Food Service & Mobile Catering

Know the Profit.
Before You Park.

Event revenue vs. costs, fuel, permits, staffing, and food cost — see your real profit for any event before you commit to it.

From the Field Notes
Field Notes
🚗🍔 Food Service
How Much Profit Does a Food Truck Make Per Event
March 2026·7 min read
Food Service
How Much Profit Does a Food Truck Make Per Event
Food truck profit per event = (ticket sales - food cost - labor - permits - fuel) per event. Average: 500-800 dollars per 4-hour event.
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Food Truck Profit Calculator
Demo Mode
🚚
Food Truck Profit Calculator
Per-Event P&L · Break-Even · Monthly Projection
DEMO
Event Revenue
$2,052
120 customers · $17.10 avg ticket
Net Profit / Event
$926
45.1% margin
Food Cost %
25.0%
target: under 30–35%
Break-Even Customers
37
of 120 expected
Monthly Profit
$7,412
8 events/mo · $88,939/yr
Profit / Hour
$154.41
$342.00/hr revenue
⚡ Event Setup
Street / Daily Spot
Farmers Market
Festival / Fair
Corporate Catering
Private Event
Food Truck Rally
Brewery / Bar Pop-Up
Other
Used to prorate fixed costs
% of revenue
Venue/market commission on sales
🔧 Variable Costs Per Event$268
$
= $168.00 staff cost
$
$
$
📋 Monthly Fixed Costs$1,110/mo · $139/event
$
$
$
$
$
$1,110/mo ÷ 8 events = $138.75 allocated per event
🍔 Menu Items$2,052 revenue · 25.0% food cost
ItemPriceFood Cost% of CustomersUnitsRevenueMargin
$
$
55%
66$79270.0%
$
$
70%
84$58880.0%
$
$
80%
96$28888.3%
$
$
20%
24$38467.5%
📊 EVENT PROFIT & LOSS STATEMENT
Farmers Market · 120 customers · 6 hrs
REVENUE
Smash Burger (×66)$792
Loaded Fries (×84)$588
Fountain Drink (×96)$288
Double Smash Combo (×24)$384
Total Revenue$2,052
Avg Ticket$17.10
Revenue / Hour$342.00
COSTS
Food Cost$514
Staff Labor$168
Fuel$40
Commissary$35
Supplies / Other Var.$25
Location Fee (10%)$205
Fixed Cost Allocation$139
Total Costs$1,126
Food Cost
25.0%
Labor
8.2%
Net Margin
45.1%
BOTTOM LINE
Net Profit / Event$926
Net Margin45.1%
Profit / Hour$154.41
Monthly (8 events)$7,412
Annual Run Rate$88,939
BREAK-EVEN
37 customers
31% of your 120 expected
✓ Well above break-even
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What you get
🚚
Event Revenue Modeling
Estimated covers, average ticket, and total revenue. Know your best-case and worst-case for any event before you sign up.
🍔
Food Cost Tracking
Set your target food cost percentage and calculate the ingredient cost for your expected volume automatically.
⛽
Fuel & Travel Costs
Miles to the event, MPG, and fuel price — travel costs calculated and included in your net profit.
📋
Permit & Vendor Fee Capture
Event fees, health permit costs, and spot rental — all the costs that eat into event profit before you sell a single item.
👥
Staffing Cost Calculator
Number of staff, hours, and hourly rate. Labor cost added to your event model so you don't forget your people.
📊
Event Comparison
Compare two or three events side by side. See which ones are worth running and which ones you should pass on.
What people are saying
★★★★★
I said yes to every event for my first year and wondered why I wasn't growing. This showed me some of my busiest events were actually my least profitable. Changed how I book entirely.
🚚
DeShawn P.
Food Truck Owner · Houston, TX
★★★★★
The permit and fee section is something I always forgot. Now I enter everything upfront and I can see exactly what I'll net. No more surprises at the end of an event.
🍕
Carmen V.
Mobile Catering Operator
★★★★★
I recommend this to every client in my food truck coaching program. The event comparison feature alone changes how new operators think about their calendar.
📊
Mike T.
Food Truck Consultant
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Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What costs does the food truck profit calculator include?+

The calculator covers food cost (ingredients as a percentage of revenue), fuel, event fees and permits, staffing, commissary rent, and any other variable costs you add. It calculates your net profit per event so you can compare which events are actually worth doing.

How do I figure out my food cost percentage?+

Food cost percentage is your ingredient cost divided by your menu revenue. A healthy food truck food cost is typically 28-35%. To calculate it accurately, track your actual ingredient spend for a few events and divide by the revenue those events generated — your theoretical recipe cost often differs from actual.

How can I tell which events are most profitable?+

Use the multi-event comparison feature. Enter your revenue, attendance, and costs for each event type. Events with higher foot traffic but high permit fees or slow service times often net less than smaller, lower-fee events. Net profit per hour is the most useful comparison metric.

What profit margin should a food truck target?+

A healthy food truck net profit margin is 6-9% after all costs including owner pay. Many operators confuse revenue with profit. If you're doing $2,000 events and netting $80-100, that's a red flag. The calculator helps you identify whether your pricing, food cost, or event selection is the problem.