Guide to Supplies for Food Vending Trailers

Find the best products to sell for your mobile food cart

By Lori Carver

Action Steps for Choosing The Right Mobile Food Carts
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select beverage choices for your food concession trailers

Sell soda, water, juice and coffee and quench your customers' thirst. Obtain different flavors of soda and coffee to spark your customers' interest and make them return to buy from you again.

I recommend: Beverages Direct carries soda, energy drinks, water and sugar free drinks and offers a wide variety of flavors. Jones Soda offers various flavors of soda including fufu berry, blue bubble gum and crushed melon. Coffee Bean sells coffee and tea wholesale. Look at the long list of products and choose something different for your customers. Specialty Java sells coffee wholesale in 15 or 25 pound increments. They will private label your coffee for an additional fee.

Find vending snack companies that supply snacks and healthy foods for portable food carts

Snacks are the mainstay for busy workers who do not have time to stop for a complete meal. Offer chips and treats for a quick pick-me-up for your customers.

I recommend: Aramark Refreshments sells healthy snack treats and juices. Conn's Potato Chips sells potato chips for mobile food carts under their label or will private label them for you. Herr's sells potato chips, pretzels and popcorn snacks for your food vending cart.

Pick wholesale companies for other supplies for your food vending carts

You will need the extras that go with your products such as straws, napkins and coffee stirrers. Buy these at your local wholesale house or have them delivered to your commissary.

I recommend: Betty Mills sells creamers, sugar, paper towels and other supplies you need. MCT sells coffee filters, cups and lids as well as other products you need.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you buy in bulk for your food kiosk, you may need a license to prove you are in business. Visit local city or county officials and ask about licenses and permits for your business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hot dog vending carts

Hot dog trailers and vending carts come in a variety of styles suitable for either indoor or outdoor use. Prices typically range from about $2,000 to $10,000, but some smaller models and used food vending trailers can be purchased for less.

I recommend: TheHotDogCart.com and AAAHotDogCarts.com have several types including push carts with umbrellas and enclosed carts. HotDogCarts.com offers D.O.T. tow-ready carts. AllAmericanHotDog.com sells used carts that are listed for up to 50 percent off retail. Check out additional suppliers for hot dog vending carts at Business.com.

Food concession trailers

Hot dogs haven’t cornered the market on concessions. If it can be served on a stick or through a window, you can have custom-made food concession trailers made to order. Food concession trailers run from under $10,000 upwards of $25,000.

I recommend: All A Cart Manufacturing makes custom vending carts, food kiosks, step vans, sprinters, food vending trailers and vending tricycles. Pace American manufactures commercial-quality, flat-top trailers with heavy-duty truck body style construction. Shop for used food vending trailers nationwide at ConcessionTrailers.com. Supreme Products makes custom made concession trailers and vending carts. For a directory of manufacturers for concessions trailers and the overall visit Business.com.

Other specialty concession trailers and mobile food carts

If you’d prefer to serve a specialty food item, look for manufacturers who sell food carts that serve barbeque, cotton candy, smoothies and more.

I recommend: HTmarket.com offers cotton candy and popcorn carts. If you’re in the market for ice cream, gelato or smoothie carts, check out this listings at Business.com or suppliers like 800BuyCart.com, MagnoliaCarts.com or TurnkeyParlor.com.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Equipment, such as stoves and refrigeration systems, are often built into vending carts and concession trailers.
• •  Decide how you will transport food carts or food vending trailers. If you choose a towable trailer, make sure it is D.O.T. approved and it is able to be licensed, wired for taillights and generally road-ready. Regulations differ from state-to-state, so check out your state’s licensing requirements.
• •  Before you hire your vending carts out for business, make sure you’ve passed muster with the county health department and you’ve gotten all vending licenses and permits to sell concessions.

Guide to Pricing and Costs of Food Vending Trailers

Decipher the cost to start doing business with food vending carts

By Lori Carver

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy hot dog food carts that go anywhere

Hot dogs remain a favorite food and selling them for a living remains a good occupation. Investigate the costs of both a mobile cart and a walk-in hot dog trailer and weigh your options accordingly.

