Do you have a restaurant and would like to expand to food truck catering at weddings? Food truck wedding catering is one of the most profitable revenue streams available for any caterer or restaurant. Buying or building a food truck or catering trailer is a relatively inexpensive way to start or grow your existing mobile catering business.
Food truck catering at weddings?
Yes! Food truck weddings are very popular as couples seek more authentic and causal outdoor wedding experiences. Food truck catering is also more affordable option than more formal, plated catering which can cost up to $200 per person.
And don’t worry if your food is more casual or you only serve dessert. Many couples that prefer a more formal dinner are still booking food truck catering for late night snacks or desserts after some drinking and dancing.
How much should you charge for wedding catering?
A food truck may bring in $1000 per day on average when vending on the street. But with no or few changes to your menu, you may find that you can make up to eight times the daily average for a single 2-hour wedding service.
Obviously there are a lot of different factors that can affect how much you should charge for a wedding.
The first is cost of ingredients. If customers want you to serve lobster tacos instead of chicken, you should charge a premium for that more premium ingredient.
Next factor is quantity. Is the wedding host asking you to serve 200 guests instead of 100 guests? Or to prepare appetizers in addition to the main course? The quantity of food should affect the price you negotiate.
Thirdly, there’s staffing. Weddings are time sensitive which means you need to put food out faster than normal. Consider hiring extra staff for a wedding to make sure that food is prepared and served as quickly as possible. And if if the host asks you to run food to the table, bus tables, or refill water glasses, charge for the additional staff you’ll need.
Consider time. If the venue or location is far away, or the host wants you to stay longer than is necessary to feed their guests, charge extra. Time is money!
And finally, you should charge more for a wedding than other types of services because there’s just more pressure to get it right. No one wants to accidentally ruin the “most important day of someone’s life”. So make sure you’re charging enough to deliver on every expectation the customer has for your wedding catering.
Regardless of how you much you charge, you should always follow food truck catering best practices including negotiating with your client, taking a deposit, and showing up on time.
How do you buy a food truck equipped for wedding catering?
If you plan to do wedding catering, you’ll want a food truck or food trailer that is equipped for high volume. Serving 200 hungry guests at a “normal” food truck pace just won’t work. Instead you’ll need to carefully consider a food truck equipment and layout that’s designed to feed wedding guests fast.
Work with a reputable food truck manufacturer like Firefly who can advise on your food truck layout and equipment. We’ll help you make a smart investment in a brand new food truck that works for your business.
Your experience with Firefly will start with a complimentary consultation to understand your business. From there, we will work together to design a custom food truck or concession trailer. Once you approve the design, we will submit your plans for approval by your local health department to ensure that you can serve legally. After health department approval, we begin manufacturing your brand new food truck or food trailer. When it’s completed, we’ll spend about 90 minutes walking you though how to operate every aspect of your food truck.
And Firefly support doesn’t stop once you’re on the road. Every Firefly build comes with a 2-year warranty and is guaranteed to pass health department inspection. Your custom food truck is built with food truck repairs in mind to make fixes fast and easy.
Is purchasing a food truck for wedding catering worth it?
By embracing wedding catering as a revenue stream you’ll ensure that your food truck or food trailer is profitable year round. Even if you already operate a brick and mortar kitchen, a food truck or food trailer will be a valuable extension to your business. And remember, wedding catering is just one of many ways to make money with a food truck.
Maybe you’re convinced that food truck catering is right for your business, but don’t know how to pay for a used or new food truck. There are lots of food truck options to suit your budget and needs. Firefly also offer help with financing if your dream catering truck is a little out of your budget. Check out our complete food truck loans article for more details.
The bottom line? Firefly wants you to be successful. With full professional advice on everything from appliances to branding, Firefly will help you focus on earning new revenue from food truck weddings. Contact Firefly now at (323) 524-0078 for your free consultation and custom food truck quote.
