MEET NYFTA
The New York Food Truck Association, NYFTA, is a collection of New York’s top street food vendors: a diverse, vetted group of culinary professionals who operate in the five boroughs of NYC, Long Island, and Westchester.
We believe that food brings people together, which is why we are committed to connecting New Yorkers to our members for unique food truck catering experiences, while at the same time, working diligently to protect New York’s iconic street food culture through our advocacy work.
Above all else, we are community-driven— always aspiring to sustain high-quality food, enforce street safety, and elevate the overall food truck experience.
Food Truck Catering
NYFTA focuses on full-service mobile catering. We curate unique, memorable experiences by connecting clients to a wide array of local food truck vendors. Boasting over 100 members, we provide endless options in food trucks and cuisines, sure to satisfy any craving and elevate any event.
The events we cater range from weddings, birthday parties, and bar mitzvahs to corporate and employee appreciation events, happy hours, and festivals. Whatever your event, we have the solution.
Project Cycle
Here’s how it works
Give us details
date, time, location, and number of people
Pick your cuisines
from 50+ premium food trucks with eclectic menu variations.
Customize your experience
by designing your own menu board, or adding on interactive elements such as a photo booth
Sit back, relax
and enjoy your event while we ensure seamless execution
Concept development
whether it’s a detailed marketing plan or a big idea you need help polish, we will collaborate with you to ensure your vision comes to life.
Location selection
we know NYC and can ensure you reach your target audience in optimal high traffic locations.
Customization
endless customization possibilities, from a unique wrap design, to custom menu development, to branded collateral and so much more!
Execution
we’re pros, which means you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your event while we ensure it goes off without a hitch. This is what we do best so sit back and relax as we ensure you have a successful event!
Advocacy and Empowerment
The New York Food Truck Association empowers local food truck businesses in two unique and important ways.
First, NYFTA ensures that our vendors are opened to a world of new business opportunities through event catering and other streams of revenue. Because NYFTA was founded by Ben Goldberg, a former food truck owner who experienced first-hand how challenging it can be to rely solely on fickle street sales, our association is designed to ensure our vendors stay relevant and busy year-round through these catering opportunities that, in turn, empower our members to grow their businesses.
Second, NYFTA spends a significant amount of time and resources lobbying the city and state government in order to represent the best interests of our members, as well as the food truck industry at large. When it comes to potential policy changes, rules, or regulations that have a direct impact on our members, we don’t miss a beat. NYFTA always has its finger on the pulse of the industry, so we can use our expertise to make the voices of local mobile businesses heard.
why choose us
- The best eats on the streets - from helping develop customized menus, to picking from our hand-selected vendors, we know good food. We offer over 50 types of cuisines, and we’ve tried everything on the menu to make sure you’ll like it just as much we do.
- Experienced professionals - With 200+ yearly events under our belt, we can identify and prevent problems before they occur and fix those that arise unexpectedly.
- Compliance and success - It’s more than just ensuring trucks show up on time. We handle all logistics from insurance paperwork to securing the proper permits, to managing a point of sales system.
- Premium vendors - our members are properly insured and up-to-date on their health inspections, as well as personally vetted for food quality, cleanliness, reliability, and customer service.
" As an events producer at ViacomCBS, our team had a vision for a fun and creative way to cater for 3,000 people by flooding the 130,000 sq. ft venue with the most delicious food trucks in the city, but make it feel unique to the event. The NYFTA team flawlessly executed our vision while sharing their expertise on what would work best for each scenario presented. They were professional, friendly, collaborative, and fast! "
Deanna Caligiuri
ViacomCBS
" I've had the great pleasure of working with the NYFTA team on multiple food truck activations for hundreds of people all around the city - in the heat of summer and cold of winter! I'm always impressed with the team's commitment to excellence, collaborative spirit and willingness to do whatever it takes to deliver a memorable client experience. "
Liz Lenahan, Marketing
" Needed a custom menu because of gluten allergies. I was amazed at how many choices we had. Event went great. "
Stephan Conner
" The NYFTA understood our vision from the very beginning and executed an incredible event from start to finish. "
Adidas Client
" Worked with NYFTA for our wedding and we could not be happier!!!! Food was delicious and service was very reliable. Would use them again for another event "
Silvio Serra
IN THE NEWS
nyfta faq’s
Yes, NYFTA is a licensed vendor with the New York State Department of Education.
Yes! After filling out our event catering form an event coordinator from our team will reach out. Please discuss any allergies or restrictions with the event coordinator. All of our trucks have gluten and dairy-free options available.
Unfortunately, we cannot schedule rain dates as trucks have to pass up other opportunities and purchase food for the event.
Yes, for a cost of around $20K we can get a permit for you to go into all NYC parks. For smaller events, we are able to park very close to the Public Park (across the street or nearby street) but would not be able to park directly on them without permission through the parks department.
Given the nature of food products and other passed up opportunities by the truck, any cancellation of this contract will incur a 50% cancellation fee (based on the total contracted amount) if the cancellation occurs 14 days prior to the event. If the event is canceled within fourteen (14) days prior to the event for any reason the client will be responsible for the full amount of the contract.
