Please Consider These Guidelines Before Booking A Truck

Number of attendees:

     The suggested ratio of attendees is one truck per 100-200 eaters. Number of eaters is usually no more than 20% of your anticipated attendees

Fee structure:

     Event fees can range from free on up. For non-event gatherings, trucks typically aren’t charged a fee. Regarding special events, trucks on average see up to a 10% fee of net sales, or a flat rate. This varies on a number of factors including number of trucks, number of attendee’s, and type of event. A lot of trucks have minimum sales commitments and decide on what events to support based on fees, so keep this in mind when planning your event

Minimums/deposits:

     Most trucks require a minimum food commitment in order to schedule a "special event" or catering. Most trucks will also require a deposit to "secure your date" and lock in your event. Minimums and deposits are necessary to ensure customer commitments and to cover the costs of preparation and the food needed prior to supporting your event.

Attendance estimates:

     Food trucks undergo extensive preparation when planning for an event. Any information pertaining to anticipated number of participants/eaters, past event totals, and pre-ticket sales info help food trucks plan for the corresponding number of customers. One of the hardest things truck owners face is how much food they’ll need for any given event. Any information you can provide will help trucks deliver the appropriate level of support for your event

Setup:

     Please keep in mind load-in times can impact our profitability through increased labor costs. Ideally, trucks will be in position a minimum of 1 hour prior to the start of an event. Please communicate available load in times as soon as they’re established so trucks can plan accordingly and schedule an appropriate level of staff.

Layout of trucks: 

     Consider staggering savory and sweet trucks so they’re evenly spaced out.

Power usage: 

     If you’re providing power for trucks, make sure to ask each truck well in advance of their power needs so larger trucks pulling more power aren't on the same circuit & plugs match up.

Size of trucks:

     Food trucks vary in size, and some are trailers with tow vehicles. Ensure you understand the dimensions of each truck and how much space they require in regards to available space at your venue.

Service windows:

     Most food trucks serve out of their passenger side window, however some have the ability to serve from either side. Make sure to ask trucks what side they serve from before establishing layout.

Types of food:

     Please consider a variety of food/trucks and try not to book duplicate types of food. If you have other vendors that will be selling any food or drinks, please ensure all food trucks are aware

Donations:

     Food trucks often participate in fundraisers and charity events. We’ve structured a number of different ways to accommodate donations from a percentage of overall sales, to a ‘signature item’ with proceeds going toward the donation. Many food trucks are asked several times per month to donate food/sales to an event. While there are many great causes that receive ongoing support from individual trucks and IFTA, please understand we are all small businesses and unfortunately cannot support all charity/fundraiser events.

Marketing/promotion:

     Marketing and promoting your event is critical in ensuring a successful turn out. Food trucks rely on social media and marketing to promote our business and the events we support. If your event has a website, Facebook page, twitter handle or other promotional material, please share with food trucks at time of booking so we can tag and partner with you to promote your event as much as possible. Please consider an “incentive” to help draw people to your event and as a way to promote and market your event. We’ll do our best to market your event and expect each organizer to do the same!

Booking/lead times:

     Please keep in mind food trucks often book their schedules months in advance. The more lead time you can give a food truck, the better!