Food Truck Business Plan Template [Updated 2024]

/ 169924 0

Food Truck Business Plan

If you want to start a successful food truck business or expand your current mobile food business, you need a business plan.

The following food truck business plan template gives you the key elements to include in a winning food truck business plan.


Food Truck Business Plan Sample

Below is an outline of each of the key sections of an example food truck business plan to help you write your own business plan.

I. Executive Summary

Business Overview

[Company Name], located at [insert location here] is a new, upscale food truck focusing on providing organic, healthy breakfast and lunch items. Our product line fits nicely with health trends nationwide – as individuals are seeking healthier lifestyles complimented by natural, low-fat, and organic foods.

Menu

[Company Name] will offer a menu of salads, soups and sandwiches. All products will use 100% all natural and organic ingredients. Several products on the menu will be highlighted as being lower in fat, cholesterol, or sodium.

Customer Focus

[Company Name] will primarily serve the residents within a 15 mile radius of our food truck. The demographics of these customers are as follows:

  • 27,827 residents
  • Average income of $74,700
  • 58.9% married
  • 49.6% in Mgt./Professional occupations
  • Median age: 38 years

In addition to this prime adult demographic for an upscale and healthy food truck, there are five elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. This will make [Company Name] an ideal location for parents to spend time while waiting for their children or to bring their children to after school.

Management Team

[Company Name] is led by [Founder’s Name] who has been in the food truck business for 20 years. While [Founder] has never run a food truck himself, he has taught cooking classes at the local culinary institute for 20 years and has worked as a sous-chef at some of the most upscale food trucks in the community over the past 10 years. As such [Founder] has an in-depth knowledge of the food truck business including the operations side (e.g., running day-to-day operations) and the business management side (e.g., staffing, marketing, etc.).

You can download our Business Plan Template (including a full, customizable financial model) to your computer here.

Success Factors

[Company Name] is uniquely qualified to succeed due to the following reasons:

  • There is currently no upscale and healthy food truck in the community we are entering. In addition, we have surveyed the local population and received extremely positive feedback saying that they explicitly want to frequent our business when launched.
  • Our location is in a high-volume area with little direct traffic, and will thus be highly convenient to significant numbers of passerby’s each day
  • The management team has a track record of success in the food truck business.
  • The upscale and healthy food truck business is a proven business and has succeeded in communities throughout the United States.
  • Market trends such as healthy and organic living support our business opportunity as well as growing awareness about the obesity epidemic and repercussions of non-nutritious eating
  • Financial Highlights

    [Company Name] is currently seeking $320,000 to launch. Specifically, these funds will be used as follows:

    • Truck purchase and customization (Design/build): $200,000
    • Working capital: $120,000 to pay for Marketing, salaries, and lease costs until [Company Name] reaches break-even

    food-truck1

    II. Company Overview

    You can download our Business Plan Template (including a full, customizable financial model) to your computer here.

    Who is [Company Name]?

    [Company Name], located at [insert location here] is a new, upscale and healthy food truck focusing on providing organic and delicious foods to the local community.

    [Company Name] was founded by [Founder’s Name]. While [Founder’s Name] has been in the food truck business for some time, it was in [month, date] that he decided to launch [Company Name]. Specifically, during this time, [Founder] took a trip to Fort Lauderdale, FL. During his trip, [Founder’s Name] frequented a food truck that enjoyed tremendous success. After several discussions with the owner of the food truck, [Founder’s Name] clearly understood that a similar business would enjoy significant success in his hometown.

    Specifically the customer demographics and competitive situations in the Fort Lauderdale location and in [insert location here] were so similar that he knew it would work. Furthermore, after surveying the local population, this theory was proven.

    [Company Name]’s History

    Upon returning from Fort Lauderdale, surveying the local customer base, and finding a potential location, [Founder’s Name] incorporated [Company Name] as an S-Corporation on [date of incorporation].

    [Founder’s Name] has selected three initial locations and is currently undergoing due diligence on each property and the local market to assess which will be the most desirable location for the food truck.

    Since incorporation, the company has achieved the following milestones:

    • Developed the company’s name, logo and website
    • Created the menu
    • Determined equipment and inventory requirements
    • Began recruiting key employees with experience in the food truck industry

    [Company Name]’s Menu

    Below is [Company Name]’s initial menu. All items will be 100% natural and organic:

    • Soups
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches

    III. Industry Analysis

    Industry Statistics & Trends

    The following industry size facts and statistics bode well for [Company Name].

