck kitchen mirrors the traditional brick-and-mortar design. Despite its smaller size, the food truck’s kitchen must accommodate cooking, cleaning, cooling, and serving areas. Depending on your truck’s menu, you’ll need various cooking equipment, including: 

• Fryers: You’ll need fryers for frying foods quickly to add a crispy texture. 
• Griddles: Griddles and grills are flat cooking surfaces for preparing pancakes, burgers, and sandwiches. 
• Ranges: Cooktop with burners for versatile cooking, like boiling and simmering. 
• Microwave: A microwave will rapidly heat and reheat food items. 
• Toaster: You may need toasters to toast bread and heat smaller food items. 

Remember, when using gas equipment, opt for models compatible with liquid propane and not natural gas. 

Dishwashing Stations: 3-Compartment Sink 

Whether it’s a brick-and-mortar or mobile kitchen, sanitation facilities are a must. You need a dishwashing station for cleaning your food truck’s equipment, such as utensils and other dinnerware. 

Although you have such a confined space, you should use a 3-compartment utility sink to separately wash, rinse, and sanitize your truck’s equipment, including cooking utensils. To prevent water from splashing out and contaminating nearby food, consider high-wall sink models. 

Refrigeration System 

For proper food storage, you may need refrigerators or freezers. You have to consider optimal food storage conditions when building a food truck. And with so many options in the market, you should research until you find the perfect model for your needs. 

Storing food at the optimal temperature doesn’t require sacrificing valuable counter space. If you’re short on space, consider under-counter and worktop refrigerator units. Otherwise, you need to check the weight of the appliances so you don’t add loads of heavy equipment to your truck. 

Other Kitchen Equipment 

In addition to the cooking equipment, refrigerators, and dishwashing stations, you’ll also need three other food truck equipment, namely: 

• Exhaust Hood: Also called a range hood, it provides ventilation above the cooking area, eliminating smoke and odors. 
• Concession Window: This serves as the customer service point, allowing clients to receive their orders conveniently. 
• Water Tanks: Two tanks are needed—one for fresh water and another for wastewater—to support cooking and cleaning operations. 

In other words, this equipment ensures a clean and odor-free cooking environment in your food truck kitchen setup, not to mention the concession window that enables efficient customer service. 

Customize Your Food Truck With Legion Food Trucks 

Building a food truck and setting up the kitchen can be daunting tasks. The necessary equipment and supplies will depend on your business model and menu. In this ever-growing industry, you should research thoroughly before selecting equipment that fits your specific needs. 

At Legion Food Trucks, we offer more than just building custom food trucks. We are your experienced creative partner and business mentor. With a comprehensive solution, we manage custom manufacturing, business filings, and financing services. Reach out to our food truck experts to build your dream food truck.

The post Building a Food Truck 101: Selecting Kitchen Equipment appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

Ideally, most people prefer buying a pre-built truck, but a few would prefer DIY food trucks. Both options have pros and cons, but creating or customizing a food truck may be more challenging due to the needed installations. Keep reading to learn why you should consider a pre-built truck over a DIY food truck. 

Adherence to Local Regulations for Food Trucks

The food truck industry has many codes and regulations that food truck owners should adhere to. Therefore, if you choose to build your food truck, you must be able to meet these requirements. Otherwise, you may end up regretting starting the food truck business in the first place.

Choosing the Right Vehicle

One of the greatest advantages of making a DIY food truck is that you can convert any vehicle to suit your needs. However, if you’re new in this business, you might be unaware of the best layout that would suit your business model. Even experienced food truck owners can find it challenging to determine the best layout, especially if they’re used to pre-built trucks that come with custom designs.

Besides that, since you’ll be looking into a used vehicle, you might find it challenging to assess the condition of the vehicle. It’s hard to tell whether a truck is poorly maintained if you’re not a mechanic or have prior experience using it. Therefore, you may likely deal with constant mechanical problems once you start running your food truck business. 

Equipment to Run the Food Truck

Food trucks are equipped with typical kitchen appliances such as refrigeration, clean-up stations, a handwashing station, grills, stove tops, ovens, and deep fryers. You’re expected to fit them into your DIY food truck project. Setting them up might be challenging, considering the labor and tools needed to fit them. Unless you have your workshop and have experience with these kinds of installations, ensuring that these appliances perfectly fit your food truck may be challenging. 

Setting Up the Truck’s Electrical Component

A DIY food truck requires different wiring from the initial vehicle to maintain enough electricity to run its appliances. Therefore, you might need to make new electrical wiring that fits your design layout. This is a demanding task that requires an experienced food truck electrician. This might raise your project cost or put you at risk of injuries or fires if you install the wiring yourself. 

Build Your Custom Food Truck at Legion Food Trucks

Building a DIY food truck comes with many risks, from selecting the right truck, determining the best layout, fitting the appliances, setting up the electrical wiring, and more. This can be time-consuming and might even cost more than expected. 