Yes, we are able to provide a COI and you just need to provide us with the name and address of who you would like listed on the policy.
Unless you are able to secure a location for the truck, they will park as close as possible to your desired location. If you need the truck to be in a very specific location and are unable to secure a parking spot, you can speak to us about our spot holding services ($1,000-$1,500) which can be added to your booking and will ensure a specific spot is available. Depending on the location, a special event parking permit might be required through the city and we would be able to handle that as well ($5,500). The special event parking permit would be able to fit about 4 trucks.
NYFTA can process payment via Check or ACH for no additional fee. We can also accept credit card payments but those would be subject to a 3.5% convenience fee. We require that contracts be paid in full upon signing. Our Food Truck vendors are reserving dates (in favor of other opportunities) and arrangements are immediately set in motion upon signing.
Typically, each booking comes with a 3-4 hour serving window. If you need the truck for an extended period of time there could be an additional fee depending on the total portions
Once we agree on the truck(s) selection and pricing, we will send over an event portal for you to review the booking and sign off in order to confirm. After that you are all set and an invoice will be sent over.
The food truck staff is not able to bring food indoors but we can add an additional staff member specifically as a runner/buser if needed (~$300-$500 per person).
Yes, the trucks can serve the food with what you provide for them at the event.
Trucks will typically bring about 15-20% buffer of food. The trucks will seek your approval before going over any prepaid portion amount as to prevent unexpected charges after the event. Certain options of food can eventually run out if the prepaid portion was too low in comparison to the number of guests at the event.
Trucks can vary in size but typically they are 20-24 ft long x 8.5 ft wide x 10ft tall.
Due to their busy schedules, the truck cannot get pcr tested at a testing facility. However, food trucks can come early to your event if you are able to provide on-site tests beforehand.
Tastings can be difficult to schedule since most vendors are booked for private events and not regularly operating street sales. Sometimes they can be arranged with advanced notice but they are not guaranteed.
Typically, trucks bring a 15%-20% buffer of food and can go over the prepaid portions slightly if needed on the event day. However, trucks can run out of certain options and food altogether if the prepaid portions are too low for the number of guests at the event.
On our website, you can see our individual members’ pages and their menus. For most events, we will need to limit the options to 3-4 main dishes of your choice (sides and drinks are optional and would cost extra per person). This is done in order to expedite service and to limit food waste for the vendors. If you have any special menu requests, please let us know and we will try to accommodate your needs.
If the trucks are cooking to order they can serve ~100-150 guests per hour. For much larger events we can recommend trucks that are able to do pre-packaged meals in order to expedite service time significantly.
NYFTA members will generally travel within the Tri-State area, depending on location. Additional fees apply for events outside the 5 boroughs.
It is possible to add some small signage/decorations onto the truck that can be easily removed after the event without damaging the vehicle. We would recommend using command strips and there would not be any additional charges. If you are looking for a fully branded truck, the price for this service is expensive and begins at ~20-25k. We handle those events through our sister company, Food Truck Promotions, please feel free to contact them at [email protected] for more information.
The minimum cost to produce a branded promotion is $15k, but pricing can vary depending on the scope of your project. Please fill out a form and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss your project in more detail.
Although street parking in NYC can be extremely complicated, the NYFTA will work with you to find the perfect parking spot or obtain the necessary parking permit for your branded promotion.
Yes, we believe that brand ambassadors (BA’s) can help create genuine interactions and meaningful moments for consumers interacting through the promotion. We work with a great roster of brand ambassadors who are bubbly and love sharing their passion for your product. We can provide you with as many brand ambassadors as needed for your event. Our brand ambassadors are highly trained with the latest data capture programs, so that once the activation ends, you can harness the valuable data and insight that has been collected.
Every aspect of our branded activations are highly customizable. We handle everything from custom wraps, to interior/exterior fabrication, branded goods and packaging, and custom menus. Our in-house culinary team can create almost any food and beverage items imaginable for the tastiest interactive experience!
Typically about 2-3 weeks prior to the start of the activation, however, every project varies in scope of work and might require additional production time. We recommend filling out our Branded Promotions Form as soon as possible so a member of our team can discuss your project in more detail.
After finalizing which truck/cart would best suit your needs, our team will send you a template for your graphic designer to use when creating the graphics for your custom vinyl wrap. We are happy to design the wrap on your behalf, but additional fees will apply.
We do not help food trucks secure necessary health permits and mobile food vendor licenses.
We do not handle custom build outs for up-and-coming food truck owners. We only work with pre-existing food trucks that are registered with the department of health and are properly insured.
NYFTA will contact you about exclusive event listings, as well as additional branded promotions opportunities as they arise. You will gain access to our vast network of food truck owners and operators in the New York area, as well as receive free marketing from the NYFTA on our social media channels. Additionally, we are always working to change the rule and regulations in favor of food truck owners, and as a member of the Association, we will fight on your behalf for these changes.
Membership to join the NYFTA is always free!
If you are already an existing food truck, please complete this form and a member from our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
