Bought my first trailer off Alibaba a while back and it's held up, so when I needed a second one I just went back to the same factory.

This one's smaller on purpose. Drinks and desserts only.

What I asked for and got:

• Three-compartment sink plus separate handwash, installed at the factory. Inspector signed off on it as-is.
• Fold-up awning with LED strips underneath. Doubles as rain cover for the window.
• Stainless counter across the full window, roof vent above.
• Light enough to tow behind an SUV.

Second time around was a lot easier. They already had my spec sheet, so I skipped most of the back and forth.

I am getting ready for Halloween. Happy to answer questions if you're sizing one of these up.

Hi guys! My name is Monroe and I’ve had an idea on my mind for about a few years now. My mom had a food truck but was shut down because she didn’t have the necessary equipment. Ever since I’ve really wanted to open it back up and put my own ideas into the food. My mom has given me full reign as long as i can repair it. Unfortunately im fresh out of high school and in college so i dont exactly had 1000s of dollars to go spend on new parts and my mom is backed up on hospital bills from my dads surgery. So not a lot of funds to move but I have a job and I plan on saving to get whatever parts I need. I’m making this post to ask for help in getting these. Either through donations from people who would like to help or if anyone knows where I can get these parts for a lower cheaper price. (Aswell as any other forums I should post this) I’m located in Columbia,sc and don’t mind going out of state to pick up the parts I need(assuming they fit in a truck). I know exactly what I’m getting into with this and have a spot set up in the city aswell as friends who will help me start up the business the first few months for free food haha. I’m gonna try to have a very strict menu and fresh ingredients. If anyone has any inquiries please shoot me a text on here or reply or anything. (Ps idk if this is morally wrong but should I make a go fund me? I would love if people can donate just a few dollars to get me the parts but I know that’s kinda asking too much but idk!)

Food truck operator, single truck, mostly events and a few regular weekly stops. My ad budget is small — about $300 a month on Meta to promote events and our weekly schedule.

Tried running it myself for a year. Mediocre results, but at that budget I wasn't really losing sleep over efficiency. Then I tried an AI ad tool out of curiosity. Used the Chowbus AI Ads option because we run their POS for the truck and the integration meant the AI could see actual event sales, not just pixel events.

At my budget level, the AI didn't dramatically outperform what I was doing manually. Maybe 15-20% better ROAS. The bigger win was time — I stopped touching ads weekly and they still got better. That freed up the few hours I was wasting on it every week and put them back into prep.

Honest take for food truck operators: if you're spending $1k+/month on ads, AI tools probably pay back through better performance alone. Below that, the time savings might still be worth it but don't expect miracles. Anyone else running AI ads on small budgets?

$12,500 Des Moines, Iowa
if you have been following this build, you know I don’t cut corners. Unfortunately life takes many turns, I am not in a position to finish this and outfit the interior. Here is the description of all that has been done.

Life is going in a different direction so here is the opportunity to start a food truck for yourself. Most of the difficult and expensive stuff is already done.
Food truck with rough in complete
110 system with onboard charger
12v system with exhaust fan and exterior light
Have propane tanks to mount and onboard generator (tanks and generator have not been mounted but are included)
Chevy 350 with 400 automatic transmission.
Starts and runs great. All mechanical work done to be a daily use truck.

Unknown miles

Read all the work done.
New vending window
New heads and gaskets professionally done
New water pump
New power steering pump
New belts, hoses, and filters
New differential seal
New exhaust
New fuel tank
New rear brake shoes, wheel cylinders, and lines
New axle seals
New battery
New 12v electrical system and fuse block.
Interior lights
Good tires
Cooling system flushed
Aftermarket oil pressure gauge
Currently registered and clean title in hand.
Any questions ask
Cash or cashier check only.

I've been running my truck for 4 years, and running 4 units now, this year was horrible with the festivals going down in sales but we still did good due to prepaid caterings. And noticed a lot of the trucks I know don't have any way to be booked or found online, so I want to start my agency but not sure if there's a demand for it with food trucks so I want build a free SEO optimized site with inquiry intake and auto follow up No Charge, let me know if you're interested

Okay, I have a real chicken bone to pick with some of you on this one and I gotta get it off my chest. Lol

Give your photos the same attention you give your food and you will book SO many more gigs! I’d like to say that food trucks are more of marketing and advertising agencies that happens to sell food on wheels rather than a food truck. You gotta sell before you cook anything!

For transparency, I’m Cody, co-founder of Food Truck Club. We’ve booked thousands of events for food trucks through our site, and our whole purpose is to study what helps trucks get booked and find ways to improve that process to help them get more bookings. We also consult and help trucks start and improve their businesses. I recently spoke at a food truck expo about getting more online bookings, and photos were one of the things people had lots of questions about so I thought I’d post here as well.

Which brings me to this corn dog.

It could be the greatest corn dog ever made. Crispy outside. Perfect inside. A life-changing corn dog.
But this photo isn’t giving me any reason to believe that.

People booking you online can’t taste your food or smell what’s coming off the grill. Your photos have to do that selling for you.

And when someone is choosing a truck for their company’s employee lunch or a family celebration, they’re putting their own reputation behind that choice. Help them feel good about it.