    • Food Trucks will continue to perform well over the next five years, benefiting from consumers with deeper pockets able to spend on pricier gourmet food options. The industry is expected to enjoy a strong five years due to positive economic conditions and the gourmet food movement.
    • Consumers are expected to demand higher-quality food, a wider variety of styles and tastes, better presentation, and, most importantly, more healthy menu options. Consumers are no longer willing to accept that choosing to eat street food means sacrificing quality or healthy options. Operators that include healthy options on their menus will be best situated for success. Vendors that continue to offer unique food options will also be in a strong position by carving out a niche and developing a loyal customer base. These customers will often visit the operator’s website or follow the company via social media to determine when the food truck is at a nearby location.
    • The industry will also benefit in the next five years from an increase in the urban population, which is expected to comprise 81.9% of the US population. The industry benefits from agglomeration because it relies on high foot traffic. Additionally, urban dwellers are also more likely to purchase meals rather than cooking at home due to their higher-than-average incomes and limited spare time.
    • The most successful food trucks will earn higher profit margins due to clever marketing and branding, which enables them to charge a premium for menu items.

    IV. Customer Analysis

    You can download our Business Plan Template (including a full, customizable financial model) to your computer here.

    Demographic Profile of Target Market
    [Company Name] will serve the residents of [company location] and the immediately surrounding areas as well as those who work in [company location].

    The area we serve is affluent and has an affinity to healthy and organic foods and beverages like we will be offering.

    WilmetteWinnetka
    Total Population26,09710,725
    Square Miles6.893.96
    Population Density3,789.202,710.80
    Population Male48.04%48.84%
    Population Female51.96%51.16%
    Target Population by Age Group
    Age 18-243.68%3.52%
    Age 25-345.22%4.50%
    Age 35-4413.80%13.91%
    Age 45-5418.09%18.22%
    Target Population by Income
    Income $50,000 to $74,99911.16%6.00%
    Income $75,000 to $99,99910.91%4.41%
    Income $100,000 to $124,9999.07%6.40%
    Income $125,000 to $149,9999.95%8.02%
    Income $150,000 to $199,99912.20%11.11%
    Income $200,000 and Over32.48%54.99%

    Customer Segmentation

    We will primarily target the following four customer segments:

    1. Families: the town has a large family population. The food trucks will be perfectly positioned for an easy, grab and go meal for families.
    2. Local office workers: approximately 5,000 individuals work in offices within a quarter mile of our location and we expect a fair portion of these individuals to frequent us during lunch hours.
    3. Students: there is a middle school and a high school in the town and the high school are within one half mile. Students from these schools will be targeted to frequent [Company Name].

    V. Competitive Analysis

    Direct & Indirect Competitors

    The following competitors are located within a 2 mile radius of [Company Name], thus providing either direct or indirect competition for customers:

    Joe’s Tavern

    Joe’s Tavern is the town’s leading local food truck and has been in business for 32 years. Joe’s offers a wide array of foods, with local bands as entertainment, and is a highly family friendly environment. .

    Joe’s has an extensive menu, with some healthy options and some fried foods and bar favorites. While it has an established clientele, Joe’s Tavern does not differentiate itself as a healthy food choice.

    Old Time Organics

    Old Time Organics has been in business for 5 years. Old Time offers a variety of baked goods, organic teas and coffees, and sandwiches served to-go.

    While Old Time Organics’ food is entirely organic, they have a very limited selection of items and are not open for dinner. The location only has four sit down tables and is thus targeting to-go customers that are either stopping for a quick breakfast or picking up baked goods and coffee for work.

    Freddy’s Deli

    Freddy’s Deli is a recently opened food truck. Freddy’s offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is open until 1am nightly.

    [Company Name] has several advantages over Freddy’s Deli including:

    • Freddy’s Deli does not offer products, including pastries, sandwiches, soups and more, made with organic ingredients
    • Freddy’s has very little ambience and due to enormous portion sizes and low quality ingredients, the food is largely unhealthy

    While we expect that Freddy’s Deli will continue to thrive based on its location and excitement about a new food truck, we expect that more and more customers will frequent [Company Name] based on the high-quality and organic ingredients we use and product selection.

