It doesn’t matter whether you sell tacos or BBQ; developing the perfect food truck menu can unlock the door to success. But knowing what food to serve, how to price it, and the best ways to make your menu appealing can be challenging.
The good news is we’re here to help. We’ve compiled an essential guide to creating the perfect food truck menu, with tips and tricks to help you plan the food, pricing structure, and design. We’ve also included a menu template to show you how to put our tips into practice.
If you’re starting a new food truck and looking for menu inspiration, start by conducting market research. Visit food markets in your area on weekends and see which stalls have the longest lines. Look at their menus and see what they sell — and try the food while you’re there! Who says research can’t be delicious?
You’ll also want to consider whether you’ll have a set of regular menu items or if you’ll rotate your offerings. Many successful food trucks operate with a seasonal menu that changes as produce comes in and out of season. This can be a great way to keep food costs down, as seasonal ingredients are usually cheaper. However, it requires more planning, as you’ll need to rewrite your menu regularly.
If you’re new to food trucks, start with a stripped-back menu focusing on a few high-quality items. When choosing the items for your food truck menu, less is usually more. It’s better to do a few things well than make promises you can’t deliver — so don’t offer hot dogs and Mexican food or pretzels and grilled cheese. Instead, specialize in one type of food and ensure you always cook it to perfection.
Once you’ve decided what items to include on your food truck menu, it’s time to look at menu pricing options. Here are a few tips to help you set the prices for your menu.
The best way to price your menu is by looking at your food costs. Once you’ve worked out the cost of goods sold (COGS) value for each item on your menu, you’ll know how much you need to charge to turn a profit.
Determine your ideal profit margin for each menu item. Some business owners prefer to set this at a certain amount for each item, charging more for the items that cost them the most to prepare. This allows you to earn a good return on each item you sell.
Use the following formula to calculate the appropriate food cost for each item:
COGS / [(100 - Ideal Gross Profit Margin) / 100]
Here’s an example to help you. Let’s say it costs you $5 to make a buffalo chicken sandwich — that’s the COGS value. For a 40% profit margin on that item:
5 / [(100 - 40) / 100] = 8.33
By charging at least $8.33 for that sandwich, you’ll ensure a gross profit margin of 40%.
No matter your ideal profit margin for each item, it’s worth looking at the prices for competitors in your local area.
While researching menu items at local food markets, remember to make a note of the prices. If you price your items too high, your target customers might prefer to visit another food truck or market stall instead of yours. You don’t want to price yourself out of customers!
If your COGS is higher than other food trucks in your area and you want to set higher prices to compensate for that, you’ll need to promote yourself as a premium alternative. Highlight the quality of your ingredients on menus and posters to ensure customers understand why you’re asking them to pay more.
An easy way to increase your food truck income is to charge for premium ingredients or add-ons instead of including them for free. This might mean charging for extra sauces, garnishes, or swap-ins.
For example, if you run a taco truck, perhaps your base taco includes a choice of protein, a corn or flour tortilla, salsa, cheese, and sour cream. You can then charge extra for guacamole, double protein, or other add-on ingredients.
Don’t go overboard and charge for every item in your stall — but feel free to set a price for premium extras that could cost you money in the long run.
With a clear idea of what to include on your food truck menu and how to price it, it’s time to consider how to make your menu appealing to potential customers.
Most food trucks have poster-style menu boards instead of paper menus to make it easy for diners to see what’s available. Follow these menu design tips to boost your chances of converting sales:
List the items clearly and concisely to let customers see all the available options. Include every item on your food truck menu.
Highlight dishes for people with dietary requirements — a simple key of V, VG, and GF can clearly show vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes.
Avoid currency symbols. Research suggests customers spend more when they don’t appear on menus.
Use appealing words. For example, “small bites” sounds more intriguing than “appetizers.”
Consider setting up a self-service kiosk to simplify the ordering process at your food truck. With KioskBuddy, your customers can view the menu on a tablet, place their order in a few taps, and pay. Think of it as a digital menu that also works as a self-checkout. It integrates with your food truck POS system to reduce the need for a staffed ordering point.
Now that we’ve looked at different tips and tricks for organizing your food truck menu, it’s time to put the tips into practice. Here’s a food truck menu template for a potential taco truck so you can see the methods in action.
CHIPS & SALSA | 3 | VG, GF
Crispy tortilla chips with pico de gallo, salsa verde, & smoky chipotle salsa
NACHOS | 4 | V, GF
Tortilla chips with sour cream, queso, cilantro, jalapeños
Add: Ground beef | 3
Add: Pulled pork | 4
QUESADILLA | 7 | V
Flour tortilla stuffed with melty cheddar cheese, veggies, green onions, jalapeños
BEEF BURRITO | 13
Large flour tortilla stuffed with ground beef, black beans, rice, corn, lettuce, cheddar cheese
VEGGIE BURRITO | 12 | V
Large flour tortilla stuffed with mixed veggies, black beans, rice, corn, lettuce, cheddar cheese
MAIN STREET TACOS | 10
Crispy taco shells stuffed with spicy chicken, cheddar cheese, green onions, sour cream
Sour cream | 1 | V, GF
Salsa (pico de gallo, smoky chipotle, or salsa verde) | 1 | VG, GF
Guacamole | 1.50 | VG, GF
Tortilla chips | 2 | VG, GF
Corn tortilla swap-in | 0.50 | VG, GF
WATER | 1.50
Still | Sparkling
SODAS | 2.50
Coca-Cola | Diet Coke | Sprite | Fanta
JUICE | 3
Orange | Apple | Pineapple | Mango
BEER 6
Corona | Modelo
Putting together the perfect food truck menu is easier said than done — but if you’re struggling to find the ideal menu items, try keeping it simple. By offering fewer dishes, you can ensure your cooking team knows how to prepare them to perfection, meaning you’re more likely to have happier customers.
Use KioskBuddy to digitize your food truck menu and implement self-ordering at your truck. It’s quick to set up, easy to use, and allows customers to place and pay for their own orders with just a few simple taps. With a Square Kiosk mount, you could even set up the kiosk right outside your truck’s window to make self-ordering even easier.
Sign up for KioskBuddy today to make your food truck menu better than ever!