I recommend: Armenco Cater Truck sells hot dog carts starting at $6,250 and going up to around $8,000. 800 Buy Cart sells several basic models. Call, fax or email them for current prices. They offer custom configurations on some of the models.

Find additional income opportunities with food vending trailers

Instead of just selling hot dogs, escalate to all types of foods with mobile food carts. These stand-alone trailers cost considerably more than hot dog carts but the possibilities for income are unlimited. Sell hot dinners and cold sandwiches, snacks, pastries, hot and cold beverages and even make your own popcorn.

I recommend: Apollo Carts sells expresso carts and crepe carts with a range of prices from under $10,000 to over $20,000. They also sell concession trailers. See their complete selection. West Coast Custom Carts sells starter carts, ice cream and "boomin'" carts (with built-in speakers) for a range starting at about $2,500 up to around $7,000. They will customize your cart or trailer for 25% off and build your trailer to your specification.

Locate used vending carts for less costly start up

Used food equipment is substantially less expensive, but take care in buying, since it is usually sold 'as is.'

I recommend: USA Concession Supplies sells used hot dog carts. Call for current inventory and prices. Their new carts start at under $3,200. Buy It List It puts sellers of used equipment together with buyers. Click on any item to get detailed listing of price and seller information. Current listings range in price from $5,000 to $30,000 but the list changes frequently. Hot Dog Profits offers used hot dog carts and concession trailers from $5,000 to $25,000. Check current list for prices and pictures.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Purchase insurance for your portable food carts to protect against loss or vandalism.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Single axle concession trailer

A single axle concession trailer refers to a trailer that only has one axle with wheels toward the back. The trailer is affixed to a vehicle capable of towing the trailer using a hitch system. The trailer is also outfitted for some form of vending food service ranging from cotton candy to barbecue.

I recommend: Visit the website for Trailers R Less. They have a comprehensive guide to the single axle concession trailers that they sell.

Air hitch, air ride hitches

An air hitch, or an air ride hitch is a form of hitch that attaches concession trailers to light duty trucks and towing vehicles. It differs from a regular hitch because the 'air' system keeps the concession trailer from bouncing or bucking to towing vehicle.

I recommend: Visit the website for Air Safe Hitches. They are a manufacturer of air ride hitches. Their information page details how vending trailers are outfitted with air hitches.

Gross trailer weight, GTW

The gross trailer weight refers to the weight of the entire trailer once it has been fully loaded. In terms of a vending trailer, that would mean the weight inclusive of all food and supplies loaded onto the trailer. Certain hitches and towing vehicles have a maximum gross trailer weight that they will pull.

I recommend: Visit the website for E Trailer. They provide parts for all sorts of trailers including vending trailers. Take a moment to read about the various trailer weight measurements including gross trailer weight and tongue weight.

Weight distribution system

A weight distribution system is a mechanism found on concession trailers and other trailers that distributes the weight evenly throughout the towing vehicle and concession trailer. This relieves pressure at the point if the towing hitch.

I recommend: Check out the website for Hecht Trailers. They have more information about the principles of a weight distribution system and manufacture concession vending trailers as well. (You will find the information on their concession vending trailers on a separate page.)

Barbecue concession trailer

A barbecue concession trailer is a vending trailer that specializes in barbecue. However, many concession companies place this trailer in a separate production category because the barbecue apparatus is on the outside of the vehicle so not to smoke out the chefs trying to work. There are both propane and wood chip barbecue concession trailers.

I recommend: Visit the website for JPR Concession Trailers for a description of its barbecue trailers.

Gooseneck concession trailer

A gooseneck concession trailer refers to a trailer that has a large overhang toward the front of the trailer. This large overhang is not attached on a hitch, but placed on the back of a small flat bed. Gooseneck vending trailers are usually quite large and commonly found at state fairs and events of equivalent size.

I recommend: Visit the website for Russell Concessions, a manufacturer of gooseneck concession trailers with informational pages on their website.