How much stock should you bring as a food truck to a festival?

At a food truck on a festival you have no guest list like at a wedding, just an estimated visitor count and a peak moment when everyone queues up at once. Buy too little and you're sold out early with half a day still to go, buy too much and you throw away unsold stock at the end of the day. In this article you'll read how to work out a realistic stock level from an estimated visitor count and an expected hourly footfall, and how to turn that into a purchasing list.

Why you don't have a guest list at a festival

At a wedding or corporate party you know in advance how many people are coming. At a festival the organiser can give you at most an estimated total visitor count, and only part of that ever reaches your truck, spread across often several other food trucks as well. On top of that, a large share of your revenue falls in short peak moments, for instance around lunchtime or right after a popular act, when everyone queues up at once.

Work out a realistic number based on footfall, not total visitors

Ask the organiser for the expected total visitor count and the number of food trucks on site, and work out a share per truck from there. A useful rule of thumb is 8 to 12 percent of the estimated visitor count as potential buyers at your truck over the whole day, depending on how many similar vendors are there. Also factor in the peak hours: often 30 to 40 percent of your day's revenue falls in the two busiest hours, so your stock needs to cover that moment without leaving you short for the rest of the day.

Work with a margin up and down

Too little stock means missed revenue and visitors walking away empty handed, right when your truck is at its most popular. Too much stock means perishable product you have to throw away at the end of the day. So work with a base stock for an average day, plus a top-up order you can place in the afternoon with a supplier who can restock fast, so you can adjust as soon as it turns out busier than expected.

From estimate to purchasing list

Group your purchasing by dish or component rather than as one long list of loose ingredients, and work out the amount per dish based on your estimated sales number for that day. Keep a fixed base stock that you adjust per festival to the type of event, the expected crowd, and the weather forecast, instead of starting your sums from scratch every time.

Don't want to put this purchasing list together from scratch every time? Try Catermonkey for free and set up your base stock per dish once, so you can adjust it quickly for each festival.

Frequently asked questions

How many festival visitors actually buy from your food truck?

A useful rule of thumb is 8 to 12 percent of the estimated visitor count, depending on how many other food trucks are there.

How much of your revenue falls in the peak hours?

Often 30 to 40 percent of your day's revenue lands in the two busiest hours. Your stock needs to cover that moment without leaving you short for the rest of the day.

What do you do if it's busier than expected?

Work with a base stock for an average day, plus a top-up order you can place in the afternoon with a supplier who can restock fast.

How do you stop throwing away stock at the end of the day?

Work with a margin up and down instead of one fixed number, and where possible choose products you can portion flexibly.

How do you translate an estimated visitor count into a purchasing list?

Group by dish rather than by loose ingredient, work out the amount based on your estimated sales number, and keep a fixed base stock that you adjust per festival.

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