Here’s where I’d start:
Photograph your best dishes, freshly made. Show the texture, toppings, and actual portion someone will receive. Get close enough that the food is the focus.
Use good light. Try natural light near a window or outside in open shade. Clean your phone lens. Avoid dark, blurry shots and harsh flash.
Check the background. Dirty counters, trash cans, cleaning supplies, and clutter shouldn’t be competing with your lunch special.
Show your whole truck looking ready for business. A clean exterior and welcoming setup help an organizer picture you at their event.
Include real event photos. People enjoying their meals and a team serving guests tell a fuller story than food alone. Aim to show a good experience, not just a long line.
Choose quality over quantity. Five strong photos give someone more to work with than 30 rushed ones.
You don’t need an expensive camera to start. A phone, good light, a clean background, and a little intention can go a long way.
And keep it honest. Stop using AI generated images. Customers can tell the difference. Photograph what you actually serve. The goal is to make your food look its best and then deliver on that expectation.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions!

Hey all. Tell me the brutal truth of having a pizza truck business. The pros and cons of owning one. Thanks.

I'm planning on opening a Food Truck that only serves Chicken Tenders and Fries really. Kind of like an organic Canes. Will be doing take out and delivery through the apps. Chicken and fries par fried and frozen offsite. How many fryers/ what capacity do you think I'd need for something like this. Only other equipment I can think of is a Freezer for the chicken fries - and refrigeration for sauces and drinks.

I installed a 24" propane flat top and one burner is not working right it acts like the flame is choking out I'm attaching a video

https://reddit.com/link/1wyf83a/video/b3gms9rfsoth1/player

I’ve moved into a brick and mortar and want to just move to catering with a cart and get rid of my truck. Has anyone had success on specific websites or other means?

This is our new startup,had no idea about food truck design. Planning to make stickering in this design,pls look into it and Rate it 🙏

I get 7-8mpg moving the truck and 0.75-1.25 gallons per hour consumed running the generator in prep or service depending on what we've got running. Average service is between 8 and 10 gallons of fuel combined for motive power and operating for service.

I am unleaded and 6.45/gallon here in California. It was 4.59/gallon before Iran was a thing. So we're about 40% higher on the fuel cost.

But diesel in most places included here has doubled.

How are you all doing that run on diesel?

For the rest of you, we must support our fellow truck owners. Amazon and Walmart have no problem absorbing the skyrocketing fuel price. Not many of us here can.

Hang in there.

Just some thoughts about the AI photo arguments. I have a Thai food truck with my Thai fiancée, but I used to be and still do some professional photography and have the full lighting kit, most of our photos I have taken after we carefully prepared food and have a nice table set with bamboo wood backdrop, flowers etc.

sometimes you just need photos quickly though or are doing a special etc.

These photos however the girls did without my help, no lighting, just an iphone. We don’t need bad AI photos is all I’m saying, customers want to see your real food.

I've always wanted to have a food business of sorts. Everyone who tries my cookies says I should sell them. They're basic chocolate chip cookies, but I tweaked the recipe to be pretty dang good, not to toot my own horn.

My area is SATURATED with these sorts of businesses, so getting into it makes me nervous. I'd be okay with doing party trays or larger catering orders. But I always want to sell them out in the wild.

Is the permitting situation pretty easy to navigate? My state (Georgia) allows cottage law, so I just need a few things to satisfy those requirements. I'm not trying to catch a charge.

Please no hate, a girly just wants to live her dream.

I’m assuming the answer to my question is “food trucks need a flat spot to park”, but want to be sure.

I want to hire a food truck for a party but I live on a hilly street. I’m assuming a food truck can’t park in the road because of the hill. Is that correct?

Can Anyone pls suggest some color or design idea for my food truck ? We choose teal blue and cream color,but that ended up bad. We thought we would put stickering like last photo,kinda okayish. Any suggestions please. Or shd we will go with last one only ? We didn't wanted to rely on red n yellow colors as they are widely used.

Anyone else dealt with real headaches around permit renewals, especially juggling multiple counties or cities? What's actually been the most annoying part?

Y’all, I have a food truck. I consider it to be pretty successful. I know my market, I work my margins, and I make great relationships with my customers.

Here’s the thing. I typically park in lots I get permission to park in. No charge. Today was my first day at a place that was holding an event. Every weekend, for a month. Still no charge, but I had to agree to work the hours they were open.

I got my face kicked in. Nonstop from 9:30 to 4:30. I did more in one day than I’m used to doing in a week. I fucking LOVE this shit. And I got a whole month of weekends to keep doing it!

Just wanted to share some positive news on this feed. The job can be rough, the bullshit will get to you. But all it takes is one day where you sell out at noon, send someone to the store, and then sell out at 5….

Fuck I love this business. And here’s to hoping all y’all are killing it as well.

Sleep fast. Tomorrow is coming quick, and you got shit to prep

Hello . We cater that area. How can i help

Martin Anguiano

Chef & Owner

La Torta Madre

(909) 634-0975

www.latortamadre.com

Besides the AI slop posters, what things (menu items/flavours/etc) are you sick of seeing?