Food Truck Rentals Guide
Food truck rentals are an easy and fun way to cater to any party. Whether you’re planning a wedding or office lunch, birthday, and graduation party, give your guests and experience that’s as delicious as it is memorable by renting a food truck. From strategy and planning to five-star catering and white-glove service, New York offers some of the finest food truck rentals that are ready, willing, and able to make your next party or event the talk of the town.
It may be intimidating to get started, so we made a simple guide to help you better navigate the world of food truck catering and the event planning process. Once you know the basics and different factors to consider, you’ll be ready to book food trucks for all your events!
BEST EVENTS FOR FOOD TRUCK CATERING
Food trucks can cater to all kinds of events, big or small. Renting a food truck means you’re partnering with a business that knows how to feed a crowd right out of the gate. It’s what they do every day! With a wide variety of customizable culinary options at your disposal, no matter your guests’ dietary requirements and/or restrictions, even the most fickle palette can be satisfied.
Event ideas for food truck rentals:
- Corporate lunches.
- Holiday parties.
- Wedding receptions.
- Bar/bar mitzvahs.
- Employee appreciation.
- Conferences/conventions.
- Concerts/festivals.
Cost to Rent a Food Truck for an Event
5 THINGS TO CONSIDER
for food truck rentals
Food truck rental pricing generally ranges between $10 to $20 per guest, with a $1500 minimum cost. One of the biggest advantages of food truck catering is that it is often less expensive than traditional catering services while adding a special charm and uniqueness that standard catering cannot.
However, when booking a food truck for an event, there are several variables to consider that also influence the cost. Try out our event catering calculator below to get a baseline idea!
1. PRICING STRUCTURE
Host pays the food truck at an agreed upon price to cater their event, with an agreed-upon menu and an agreed-upon number of people.
Guests pay for their own food and drinks, as they would at any entertainment venue. Under this structure, food trucks typically offer their full available menu and there is usually a sales guarantee that varies depending on the event. The organizer would be responsible for any shortfall between the event sales and the sales guarantee.
2. CUSTOMIZATION
Food trucks typically specialize in certain foods, but the chefs are always happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions and prepare specially requested items that compliment your event’s theme. Food truck catering is meant to be a fun and exciting element of any kind of event, so lend into your creative side and put your own personal touch on the menu!
3. NUMBER OF SERVINGS
Number of servings. The average food truck can serve between 75-100 people per hour, depending on food type. Estimate how many guests you will have so you can get an idea of how many food trucks you’ll need to serve them efficiently.
4. SERVICE TIME
The standard food truck rental typically includes 3 hours of service time. For full-day or long term events, it’s important to reserve a food truck far in advance to ensure availability.
5. LOCATION
For events taking place outside the food truck’s service radius, expect to pay a premium for distance traveled to cater your event. Likewise, it’s important to consider special permit requirements to park on the street or in a municipal park, which involve additional costs.
A TRULY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
While no two food truck events are the same, once you understand the basics and the variables to consider, you’ll be in the driver’s seat for renting the best food truck that’s perfect for your needs. Check out some additional tips below to get the ball rolling!
LOOKING TO RENT A FOOD TRUCK?
5 MOST POPULAR FOOD TRUCK CUISINES
The beauty of food truck catering is that you don’t have to stick to one cuisine, but rather you can celebrate multiple different local cuisines by hiring several food trucks to cater your event. Here are some of the most popular food truck cuisines in NYC:
- Pizza – Don’t bother ordering pizza that arrives cold, when you could have a pizza truck with a built in oven making fresh, wood-fired individuals pizza pies right in front of you! Pizza trucks are always a fun addition to any party.
- BBQ – Pulled pork, brisket, and fried chicken go a long way for any event. These classics are sure to impress your guests and leave them satisfied with the delicious and savory meat-based meals provided by classic BBQ food truck catering options.
- Mexican – Street tacos, burritos, chips and guac, And let’s not forget about churros. Mexican food trucks are great for corporate events, weddings, and birthday parties.
- Dessert – From ice cream to Belgian waffles to Crepes, there’s no better way to satisfy your guests’ sweet cravings than with the most delicious dessert trucks in NYC.
- Sandwiches – Depending on the event, many of your guests are likely to be on their feet and moving around. This makes sandwiches an excellent option to allow people to eat comfortably and save space on tables or other seating options.
- Alcohol – Ditch traditional bartending services and elevate your event with mobile alcohol trucks serving Prosecco, wine, beer, and handcrafted cocktails.
There are endless mouthwatering food truck cuisine options in NYC that provide gourmet catering services. A few things to consider when choosing your food truck cuisine include whether your guests will be standing or seated while eating if your event is formal versus fast-casual, and what age group the guests that are attending your event.
WHY NYC FOOD TRUCKS ARE GREAT FOR PARTIES
With limited space in New York’s densely populated city, it’s hard to get fresh catering as if straight from a commercial kitchen. Food trucks rentals bring the kitchen to you no matter the location and with so many options to choose from, New York is the perfect place to rent a food truck for a party.
7 reasons why NYC food trucks are great for parties:
- Menu customization
- Individual-sized portions
- Highly scalable
- Accommodating of dietary restrictions
- Photo opportunities
- Easy clean-up
- Unique, memorable experience!
FIND THE BEST FOOD TRUCKS RENTALS FOR YOUR EVENT
Renting a food truck doesn’t have to be a DIY project. There are companies dedicated to helping you book with confidence and help guarantee your event goes off without a hitch. Save yourself time, money, and the hassle of planning and executing your next party, and let the professionals pick up the slack. Spend some time exploring the best food trucks in NYC to create an unforgettable experience for you and your guests at your next event.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, certain specialty vehicles can serve alcohol at your event, but the event needs to meet certain legal requirements (i.e. take place on private property). You’re more than welcome to discuss the logistics and details of this further with a member of the NYFTA team!
Booking a food cart with NYFTA is easy! Simply select your service, tell us a little bit about your event or branded promotion, and select your food cart. One of our members will reach out to you ASAP to finalize the details.
You can try to book a food truck at any point, but we recommend 4 to 6 weeks from the day of the event.
The number of people a truck can serve depends on the menu offerings, but on average, it can serve 100-150 people per hour when cooking and other preparation is involved. If you have a large number of guests in a short time window, we can have trucks pre-package meals to expedite the process significantly and serve a great number of people.
Our vendors work so hard to ensure that your event is spectacular in any way. Any tips and gratuity will be greatly appreciated.