    Competitive Advantage

    [Company Name] enjoys several advantages over its competitors. These advantages include:

    • 100% Natural/Organic/High-Quality Ingredients: getting 100% Natural/Organic baked goods, soups, sandwiches and more in the local market is challenging and is being increasingly demanded by the local community
    • Management: Our management team has years of business and marketing experience that allows us to market and serve customers in a much more sophisticated manner than our competitors.
    • Relationships: Having lived in the community for 25 years, [Founder’s Name] knows all of the local leaders, newspapers and other influences. As such, it will be relatively easy for us to build branding and awareness of our food truck.

    VI. Marketing Plan

    You can download our Business Plan Template (including a full, customizable financial model) to your computer here.

    The Marketing Plan describes the type of brand [Company Name] seeks to create and the Company’s planned promotions and pricing strategies.

    The [Company Name] Brand

    The [Company Name] brand will focus on the Company’s unique value proposition:

    • Offering organic, high-quality food items including baked goods, sandwiches, soups, salads and more
    • Offering a convenient location that offers both eat-in or take-out options
    • Providing excellent customer service

    Promotions Strategy

    [Company Name] expects its target market to be individuals working and/or living within a 15-mile radius. The Company’s promotions strategy to reach these individuals includes:

    Direct Mail

    [Company Name] will blanket neighborhoods surrounding its locations with direct mail pieces. These pieces will provide general information on [Company Name], offer discounts and/or provide other inducements for people to frequent the food truck.

    Public Relations

    We will contact all local and area newspapers and television stations to tell them about the opening and unique value proposition of [Company Name].

    Advertising

    [Company Name] will initially advertise in local newspapers and sponsor community events in order to gain awareness.

    Sampling

    [Company Name] employees will initially give free food samples to passerby’s to enable them to taste the quality of our products and learn about us.

    Ongoing Customer Communications

    [Company Name] will maintain a website and publish a monthly email newsletter to tell customers about new events, products, and more.

    Pre-Opening Events

    Before opening, [Company Name] will organize pre-opening events designed for prospective customers, local merchants and press contacts. These events will create buzz and awareness for [Company Name] in the area.

    Pricing Strategy

    [Company Name]’s pricing will be moderate so customers feel they receive great value.

    VII. Operations Plan

    Functional Roles

    In order to execute on [Company Name]’s business model, the Company needs to perform many functions including the following:

    Administrative Functions

    • General & administrative functions including legal, marketing, bookkeeping, etc.
    • Sourcing and storing ingredients
    • Hiring and training staff
    • Food preparation
    • Ongoing menu creation and modification
    • Order taking and fulfillment (for take-out and dine-in)
    • Customer service
    • Janitor/maintenance personnel to keep the food truck clean

    Milestones

    [Company Name] expects to achieve the following milestones in the following [] months:

    DateMilestone
    [Date 1]Finalize lease agreement
    [Date 2]Truck purchase and customization
    [Date 3]Hire and train initial staff
    [Date 4]Launch [Company Name]
    [Date 5]Reach break-even

    VIII. Management Team

    You can download our Business Plan Template (including a full, customizable financial model) to your computer here.

    Management Team Members

    [Company Name] is led by [Founder’s Name] who has been in the food truck business for 20 years.

    While [Founder] has never ran a food truck himself, he has taught cooking classes as the local culinary institute for 20 years. Two courses that he taught included:

    • How To Cook for Everyday Eating- This course was designed to give students an overall understanding of basic dishes that could be cooked for everyday healthy home-style meals
    • Vegetarian Cooking- This course was designed to give students an overall understanding of how to cook with the necessary vitamins and proteins needed to enrich a vegetarian diet without compromising on taste.

    [Founder] has also worked part-time at food trucks throughout the region. Specifically, he has worked for Giana’s Patisserie and Mike’s Place, where he was responsible for overseeing kitchen quality.

    [Founder] graduated from the University of ABC where he majored in Communications.

    Hiring Plan

    [Founder] will serve as the food truck manager. In order to launch the food truck, we need to hire the following personnel:

    • Wait staff (4 full-time equivalents to start)
    • Chefs (3 to start)
    • Sous-chefs (2 to start)
    • Assistant Food truck Manager (will manage cash register and other administrative functions)

    IX. Financial Plan

    Revenue and Cost Drivers

    [Company Name]’s revenues will come from the sale of natural and organic food products to its customers.

    The Company will have dine-in, takeout, and possibly delivery systems to cater to a broad spectrum of customers in its target market.

    The major costs for the company will be food production costs and salaries of the staff. In the initial years, the company’s marketing spend will be high, as it establishes itself in the market.

