Outside the initial investment for your vehicle, food truck food cost is typically the highest reoccurring expense involved in the running of your mobile business. In order to keep food cost percentage at a manageable rate, we have come up with a list of tips you can follow.

8 Tips For Controlling Food Truck Food Cost

Keep an eye on your profits and losses

When you know what profits you are bringing in as well as the fixed expenses affecting your food truck, you can better evaluate your options and see where you can cut costs.

RELATED: 6 Accounting Equations To Know For Your Food Truck Business

Conduct inventory consistently

Regular and thorough inventory counts will help you stay in control of your usage and the costs associated. This is especially important for high-cost items.

Price menu items properly

When you price your menu items reasonably, your customers will continue to pay you and you will make a profit on your products. (Keep an eye out on a future article on this topic)

RELATED: Food Truck Menu Pricing Methods

Portion food correctly

Be sure to serve food in portions that doesn’t become wasted.  If you keep an eye on your trash receptacle, see if your customers are throwing away food they are too full to eat. If there tends to be a lot of food being discarded, you may be over-portioning your meals.

Rethink the garnish

Garnishes often consist of fancy fruits or layers of fresh lettuce which add visual appeal but are rarely eaten. Use less expensive food items or remove garnishes entirely to save on food costs.

Keep a record of all food waste

Use a waste chart to write down any foods that are made incorrectly, thrown away or spilled. Failing to record this “usage” will skew inventory reports and throw off your food cost percentage.

RELATED: Tracking Food Waste From Your Food Truck

Be consistent with food purchases

Consistency with food purchases comes with time but can help you to anticipate expenses from week to week and keep your food costs steady.

Build a rapport with your suppliers

Once you are in business a while, your suppliers will get to know your regular food orders and you will become familiar with the cost of your purchased goods. Be sure you stay in communication with your suppliers in case of any problems with food quality or any issues with food prices.

RELATED: Choosing Your Food Truck Suppliers

The Bottom Line

When done properly, food truck food cost will keep your business profitable. When done improperly, you are on a certain path to failure. Use these tips to keep your food costs down, and build a successful food truck business.

We hope you found this article helpful, and if you have any additional suggestions for food truck food cost savings, please feel free to add them in the comment section below, our food truck forum or social media. Twitter | Facebook