Better buy a food truck or a food trailer?

Buy a food truck or food trailer: Which option suits you?

Want to get into mobile catering or expand your existing business? A mobile kitchen on wheels can help you get your business rolling. So buying a food truck or food trailer is a good option. You might not even know the differences between the two, because in everyday life people often only use the word food truck, although sometimes they also mean a food trailer.

What are your needs?

In order to know whether a food truck or a food trailer is more suitable for you and your needs, you need to consider a few things. In the following article we will define the terms, show the differences between the two approaches and their advantages and disadvantages.

What is a food truck?

A food truck (like a food trailer) is a mobile kitchen on wheels. However, a food truck is always equipped with a small driver’s cabin and an engine and has an integrated kitchen in the rear of the vehicle. Foodtrucks are also called self-propelled. There is a sales hatch, window or hatch for serving the food.

What is a food traile?

A food trailer, on the other hand, is a trailer for your car, i.e. without its own engine. The body or chassis of the food trailer contains a mobile kitchen. This means that you cannot move your food trailer without a towing vehicle with a trailer coupling. Food trailers are also called snack trailers and usually have a sales hatch.

What is a food truck?

A food truck is a mobile form of a food stand. A food truck can be motorised, i.e. a food truck, or a food trailer, i.e. non-motorised. The term food truck can therefore be used for both a food truck and a food trailer.

What are the advantages of a food trailer compared to a food truck?

Buying a food trailer is cheaper than buying a food truck. By this we mean the actual purchase costs of the food trailer and the permanent costs for insurance, maintenance and spare parts. Since a food trailer does not require space for an engine, generators and the driver’s cabin, this gives you more space in the trailer for your equipment and products. The space is used more efficiently with a food trailer compared to a food truck, which offers you many advantages:

On the one hand, with a food trailer you can also get to places where space is tight, for example in backyards, city centres or private property. On the other hand, you pay less for a stand in places where you are charged by the stand area, because food trucks need more space due to the additional driver’s cabin and the engine. The drawbar of the food trailer also needs space, of course, but can be ordered as a detachable drawbar from many manufacturers.

Food trailers are an affordable alternative to food trucks, especially for beginners.

Furthermore, the risk of failure of a food trailer is lower. If a problem of any kind should occur in the towing vehicle, your food trailer can still remain open because you can simply use another car. The maintenance costs of a food trailer are also lower, because without an engine it is less likely that it will break down. In the long run, the depreciation of a food trailer is also lower than that of a food truck.

What are the disadvantages of a food trailer compared to a food truck?

Since a food trailer needs a towing vehicle to get from A to B, you are less mobile than with a food truck. Driving a trailer can be a bit unfamiliar at the beginning. In addition, setting up and taking down is a bit more time-consuming than with a food truck, because the food trailer has to be unhitched and the side supports have to be adjusted. If the total weight of the towing vehicle and trailer exceeds 3.5 t, a trailer license is required.

What are the advantages of a food truck compared to a food trailer?

So why buy a food truck? A food truck gives you more mobility as everything is ‘on board’. Depending on the size of the food truck, it can be easier to drive it and you save some time as there is no need to set up and take down.

What are the disadvantages of a food truck compared to a food trailer?

Buying a food truck costs a lot more than buying a food trailer. In addition, there are also the insurance costs. Maintenance costs are also higher than with a food trailer. In case of technical problems, the entire operation is interrupted because the whole vehicle has to go to the workshop. Depending on the model, spare parts are more difficult to obtain. In case of hardship, the whole vehicle can become almost worthless if an engine failure occurs.

If the permissible total weight is over 3.5 t, you need a lorry driver’s licence to drive a food truck. Many cities have environmental zones or car-free areas that restrict the mobility of your food truck.

Conclusion: What is right for you?

Food trucks and food trailers both have their advantages and disadvantages. Of course, we are not completely impartial when it comes to the question of whether you should rather buy a food truck or a food trailer. But if we look at it objectively, we think that a food trailer is the better choice, especially for those starting out in mobile gastronomy and the travelling trade, simply because of the purchase costs.

By the way: For many of the food trailer models and concepts available at BuddyStar, you don’t need a trailer licence and driving is child’s play thanks to the compact design. You can find lots of inspiration here.