Food Truck Business Operations

Provides comprehensive guidance to launch, operate, and scale a food truck business including menu, pricing, permits, operations, route planning, and growth...

Security Scan

The skill is an instruction-only business playbook for running a food truck and its requested footprint (no env vars, no installs, no code) matches its stated purpose.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description (Food Truck Business Operations) align with the SKILL.md and README content. All described functionality is informational and operational — there are no unrelated credentials, binaries, or system access requested.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md contains procedural guidance, checklists, financial models, and planning heuristics. It does not instruct the agent to read files, access environment variables, call external endpoints, or exfiltrate data. The doc is focused and stays within the stated purpose.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files — the skill is instruction-only. This is the lowest-risk install model and is coherent with a content/playbook skill.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables, credentials, or config paths. That is proportionate for an informational playbook; nothing requested appears excessive or unrelated.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request elevated or persistent privileges. Autonomous invocation is allowed (platform default) but there are no other privilege escalations or cross-skill configuration changes.

Assessment

This skill is a content-only playbook and appears coherent with its stated purpose. Before installing, consider: 1) The guidance is general — verify any cost, permit, or revenue numbers against local regulations and market data for your city/state. 2) The skill asks for no credentials, but when interacting with your agent avoid pasting sensitive account credentials or personal financial data into prompts. 3) README links point to external AfrexAI pages — review those pages before following/installing anything from them. 4) The playbook is not a substitute for professional legal, tax, or health-code advice; consult local authorities for permits/food-safety requirements. Overall risk is low for typical users.

Complete operational playbook for launching and scaling a food truck business. Covers menu engineering, pricing, permits, commissary kitchens, route planning, event booking, and growth from 1 truck to a fleet.

Menu Engineering & Pricing

Food Cost Targets by Concept

Concept	Target Food Cost	Avg Ticket	Items on Menu
Tacos / Mexican	28-32%	$12-15	8-12
BBQ / Smoked Meat	30-35%	$14-18	6-10
Burgers	28-32%	$13-16	6-8
Asian Fusion	25-30%	$13-17	8-12
Pizza	22-28%	$12-15	6-8
Desserts / Ice Cream	20-28%	$8-12	8-15
Coffee / Beverage	15-22%	$6-9	10-15
Vegan / Health	28-33%	$14-18	8-10

Menu Size Rule

Keep it to 8-12 items MAX. Every item you add slows service, increases waste, and complicates prep. The best trucks run 6 items and crush it.

Pricing Formula

Menu Price = (Ingredient Cost / Target Food Cost %) × 1.0
Example: $3.50 ingredients / 0.30 = $11.67 → price at $12

High-Margin Adds

• Drinks (80%+ margin): bottled water $2-3, canned soda $2-3, fresh lemonade $4-5
• Sides: chips $3, mac & cheese $4-5, coleslaw $3
• Desserts: cookies $3-4, churros $5-6
• Upsell combos: meal + drink + side = $3-5 more per ticket

Startup Costs

New Truck Build

Item	Cost Range
Used truck (turnkey)	$40,000-80,000
New custom build	$80,000-200,000
Wrap / branding	$2,500-5,000
POS system (Square/Clover)	$500-1,500
Initial inventory	$1,000-3,000
Permits & licenses	$1,000-5,000
Insurance (annual)	$2,000-4,000
Commissary deposit	$500-2,000
Generator (if needed)	$3,000-8,000
Fire suppression system	$3,000-6,000
Total range	$53,500-234,500

Trailer Alternative

Food trailers run $20,000-60,000 — roughly half a truck. Trade-off: need a tow vehicle, harder to park in tight spots, but way cheaper entry point.

Permits & Licensing (US)

Required Everywhere

• Business license — city/county, $50-500/year
• Food handler's permit — per person, $10-25, ServSafe or equivalent
• Health department permit — $200-1,000/year, requires inspection
• Fire department permit — fire suppression system inspection, $100-300
• Vehicle registration — commercial plates
• Sales tax permit — state-issued

Varies by City/State

• Mobile food vendor permit — some cities cap the number issued
• Commissary kitchen requirement — most cities require you prep/store at a licensed commissary
• Parking permits — specific zones, meters, or private lot agreements
• Special event permits — per-event, $25-200
• Propane use permit — some jurisdictions require separate approval

Cities Known for Tough Regulations

Portland, OR — lottery system for downtown spots Boston, MA — very limited permits, long waitlists NYC — extremely expensive medallion-style permits Austin, TX — relatively friendly, lots of food truck parks

Cities Known for Food Truck Friendly Policies

Los Angeles, CA | Houston, TX | Denver, CO | Nashville, TN | Miami, FL

Daily Operations

Prep Day Timeline

6:00 AM  — Arrive at commissary, prep ingredients
8:00 AM  — Load truck, check equipment, ice down
9:00 AM  — Drive to location, set up
9:30 AM  — Systems check: POS, generator, propane, water
10:00 AM — Open for service
2:00 PM  — Lunch rush ends, restock if doing dinner
5:00 PM  — Dinner service (if applicable)
8:00 PM  — Close, clean, drive to commissary
9:00 PM  — Unload, deep clean, prep for tomorrow

Daily Checklist

• Propane tank level (swap at 20%)
• Fresh water tank full
• Grey water tank empty
• Generator fuel and oil
• POS charged and connected
• Menu board clean and visible
• Hand wash station stocked (soap, paper towels)
• Thermometer readings logged (cold hold <41°F, hot hold >135°F)
• Cash drawer counted
• Social media post (location + hours)

