Food Trailer

If you’re looking for more space, a food trailer may be the right option for you. Keep reading to learn about the specifications, pros, and cons of food trailers to determine which mobile food vehicle is the best for your business.

What Is a Food Trailer?

A food trailer is a mobile kitchen that you hitch onto a vehicle to tow from one location to the next. Kitchen trailers can vary greatly in size, ranging anywhere from 8-53 feet long and 7-8 1/2 feet wide. These ever-customizable vehicles are designed to cater to large crowds during multi-hour or even multi-day events like weddings and state fairs.

Pros

The following are some benefits of choosing a food trailer over a food truck or food cart:

• Kitchen can be towed by any vehicle, so business does not need to stop for vehicle maintenance
• Since the kitchen trailer and transport vehicle are not connected, the trailer can be dropped off at an event and the vehicle can be used to run errands during the event
• Generally less expensive than food trucks, and up to 1 1/2 feet wider for more space
• Large size allows food business to cater large venues
• Large internal blueprint provides ample space for full-sized equipment, ingredient storage, disposables, and cleaning supplies
• Full kitchen means you can offer a multi-course menu, have a full staff, and serve several customers at once
• Varying sizes allows you to find a food trailer in your budget and customized to your needs and specifications
• Can be used as a secondary kitchen to expand on the space of an existing building or used as a primary kitchen during renovations/disaster relief
• Mileage is not logged on the trailer, so you can continuously take it from location to location without worrying about depreciation in value caused by an increase in mileage

Cons

There are some downsides associated with concession trailers that are important to consider before making your purchase:

• An external vehicle with a hitch is required to move the trailer, the vehicle also needs to be powerful enough to tow the trailer
• Large size can make it difficult or impossible to maneuver down certain streets and can limit the number of parking locations available
• Before moving the food trailer, it will need to be packed up and hitched back up to the transport vehicle
• An external generator may be needed depending on the specifications of your trailer

If you’re looking to cater wedding venues with your mobile food business or establish a booth at your local event, a concession trailer may be the right choice to expand your business beyond a brick-and-mortar location.