The mobile food industry is in it’s seventh year of consistent growth and the 2015 food truck industry statistics are here prove it. While food trucks may not be the new kid in the food service industry, the fact remains that the food truck segment is still growing. The best part is that there is still plenty of room for additional growth. Many cities across the country are still trying to determine how to regulate the industry, but many of them have started leaning towards fair ordinances that allow vendors to flourish.

2015 Food Truck Industry Statistics

2015 Food Truck Industry Statistics Data
Annual food truck revenue $1,200,000,000
Industry revenue increase over the past five years 12.4 %
Total number of food trucks in U.S. 4,130
Average revenue generated per food truck $290,556
Average spending per order at a food truck $12.40
Average cost of food truck $85,000
2015 Food Truck Location Market Segments Percent of Sales
Street locations / corners 55 %
Other locations / venues / events 18 %
Industrial / construction work sites 15 %
Shopping malls 12 %
2015 Food Truck Expense Breakdown Percent of Expenses
Food and Beverage for resale 27 %
Insurance, repairs and maintenance, licenses, fuel 26 %
Employee wages 18 %
Other 29 %
2015 Food Truck Startup Costs Average Cost
Food truck (includes wrap & equipment) $85,000
Initial product inventory $1,500
Permits and Licenses $300
Website $100
Register / POS $500
Uniforms $500
Paper products $250
Misc. Expenses $500
Pots, Pans, etc. $1,500
Fire Extinguisher $150
Total Startup Cost $90,300

 

Now, I’m sure there will be plenty of restaurant owners who complain about the 2015 food truck industry statistics, but if you look at the 2015 restaurant industry statistics, you’ll notice that the restaurant industry is still growing across the U.S as we make our way out of the 2008 recession.

2015 Restaurant Industry Statistics

2015 Restaurant Industry Statistics Data
Annual Restaurant Industry Revenue $709,200,000,000
Total number of restaurants in U.S. 616,008
Total restaurant employees 13,000,000
Number of daily U.S. restaurant patrons 50,000,000

 

1.2 billion dollars in may seem like a drop in the bucket from the restaurant number of 709 billion, but when you look at the food truck industries size (which seems a bit conservative) compared to the number of restaurants, you can see how big the 2015 food truck industry statistics are.

Sources: Ibis World, Intuit, Statistic Brain Research Institute and Restaurant Industry Forecast Report.