When you talk about New York City, what you’re really talking about is hundreds of unique nationalities coalescing into one big metropolis. 

One particular way that every culture contributes to making the city so dynamic is through street food; from hot dog and taco stands to Korean and Greek trucks, much of what it means to be a New Yorker is to have cuisines from all the world are at your fingertips. 

However, sometimes enjoying authentic street food during your lunch break or in the middle of Saturday shopping, isn’t enough— that’s why in more recent years, renting a food truck has become increasingly popular as a form of event catering! 

Mobile catering allows you to share the best eats in the city with friends and family, while also delivering a dining experience that is wholly unique and memorable.

The fact is, for parties, traditional buffets from brick-and-mortar restaurants are becoming a thing of the past. So if you’re on the hunt or just wondering how to ask a food truck to cater and event, here are 9 easy steps to make your booking process seamless. 

Let’s get started. 

Some venues can accommodate vehicles better than others. For instance, even though many of our food trucks can operate indoors, you’ll still want to double check if a food truck is suitable for your indoor space with the venue itself. 

Otherwise, if your venue is outdoors, it’s more likely that a food truck or food cart will work, but it doesn’t hurt to ask your venue beforehand about spacing and accessibility. 

With that being said,  food trucks can park just about anywhere. To make things a little easier, here’s a list of New York City locations that food trucks operate in regularly: 

• The Green Building
• 26 Bridge
• Queens County Farm
• Liberty Warehouse
• 501 Union 
• Gotham Hall 
• Giando on the Water
• The Lighthouse

The list goes far beyond those spots, but if you haven’t decided your event venue just yet, those locations are a great place to start exploring.

You should also note that unless your gathering is on private property, you may need parking permits— thankfully, we handle this aspect of food truck catering for you. We’ll get into this at greater length in step 8. 

Our dropdown shows you a few occasions that you may want to rent a food truck for, such as corporate events, weddings, back to school celebrations, staff appreciation, quinceñeras, and more. 

By taking a look at these different catering categories, you can gather some inspiration and look more closely at how mobile catering services will enhance your type of event. 

If your specific party type isn't mentioned, don't worry! We offer our services at any and all gatherings, so long as there's people who need to be fed! 

Take advantage of our catering calculator. With just a few clicks, this feature lets you see a price range based on your event details, helping avoid any surprises or tedious emails back and forth with our team. 

By having a ballpark price right away, you can continue with the booking process under no false pretenses. We value this level of transparency, and we work with you to adjust our services to meet your needs. 

As you move forward with the booking process, the pricing becomes totally clear-cut through our event coordinators. 

The New York Food Truck Association represents hundreds of local food trucks and caterers. Again, because New York street food is all about diversity, we offer every cuisine from American and comfort food to Vietnamese and Ethiopian, and so much more. 

Though ranging in type of food, what all of these caterers do have in common is that they are mobile kitchens of the highest quality, delivering seamless catering services to hundreds of clients every year.

Browse through our members to learn about your mobile catering options! 

Once you’ve learned more about our vendors, you can choose to request a specific truck with the ‘Book Now’ button on their page, or you can select the general ‘Book Now’ tab on our homepage if you’re still not sure which food trucks you want to hire.

Now it’s time to fill out a quick form. The form will ask you your event details like the date, start and end time, number of attendees, number of food trucks you want to book, and a few other basic questions. 

What you fill out isn't set in stone, so don't worry if aspects of your event are TBD. 

Unless you filled out a form over the weekend or holiday, you'll hear back from our team in less than 24 hours! 

One of the main reasons that booking through The New York Food Truck Association is so beneficial is because all of the logistics of your catering experience are worked out through our event caterers.

Our team coordinates timing, portion size, pricing, and permitting all on your behalf, letting you focus on the other aspects of your event that might need attention. 

Especially when it comes to permitting, the value of working with us can't be overstated. First and foremost, out food trucks are of course vetted and equipped with the right operational paperwork, but we also handle the tedious task of location permitting. 

Where you can have your event becomes limitless when you have a team of seasoned experts handling the city and parking permits for you!  

Enjoy! When you book with NYFTA, you’re opting into a more hands-on, full service catering experience that will blow your guests away. We are a team of professionals who work with food truck businesses on your behalf, so really, your final step after booking through our organization is simply to enjoy! 

So do you want to rent a food truck? Well thankfully, now you know how!