    Capital Requirements and Use of Funds

    [Company Name] is seeking a total funding of $320,000 to launch its food truck. The capital will be used for funding capital expenditures, manpower costs, marketing expenses and working capital.

    Specifically, these funds will be used as follows:

    • Truck purchase and customization (Design/build): $200,000
    • Working capital: $120,000 to pay for marketing, salaries, and lease costs until [Company Name] reaches break-even

    Key Assumptions & Forecasts

    Below please find the key assumptions that went into the financial forecast and a summary of the financial projections over the next five years.

    Menu ItemsUtilization PercentageAverage Price Point
    Breakfast25%$7.00
    Lunch65%$10.00
    Snacks10%$6.00

    5 Year Annual Income Statement

    Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5
    Revenues
    Product/Service A$151,200 $333,396 $367,569 $405,245 $446,783
    Product/Service B$100,800 $222,264 $245,046 $270,163 $297,855
    Total Revenues$252,000 $555,660 $612,615 $675,408 $744,638
    Expenses & Costs
    Cost of goods sold$57,960 $122,245 $122,523 $128,328 $134,035
    Lease$60,000 $61,500 $63,038 $64,613 $66,229
    Marketing$20,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000
    Salaries$133,890 $204,030 $224,943 $236,190 $248,000
    Other Expenses$3,500 $4,000 $4,500 $5,000 $5,500
    Total Expenses & Costs$271,850 $412,775 $435,504 $454,131 $473,263
    EBITDA($19,850)$142,885 $177,112 $221,277 $271,374
    Depreciation$36,960 $36,960 $36,960 $36,960 $36,960
    EBIT($56,810)$105,925 $140,152 $184,317 $234,414
    Interest$23,621 $20,668 $17,716 $14,763 $11,810
    PRETAX INCOME($80,431)$85,257 $122,436 $169,554 $222,604
    Net Operating Loss($80,431)($80,431)$0$0$0
    Income Tax Expense$0$1,689 $42,853 $59,344 $77,911
    NET INCOME($80,431)$83,568 $79,583 $110,210 $144,693
    Net Profit Margin (%)-15.00%13.00%16.30%19.40%

    5 Year Annual Balance Sheet

    Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5
    ASSETS
    Cash$16,710 $90,188 $158,957 $258,570 $392,389
    Accounts receivable$0$0$0$0$0
    Inventory$21,000 $23,153 $25,526 $28,142 $31,027
    Total Current Assets$37,710 $113,340 $184,482 $286,712 $423,416
    Fixed assets$246,450 $246,450 $246,450 $246,450 $246,450
    Depreciation$36,960 $73,920 $110,880 $147,840 $184,800
    Net fixed assets$209,490 $172,530 $135,570 $98,610 $61,650
    TOTAL ASSETS$247,200 $285,870 $320,052 $385,322 $485,066
    LIABILITIES & EQUITY
    Debt$317,971 $272,546 $227,122 $181,698 $136,273
    Accounts payable$9,660 $10,187 $10,210 $10,694 $11,170
    Total Liabilities$327,631 $282,733 $237,332 $192,391 $147,443
    Share Capital$0$0$0$0$0
    Retained earnings($80,431)$3,137 $82,720 $192,930 $337,623
    Total Equity($80,431)$3,137 $82,720 $192,930 $337,623
    TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY$247,200 $285,870 $320,052 $385,322 $485,066

    5 Year Annual Cash Flow Statement

    Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5
    CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS
    Net Income (Loss)($80,431)$83,568 $79,583 $110,210 $144,693
    Change in working capital($11,340)($1,625)($2,350)($2,133)($2,409)
    Depreciation$36,960 $36,960 $36,960 $36,960 $36,960
    Net Cash Flow from Operations($54,811)$118,902 $114,193 $145,037 $179,244
    CASH FLOW FROM INVESTMENTS
    Investment($246,450)$0$0$0$0
    Net Cash Flow from Investments($246,450)$0$0$0$0
    CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING
    Cash from equity$0$0$0$0$0
    Cash from debt$317,971 ($45,424)($45,424)($45,424)($45,424)
    Net Cash Flow from Financing$317,971 ($45,424)($45,424)($45,424)($45,424)
    SUMMARY
    Net Cash Flow$16,710 $73,478 $68,769 $99,613 $133,819
    Cash at Beginning of Period$0$16,710 $90,188 $158,957 $258,570
    Cash at End of Period$16,710 $90,188 $158,957 $258,570 $392,389