Food Truck Event Profit Calculator
Estimate the take-home from a festival, brewery night, market, or private event before you commit. Tune the inputs and see the verdict in real time. No sign-up required.
- Revenue
- +$3,920
- Food cost
- -$1,098
- Labor
- -$396
- Vendor fee
- -$450
- Revenue share
- +$0
- Travel
- -$68
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Start freeInputs
- Expected attendance
Total people through the gate over the event. Use organizer estimates discounted 20–30% for first-year events.
- Capture rate
Share of attendees who buy from your truck. 4–10% is typical; lower with heavy competition.
- Average ticket
Mean order value in dollars. Include drinks and sides if you typically up-sell.
- Food cost %
Cost of goods sold as a percent of revenue. Most trucks land between 25% and 33%.
- Staff + service hours + wage
Number of people on the truck, the service window length, and the fully loaded hourly cost.
- Vendor fee + revenue share
Flat fee, percentage cut of sales, or both. Enter the deal as written in the vendor agreement.
- Travel (one-way)
Miles from commissary to event. Doubled for round trip; priced at $0.85/mi.
Outputs
- Estimated profit
Revenue minus all variable costs. Color-coded as Take it, Worth it, Marginal, or Skip.
- Margin %
Profit divided by revenue. Below 15% is fragile — one slow hour wipes it out.
- Orders per hour
Throughput pressure. Above ~90 means you're projecting more than a single window can serve.
- Risk flags
Plain-English warnings: thin margin, fee too high, throughput unrealistic, travel too far, negative profit.
Worked example
3,500 attendance × 8% capture × $14 ticket = 280 orders, $3,920 revenue. Food cost 28%, three staff for six hours at $22/hr, $450 vendor fee, 40-mile one-way trip, no revenue share.
Costs: $1,098 food + $396 labor + $450 fee + $68 travel = $2,012. Profit ≈ $1,908 at a 49% margin. Verdict: TAKE IT.
FAQ
What is a realistic capture rate at a food truck event?
For most festivals, breweries, and markets, capture rates run between 4% and 10% of total attendance per truck, depending on competition, menu speed, and event length. Lower competition + a fast menu + good positioning push you toward the top of that range.
How is profit calculated?
Profit = revenue − (food cost + labor + vendor fee + revenue share + travel). Revenue is orders × average ticket; orders is attendance × capture rate. Labor uses fully loaded hourly wages, including tax burden.
Does this calculator account for revenue share deals?
Yes. Enter the percentage and it's subtracted from revenue. You can use revenue share on its own, alongside a flat vendor fee, or set it to 0 for flat-fee events.
Should I include propane, cleaning, or POS fees?
For a back-of-envelope check, no — food cost % already absorbs minor consumables. For a final go/no-go on a big event, add those into the food cost percent or as part of the vendor fee.
What does the 'orders per hour' warning mean?
Most single-window trucks top out at 60–90 paid orders per hour. If your projection exceeds that, your revenue is overstated unless you add a second window or runner.
Related FRUCKOS calculators
- Food truck break-even calculator →
- Prep portion calculator →
- Vendor fee calculator →
- Guide: How to calculate food truck event profit →
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