Wedding Food Trucks
Welcome to the one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about hiring a wedding food truck. Here we will walk you through the basics, the logistics, the what kinds, and the how much. Your wedding day is one of the biggest days of your life.
Finding ways to express your unique style while still operating within a budget doesn’t have to be a stressful experience, even when it comes to the food. These modern mobile kitchens can elevate your celebration, taking it from ordinary to extraordinary. Just say no to traditional catering (unless that’s what you want), and bring in an alternative, gourmet experience that won’t break the bank!
WHY CHOOSE A FOOD TRUCK TO CATER YOUR WEDDING?
Renting a food truck for your wedding is an excellent option because it:
- Is cost-effective
- Allows for more creative freedom
- Creates an engaging experience for guests
- Provides for a unique photo opportunity
- Offers a wide range of cuisine options
- Makes personalization easy
Opting for food truck wedding catering is a decision that requires some consideration, just like most wedding-related choices. When you choose a food truck, there are many pros to ponder depending on your wedding-day goals. You can essentially have an unlimited amount of trucks at your festivities, from rehearsal dinners to the main event to after the reception. And if creative license is important to you, food trucks provide the perfect opportunity to add some flair to your big day. Let’s take a more in-depth look at each of these benefits to hiring a food truck for your wedding.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WEDDING FOOD TRUCK OPTIONS AVAILABLE?
The sky, and your imagination, is the limit when it comes to what kind of food truck you can have at your wedding. Let’s take a look at some of the options available to you.
- Mobile coffee bars. Yum!
- Alcohol catering. For example:
- Prosecco catering
- Craft beer catering
- Specialty cocktails
- Wine catering
- Gourmet mobile kitchens that come in all shapes, flavors, and cuisines ranging from fresh-caught seafood to tacos to falafels to after-the-party donuts and ice cream.
When it comes to options, the types of food trucks that you can choose from aren’t the only thing to consider. Food trucks provide the opportunity for a level of personalization that isn’t always possible with traditional catering.
You can create personalized, custom menus. Customization has the added benefit of cutting down on guests waiting in line for their food because there is less to choose from and cook. You can choose between indoor and outdoor options depending on your needs and desires. Food trucks can be the main event, during or after the reception, or anywhere else where you think a gourmet meal or an amuse-bouche might be warranted.
During these COVID times, food trucks are even more valuable because they are open-air spaces where people can feel comfortable ordering their food, getting fresh air, and keeping their distance.
HOW MANY GUESTS CAN A SINGLE FOOD TRUCK SERVE?
A single food truck can serve up to 100 guests per hour. Although this is the maximum, it’s recommended to limit it to around 75 guests or less per food truck per hour to ensure everyone gets to eat in a reasonable amount of time!
That’s quite a feat for a single food truck, and it might be worth it to ease some of the pressure of long lines. If you want to decrease wait times, or you just want to have multiple food trucks available to your wedding guests, you can hire as many food trucks as you’d like to be present for the big day. Waiting in lines can eat up a lot of time during the wedding, so another option to keep things flowing is hiring a team to serve or assist guests with food and drinks, cutting down the number of items available on the menu, and potentially having the food truck set up a buffet of sorts.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RENT A FOOD TRUCK FOR A WEDDING?
The average cost of renting a food truck for a wedding is between $2,500 and $5,000 for 3 hours of foodservice. The price can increase based on the number of food trucks at your wedding, the number of hours needed for service, and any food truck customizations.
Some ways to personalize a wedding food truck:
- Custom wrap graphics
- Custom napkins and cups
- A-frame sign
- LED sign
- Other decor like flowers
When you opt for a wedding food truck, you have the potential to save a lot of money compared to hiring a caterer. With a food truck, you have the added benefit of their kitchen being mobile and all-inclusive. You don’t have to worry about cleaning up afterward, which allows you more time to enjoy the celebration.
7 QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU HIRE A FOOD TRUCK FOR A WEDDING
Understanding what you want for your wedding day catering requires you to get deep into the details. Some things to consider that will help you put your best foot forward in your search for your ideal wedding food truck scenario are:
- How many guests will be at your wedding?
- What is your budget?
- What season is your wedding taking place in? Indoor versus outdoor options could be necessary here.
- What kind of menu are you after? If you can dream it up, someone is most likely already making some variation of it in the food truck scene.
- Are there any seating considerations that need to be made? You don’t want guests to have to walk a long way to get their food.
- What kind of decor, if any, would you like to add on to the food truck?
- Are there any venue and parking considerations to take into account?
CELEBRATE WITH A FOOD TRUCK WEDDING
The food truck wedding of your dreams is right around the corner. This delicious and unique catering experience brings a party to the party. Here at the New York Food Truck Association, we want you to have a stress-free, streamlined day where you can focus on creating memories while we take the reins of handling all of the food truck logistics. If you know that you want food to be a significant part of your wedding day, contact us today, and we’ll make sure the best and tastiest in the business are at the right place at the right time.
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 may book a food truck at any time, but we recommend 4 to 6 weeks prior to your special day.
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.
This decision is ultimately yours, but we recommend multiple food trucks depending on the size of your wedding. Rest assured that our team is able to source many vendors to meet your needs!
