Menu pricing for food trucks: the fastest way to check your margins
How to price a food-truck menu using true food cost, target margin and market realities — with a worked example.
Most menu pricing on food trucks is 'the price the truck across the road charges, plus $1'. That works until costs move — which they always do. Here's a cleaner way.
Get your true food cost
List every ingredient in the item at the price you actually pay. Include a little for waste — typically 5-10%. That's your true food cost.
Pick a food-cost target
Street food usually lands 28-35%. Coffee 15-20%. Sweet items 20-25%. That's your target — food cost divided by menu price.
Divide to get a base price
A $4.50 food cost at a 30% target is a $15 price. This is the minimum you should charge to hit target margin.
Test against the market
If your $15 burger is $3 above every other truck, either your food cost is too high (change the recipe) or your target margin is unrealistic (reduce it).
Recalculate quarterly
Ingredients move. Do this every quarter — CartFlow re-costs recipes automatically as prices change, which turns this from an annual panic into a five-minute check.