Food trucks have different cost structures than restaurants. Fuel, parking costs and mobile operations make cost calculation more complex. In this article you'll learn how to correctly factor all operational costs into your dish pricing.
Gather all operational costs
A food truck has costs that a restaurant doesn't have. You need to include all of these in your cost price, otherwise you'll lose money without realizing it.
💡 Example monthly food truck costs:
- Fuel: €800
- Parking costs/permits: €400
- Truck maintenance: €200
- Insurance: €150
- Cooking gas: €100
Total: €1,650 per month
Calculate costs per dish
You divide your operational costs across the number of dishes you sell. This becomes your 'overhead per portion'.
Formula: Overhead per portion = Total monthly costs / Number of portions per month
💡 Overhead calculation:
Monthly costs: €1,650
Sales: 100 portions/day × 22 working days = 2,200 portions/month
Overhead per portion: €1,650 ÷ 2,200 = €0.75
Add overhead to ingredient costs
Your total cost price consists of ingredients + overhead. You need to include both for a realistic food cost.
💡 Burger cost price:
- Ingredients: €3.20
- Overhead (fuel, rent, etc.): €0.75
- Packaging: €0.30
Total cost price: €4.25
Adjust your selling price
With your real cost price you can calculate a realistic selling price. Many food truck owners undercharge for overhead and lose money as a result.
At 30% food cost: Minimum selling price = Cost price ÷ 0.30
💡 Price calculation:
Cost price: €4.25
Desired food cost: 30%
Minimum price excl. VAT: €4.25 ÷ 0.30 = €14.17
Selling price incl. 9% VAT: €15.44
⚠️ Heads up:
Many food truck owners forget to include overhead. Then your food cost looks like 25%, but you're actually at 40% because fuel and parking costs weren't factored in.
Watch out for seasonal changes
Food trucks often have seasonal sales fluctuations. In winter you sell less, but your fuel costs stay the same. So calculate based on your average sales throughout the year.
- Summer: 150 portions/day (high sales)
- Winter: 50 portions/day (low sales)
- Average: 100 portions/day
Always calculate your overhead based on your average sales, not your peak months.
Digital tracking saves time
With all these different cost items, manual calculation gets complex. A system like KitchenNmbrs helps automatically factor ingredients, overhead and packaging costs into your cost price.
You enter your monthly costs once, and the system automatically calculates the overhead per portion based on your sales figures.
How do you calculate food truck cost prices? (step by step)
Gather all monthly costs
Write down fuel, parking costs, maintenance, insurance and gas. Add everything up for your total monthly costs. Don't forget small items like permits.
Calculate overhead per portion
Divide your total monthly costs by the number of portions you sell on average per month. This gives you overhead per dish.
Add ingredients and overhead
Your real cost price = ingredient costs + overhead per portion + packaging costs. Use this amount for your food cost calculation.
Calculate your minimum selling price
Divide your total cost price by your desired food cost percentage. Don't forget to add VAT for your final price.
✨ Pro tip
Keep a simple mileage log. This way you can calculate exactly how much fuel goes to which locations and identify your most profitable spots.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Should I include fuel costs in my food cost?
Yes, fuel is an operational cost that you need to spread across your dishes. Otherwise your margin will look higher than it actually is.
How do I calculate parking costs per dish?
Add up all parking and permit costs per month. Divide this by the number of portions you sell on average. This gives you parking costs per portion.
What if my sales vary greatly by season?
Calculate based on your average sales throughout the entire year. This prevents you from making losses during quiet periods because you underestimated your overhead.
Are packaging costs part of the food cost?
Yes, containers, bags and cutlery are part of your cost price. Add these to your ingredient costs before you calculate your food cost.
How often should I recalculate my overhead?
Check monthly whether your sales numbers match your estimate. If there are major deviations, adjust your overhead per portion.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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