At Legion Food Trucks, we will help you build a fully-customized food truck that meets your specification. Rather than spending time and money on a DIY project that may not materialize, our team of experts will help you build a food truck that meets the required health standards and codes and serve your needs perfectly. Contact us today and learn how we can help you build the perfect food truck for your business. 

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Recognizing a great food truck manufacturer means evaluating five manufacturer attributes: 

• Innovation and customization
• Working within a budget
• Warranty
• Portfolio showing experience
• Regulatory compliance

An experienced quality food truck manufacturer will check all the boxes when it comes to catering to your customization needs, and it will help you to meet regulatory obligations and budget goals. 

Innovation and Customization

Mass-produced food trucks with cookie-cutter builds aren’t sufficient for optimal workflows, which is why the best food truck manufacturers offer limitless customization options for kitchen design and exterior wraps and lighting. If the manufacturer does not weld or offer custom wraps, you have to wonder what else they don’t do.

A full-service food truck manufacturer offers lighting and custom technology options to keep you on the cutting edge of customer service. This is instrumental in attracting and retaining customers. Innovation and customization options is an indicator that you are working with a manufacturer that accommodates the client’s specific needs. 

Working Within a Budget

The bottom line is the ultimate success indicator in any business, which is why reputable food truck manufacturers offer pricing transparency. They also offer financing options to simplify the purchasing process and keep all transactions in-house. 

Warranty

Offering assurance of operations with a warranty communicates that a food truck manufacturer stands behind their craftsmanship and products. As-is sales don’t offer the risk mitigation that is necessary for small businesses to sustain any losses caused by material flaws or manufacturing errors. 

Portfolio Showing Experience

When you look at the food truck manufacturer’s portfolio, it should light up your brain with new ideas…thing you hadn’t thought of that would be perfect for your situation or that could be altered to fit your needs. If a portfolio is underwhelming, your food truck is not likely to be any different. Manufacturers that can show their experience through quality portfolios show that they are professionals and take pride in their work. 

Regulatory Compliance

Finally, buying a food truck shouldn’t be a major effort in regulatory compliance. In other words, your food truck manufacturer should have the necessary information to make you compliant in whichever state(s) you do business. Equipment should be in compliance with health and fire standards for the location where you’ll do business, so you can start cooking as soon as your food truck is in place. 

By paying attention to a food truck manufacturer’s offerings and workmanship, a new or established food truck business can take advantage of the benefits of a brand new food truck. These advantages include quality equipment, safe operations, positive branding images, and ultimately, success. A new food truck from a quality food truck manufacturer is customized for optimal performance for your unique business needs. 

The post Food Truck Manufacturers: How to Spot the Good Ones appeared first on Legion Food Trucks.

Several factors determine whether a food truck cabinet suits your business. Here are some things you need to look out for to choose the best food truck cabinets. 

Size

There are different sizes available for food truck cabinets. Your choice depends on the amount of food you intend to carry at go. Remember, you will probably have no time to restock your food once you leave for your usual parking position. Therefore, having cabinets that fit your daily food supply would be best for your business. 

You can use cabinets with different sizes to hold different types of food. Some of these options are stackable, comprising two cabinets in one to hold different foods simultaneously. There are also half-size cabinets, double-wide, three-quarter size, and countertop options. 

Moist or Dry Heating Options

You may need humidifier cabinets if you’re dealing with foods that need moisture to avoid drying out. Foods that need these cabinets include ribs, pork, and fried chicken. The humidifier cabinets usually have water pans that you can fill manually. If your food truck business deals with crispy and fried foods, a dry heat cabinet would be handy. 

Most food truck businesses install both options for easier storage of moist and dry foods. This allows them to include different foods in their menu and maximize customer numbers. 

Material

Food truck cabinets are usually made of aluminum or stainless steel. Both options have their benefits and downsides that you should evaluate before you choose your food truck cabinets. Aluminum may be lighter but are less durable. 

Besides that, since you’ll need cabinets with excellent heat retention capacity, stainless steel cabinets are more suitable for your food truck business. Stainless steel has lower conductivity than aluminum, making it the better option for your cabinets. 

Accessibility

The location of your food truck cabinets determines the effectiveness of running your business. They should be placed in easy-access areas to allow easy movement within the truck. To determine if the cabinets are placed in accessible areas, consider where your employees stand while preparing food and check whether they can easily access the cabinets. You should also check the proximity of the customer access area to ensure that you serve them promptly. 

Elevate Your Food Truck Business with Legion Food Trucks

You must carefully evaluate the above factors to choose food truck cabinets that suit your needs. However, it’s easier to get a food truck cabinetry system with the intervention of modern technology. 

With Legion Food Trucks, you can select the best cabinetry system using our interactive food truck builder platform. It allows anyone interested in building a custom food truck to create their concept with the help of our fabrication team. For the best food truck cabinets, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. 

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