How to Book a Food Truck

A coffee truck (or food truck or ice cream truck) is a great treat for the crew. It’s a nice excuse to get away from the stage and mill about with your co-workers, without actually having to do anything.

But finding the right truck can be kind of a pain in the ass. Luckily, Diana from Peaches’ Smokehouse & Southern Food Truck has some advice–

As food truck owners in L.A., we get to interact with a lot of production assistants. So we get to see how hard you guys work. Whether you’re new to booking trucks or just looking for ways to make the process a little easier, we’ve put together a few simple tips that might make life a little easier:

Have a date and time window. We appreciate when organizers tell us: “We think we’ll need service to start at 3PM but that may move up to 2PM.” This helps because if we have a scheduling conflict, we can let you know immediately. An hour can make a difference, and things will go more smoothly if the food truck gets enough set up time.

Give a budget. If you have a budget, we’ll try to work with it. If we can’t, we’ll tell you, which helps save you time. Do mention if your budget is all-inclusive (for example, “$1500 for 100 people, tax and service charge included”).

For bigger productions, make sure the food truck you book can handle “fast service”. Because everyone is breaking at roughly the same time, sometimes that means a lot of people get in line at once. Some food trucks can handle volume and others may not. Be sure to ask if the truck can serve quickly.

Go for a limited menu. As a general rule, the smaller the menu, the faster the service. For example, at Peaches’, if you choose a menu with 3 entree and 2 side options, we can serve each guest in less than 30 seconds. If you choose a menu with 2 entrees and 1 side option, we can serve your food almost immediately. Every food truck is different, so try to find out what their ticket times would be and ask for a limited menu if you need your food fast.

Provide options for special diets. Every vegetarian on your set will love you for making sure they have something to eat. If you think you might need special dietary accommodations, like gluten-free or vegan options, ask ahead so the food truck can come prepared.

As you work with more food trucks, you’ll find you have your own preferences. We work with enough trucks to have our own favorites, as well (for example, we love working with Baby’s Badass Burgers and Me So Hungry, among many others), so don’t be shy about asking for food truck recommendations! We’re always glad to help

Have questions we didn’t address in this blog? Ask them in the comments section! We’ll happily answer any question!