Take Your Business on the Road: What to Look for When Buying a Food Trailer

food trailer

The food trailer industry has seen a 12.4% increase in revenue over the past five years.

Food trailers are growing more popular with each passing year. Thanks to a food trailer or truck, you can sample every food imaginable without the price tag or long wait of a traditional restaurant.

If you’re thinking of starting your own food trailer business, there are a lot of important details to consider. Maintaining a food trailer can be an expensive venture. However, it’s far cheaper than trying to invest in a brick and mortar restaurant. A traditional restaurant costs on average between $250,000 to $500,000, whereas a food trailer is only $55,000 to $75,000.

How to Buy the Right Food Trailer

A food trailer can help make or break your business. If you’re looking into how to buy a food truck or trailer, or just wondering where to buy a food truck, this article has you covered.

1. New or Used

The very first decision you need to make is whether you want to buy a new or used food trailer.

There are several advantages and disadvantages to either decision. However, the biggest decider on which you choose will be your budget. 

A new food truck can be customized to your exact specifications. Also, the odds of one needing any repair work done in the near future is low. It’s new after all.

The drawback? A brand new food trailer can have an exorbitant price tag.

The pros of instead choosing a used food trailer is that they’re far cheaper and already retrofitted. The downside is that there’s a greater chance of repairs and maintenance needed.

2. The Type of Food You’ll Serve

Figure out what kind of food you plan to serve before you buy your food trailer. This is important because certain types of food trailers are better suited to different styles of food. 

For example, if you plan to sell a bunch of fried foods, you’ll need fryers. Not all trailers come with fryers, however, or have enough space to accommodate one.

3. Electrical for Equipment

Once you know what kind of food you’ll be serving, you’ll then know what kind of equipment to get. Look over all the equipment you plan to buy and note its power requirements. You’ll want to make sure the plugs of the equipment will go into the outlets in the trailer.

4. Plumbing Regulations

Every local ordinance has different plumbing regulations that vary from state to state. Research online to find out what plumbing regulations your state has for food trailers. This could save you from making a huge purchase, only to find out you can’t use the food trailer in the city you want.

5. Durability of the Food Trailer

Take note of what materials make up the interior of the food trailer. Food-grade stainless steel is the best choice when it comes to surfaces for food preparation.

You’ll want walls, ceiling, and flooring that will be easy for you to clean each day. The type of food you prepare may affect the type of materials you want for the interior.

For example, if you do a lot of frying, you might want to be able to use a hose on the flooring to get rid of grease. If that’s the case, vinyl and linoleum would not make good flooring for you.

Buy a Food Trailer Today

Finding the perfect food trailer for your business can be tricky. Pro-Line Trailers offers a huge array of enclosed trailers, open trailers, and even custom special-use trailers.

Contact us today to buy the right food trailer for your business.

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