Route Planning & Revenue

Location Types by Revenue Potential

Location	Avg Daily Revenue	Fee Structure
Brewery / Taproom	$800-2,000	Free or $50-100
Office Park (lunch)	$600-1,500	Free-$100/day
Farmers Market	$500-1,500	$50-150 booth fee
Festival / Event	$2,000-8,000+	10-20% of sales or flat $200-500
Food Truck Park	$400-1,200	$500-2,000/month rent
Private Catering	$1,500-5,000+	Negotiated per-head
Construction Site	$400-800	Usually free
Late Night (bars)	$500-1,500	Free or $50-100

Weekly Revenue Model (Single Truck)

Tuesday:    Office park lunch      $800
Wednesday:  Brewery                $1,000
Thursday:   Office park lunch      $900
Friday:     Late night bar strip   $1,200
Saturday:   Farmers market AM      $1,000
Saturday:   Event/festival PM      $2,500
Sunday:     Brunch spot            $800
                                   --------
Weekly total:                      $8,200
Monthly (4.3 weeks):               $35,260
Annual:                            $423,000

Seasonality Index (% of Peak Revenue)

Month	Index	Notes
Jan	50%	Cold weather, post-holiday
Feb	55%	Still slow
Mar	65%	Starting to warm up
Apr	80%	Spring events begin
May	90%	Wedding/graduation season
Jun	100%	Peak season starts
Jul	100%	Peak
Aug	95%	Still strong
Sep	85%	Back to school
Oct	75%	Fall festivals
Nov	60%	Holiday prep
Dec	55%	Cold, but holiday events

Financial Benchmarks

P&L Targets (% of Revenue)

Line Item	Target %
Food cost (COGS)	28-35%
Labor (including owner)	25-30%
Fuel (truck + generator)	3-5%
Commissary rent	3-5%
Insurance	1-2%
Permits & licenses	1-2%
POS / payment processing	3-4%
Marketing	2-3%
Maintenance & repairs	3-5%
Net profit	15-25%

Break-Even Calculation

Monthly fixed costs: ~$4,000-6,000
(commissary $800, insurance $300, permits $200, truck payment $1,500, phone/POS $200, marketing $200, misc $500)

Contribution margin: ~60% (after food cost + payment processing)

Break-even monthly revenue: $4,500 / 0.60 = $7,500-10,000
Break-even daily (20 days): $375-500/day

Most trucks need $500/day minimum to survive. $1,000/day is comfortable. $2,000/day is thriving.

Commissary Kitchen

What You Need From a Commissary

• Licensed commercial kitchen for prep
• Dry and cold storage
• Grease trap access
• Overnight truck parking
• Waste disposal
• Health department approved

Cost Range

• Shared commissary: $500-1,500/month
• Dedicated space: $1,500-3,000/month
• Ghost kitchen rental: $2,000-5,000/month (overkill for most trucks)

Growth: 1 Truck → Fleet

Stage 1: Single Truck ($0-300K/year)

• Owner-operated, 1-2 employees
• Focus: nail the menu, build following, consistent locations
• Reinvest everything

Stage 2: Optimized Single ($300-500K/year)

• 2-3 employees, owner steps back from daily cooking
• Add catering revenue stream
• Build SOPs so others can run the truck without you

Stage 3: Second Truck ($500K-1M/year)

• Clone the model — same menu, same SOPs
• Different territory / different schedule
• Hire a truck manager, not just cooks
• Shared commissary, shared purchasing = better margins

Stage 4: Fleet (3+ trucks, $1M+/year)

• Central commissary for all trucks
• Bulk purchasing (food cost drops 3-5%)
• Brand licensing or franchise model
• Consider brick-and-mortar as anchor location

Key Metrics to Track

• Revenue per service hour — target $150-300/hr
• Tickets per hour — target 30-60 during rush
• Average ticket — track weekly, push combos to raise it
• Food cost % — weigh everything, price monthly
• Waste % — track and reduce, target <3% of food purchased
• Social followers — your free marketing channel
• Repeat customer rate — loyalty cards, apps

Marketing That Works

Free / Low-Cost

• Instagram + TikTok (post your location DAILY)
• Google Business Profile (show up in "food trucks near me")
• Yelp listing (free, people search it)
• Text/email list — collect at every stop, send weekly schedule
• Partner with breweries, offices, event planners

Paid (When Profitable)

• Instagram/Facebook ads ($5-10/day, geo-targeted)
• Food truck finder apps (Roaming Hunger, Street Food Finder)
• Sponsor local events for visibility

The #1 Marketing Rule

Post your location and hours EVERY SINGLE DAY on social media. The question "where are you today?" should never go unanswered.

Common Mistakes

1. Menu too big — more items = more waste, slower service, confused customers
2. Ignoring weather — rain drops revenue 40-60%. Have backup indoor spots.
3. No commissary plan — operating without one is illegal in most cities
4. Underpricing — you're not competing with McDonald's. Charge what you're worth.
5. Skipping maintenance — a broken truck = zero revenue. Budget 3-5% for maintenance.
6. No social media presence — if people can't find you, you don't exist
7. Bad location research — one bad spot can waste an entire day
8. No catering — highest-margin revenue stream, most trucks ignore it

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