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Food trucks for your event: an organiser’s guide

What we learned bringing 14 food trucks to Taste & Torque Festival at Morisset Showground, and what every market, festival or community day organiser in NSW should sort out before the trucks roll in.

By the Food Truck Finder team · Last reviewed

General information only. Your council’s event approval conditions take priority over anything here.

Start with the crowd

Think about who is coming and how long they will stay. A family day that runs from 10am to 3pm needs breakfast-style options and coffee early, proper lunches through the middle of the day, and sweets in the afternoon. At Taste & Torque the line-up covered coffee, açaí, donuts, dumplings, pizza, Caribbean jerk, South American coal-fired cooking, American hot dogs and loaded fries.

Build a balanced line-up

  • Avoid two trucks selling the same thing. Variety spreads the queues and keeps trucks happy.
  • Include at least one option with clearly labelled gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan food. Browse gluten-free and vegetarian and vegan trucks.
  • Coffee and dessert trucks do well on long days. See coffee vans and dessert trucks.

Collect the paperwork early

Ask every vendor for:

  • their council notification or approval for the vehicle
  • Food Safety Supervisor details
  • a public liability insurance certificate of currency
  • gas and electrical compliance details if they cook on board
  • vehicle dimensions, and power and water requirements

Councils often deal with the organiser for the whole event, so having this in one place makes approvals faster.

Plan the site

  • Give trucks level ground and room for queues that don’t block walkways or exits.
  • Sort out power early: generators, or access to site power.
  • Plan bins and grease and waste-water disposal. Waste water must never go down stormwater drains.
  • Set bump-in and bump-out times. At Taste & Torque, show cars had to be in before the gates opened and stayed until 1:30pm for insurance reasons. Trucks need the same kind of clear timing.

Promote the line-up

Announce each truck in the lead-up. Vendor spotlights on social media gave Taste & Torque a steady drumbeat of posts before the day, and trucks share them with their own followers. Make sure every truck is on Food Truck Finder so people can check menus before they come.

Apply as an event organiser

Questions people ask

How many food trucks do I need for an event?

It depends on crowd size, how long people stay and how spread out meal times are. Mix cuisines rather than doubling up, and add coffee and dessert trucks for long days.

What should I ask food trucks for?

Their council notification or approval, Food Safety Supervisor details, public liability insurance certificate, power and water needs, vehicle size and menu.

Does the organiser need council approval?

Usually yes for public land and larger events. Councils often deal with the organiser for the whole event, so collect each vendor’s documents early.

Sources