13 Food Truck Success Stories [2023]
Food trucks are a highly profitable business that offers customers a variety of meal options out of a mobile truck. This basically operates inside a large vehicle equipped with kitchen and food products. Starting a food truck is a dream for many people, but it's more challenging than it looks. To make it work, you need the ideal location and menu.
To start a food truck business in a particular city, it is mandatory to check what kind of food trucks are already operating, identify a gap, and bring in some new experiences. Then, with the right plan and the right approach, you can be on your way to starting your own food truck empire.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a food truck:
1. New York Food Truck Association ($2.4M/year)
Ben Goldberg, founder of the New York Food Truck Association, came up with the idea after realizing that the food truck events market in NYC was untapped. He pivoted his own food truck business to focus on events catering and corporate marketing, leveraging his industry expertise. Within the first year, the business did over $1 million in revenue with consistent 50%+ year-over-year growth.
How much they make: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
Current team size: 5
How a former food truck owner founded the successful New York Food Truck Association which generated over $1M in its first year of business, providing local vendors with high-margin ancillary revenue streams, and saw consistent growth of 50% YoY.
2. Roll Up Food Truck ($600K/year)
Roll Up Food Truck was founded by an entrepreneur who had a passion for being his own boss. After running various businesses, he decided to venture into the food industry, starting with a $2,700 trailer and selling gourmet egg rolls. The business quickly gained popularity, expanding their menu and growing to a five-person staff, with monthly revenues reaching an impressive $50,000.
How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $8K
Current team size: 5
Roll Up Food Truck started as a $2,700 trailer selling gourmet egg rolls in Widefield, Colorado in 2018, and has since expanded with a five-person staff and monthly revenues of $50k, due in part to a customer- and community-centric approach and emphasis on digital marketing and social media.
So... can you actually make money with a food truck?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesnβt.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. Tap Truck USA ($360K/year)
Corbin and Taylor, childhood friends, came up with the idea for Tap Truck after combining their passion for craft beer and classic cars. They built their first truck together, named Bae, and launched the business in San Diego. Since then, Tap Truck has experienced significant growth, with annual sales doubling each year and expanding to 45 locations nationwide. They have plans to expand internationally as well.
How much they make: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
Current team size: 8
Tap Truck, a mobile bar service that serves beer, wine, and cider from the side of classic trucks, has grown its family of locations from 3 to 45 in just four years, seeing year-on-year growth of double its San Diego sales, and is set to expand internationally.
5. The Vet Chef ($417K/year)
Kyle Gourlie is the proprietor of the Vet Chef food truck business in the Seattle area. In 2008, after being forcefully retired due to brain injury, he was looking to start his own business.
Mexican food was something he was passionate about and decided to open his own food truck serving Mexican food.
Kyle's father-in-law helped him with the recipes and his wife Amanda supported him on this journey.
Vet Chef is on a mission to help veterans transition back into the civilian workforce. The business is completely established, operated, and managed by veterans.
He now earns more than $400,000 annually from his food truck business and the business is expanding.
Read the full story on upflip.com β
So... can you actually make money with a food truck?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesnβt.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. Onit Coffee ($630K/year)
How much they make: $630K/year
How much did it cost to start: $120K
Current team size:
Onit Coffee is a Sacramento-based coffee food truck that offers vegan and planet-based drinks while donating a portion of their profits to neighborhood organizations.
6. Aybla Grill ($648K/year)
How much they make: $648K/year
How much did it cost to start: $20K
Current team size:
From Syria to Portland: How one restaurateur started with $20K and now runs a successful business with 3 food trucks and average monthly revenue of $50K.
So... can you actually make money with a food truck?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesnβt.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Fair Food Treats ($350K/year)
How much they make: $350K/year
Current team size:
A 20-year-old built a successful food truck business generating $350K per year by converting his passion for baking into a lucrative opportunity.
8. Food Fleet ($18M/year)
After struggling to find locations to operate their own food truck, the founder took over booking for other trucks and realized the need for a turnkey service for corporations. They used their 35 years of food service experience to provide solutions and help the trucks with everything from food safety to insurance. Their unique approach, along with their understanding of the hospitality business, has allowed Food Fleet to secure national contracts with major companies and achieve significant growth.
How much they make: $18M/year
Current team size: 6
Food Fleet grew over 160% in just one year and managed over 20 million in sales for its clients, securing multiple contracts with the likes of Sodexo, Levy Restaurants and more, due to its understanding of catering client needs and its advanced turnkey and design services.
9. Shake Shack ($740M/year)
How much they make: $740M/year
Current team size: 3386
Shake Shack went from a single hot dog stand to a global fast food chain with over 270 locations thanks to its fresh, high-quality, and delicious food at an incredible price.
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
"An amazing network of founders that truly want to help each other grow their business."
