How to hire a branded food truck

Looking to put your brand’s unique stamp on an event - or perhaps you’ve been tasked with a brief to blow a client’s audience away? 

Whether you’re a food brand wanting to take your product on the road or a lifestyle-oriented brand throwing an epic launch party or influencer event, hiring a branded food truck is a surefire way to make a big impact. It can also seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be, and it's well worth the effort. Here's our guide to hiring your very own branded food truck.

How do I go about hiring a food truck?

Essentially, you have two routes. You can take a DIY approach, with a “dry hire” of a van. Or, you can “white label,” where an existing food truck supplier will brand their van, menu and signage in your branding, but take care of the actual food (or drinks). For many of our clients, this works out as the most efficient, stress-free way to run an event, but either way, you’ll have a few decisions to make before you get going. 

1 - Decide what type of food or drink you want to offer

While food trucks are often associated with street food classics like burgers, pizza and BBQ, in reality the sky is (almost) the limit when it comes to what you can serve from a vehicle, so we’d encourage you to think outside the box and consider what might be a perfect fit for your brand and audience. If you’re a fitness brand, for example, consider smoothies or acai bowls. If your target audience is students, think comfort food items or sweet treats.  

2 - Get an idea of the type of volume you’ll need to meet

Will you be providing food for an event with a set number of attendees, or will your activation be open to the general public? Consider how many people you’re expecting to feed and whether they’ll be coming in a steady stream or all at once. This will have an impact on what dishes or drinks you might look to serve: if you have a large event where everyone needs to be fed at the same time, you’ll probably need a bigger truck and a simpler menu or dishes that are assembled & served quickly.  

3 - Find out any requirements related to your venue or location

If your event is within a private venue, ask your event manager or co-ordinator about things like power access and water. Food trucks can be self sufficient, but you’ll need to include that in your brief and it can impact your menu; others only need power to switch their equipment on. If you’re looking to park outside and especially in public areas, you may need to apply for a parking permit or parking suspension with the local council. 

4 - Decide your look and feel 

Not all food trucks are the same, and the type of vehicle you use can have a big impact on the visuals of your event. Have a look and see what’s out there: do you want a VW camper, a converted Citroen, a horsebox, or an Airstream? Take note that this can impact costs, so it’s worth considering your budget here too: in general, the bigger the truck, the more expensive. 

Consider too what other branding touchpoints you could add - from a vinyl wrap of the entire vehicle to awnings and light fixtures to branded menus to greaseproof paper and napkins. 

5 - Speak to the experts 

As we stated earlier, 9 times out of 10 the best people to run a food truck are, well, people that run food trucks. Many suppliers will allow a “white label” hire of their truck, equipment and even provide the staffing, but allow you to brand up the entire experience. For example, our client Campus Group recently hired Crepes Masters for a tour of university campuses across the UK on behalf of their client, Megabus. Megabus got the benefit of their branding being across the activation, but the experts at Crepes Masters took care of the most important aspect: the on-the-day execution. 

This is a route we highly recommend: they have been there, done that and they’ll be able to help you with any questions and suggestions along the way, as well as provide an unforgettable experience for your guests and attendees.