How much stock should you bring as a food truck to a festival?
At a festival, a food truck has no guest list like a wedding does, just an estimated visitor number and a peak moment when everyone queues at once. Buy too little and you sell out with half the day still to go, buy too much and you throw away unsold stock at the end of the day. This article covers how to work out a realistic stock level from an estimated visitor number and expected throughput per hour, and how to turn that into a purchasing list.
Why you have no 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 gives you an estimated total visitor number at best, and only a fraction of that ever reaches your truck, spread across often several other food trucks too. On top of that, a large share of your revenue lands in short peak moments, say around lunchtime or right after a popular act, when everyone queues at once.
Work out a realistic number from throughput, not total visitors
Ask the organiser for the expected total visitor number and how many food trucks will be there, then work out a share per truck from that. A useful rule of thumb is 8 to 12 per cent of the estimated visitor number as potential buyers at your truck across the whole day, depending on how much similar competition there is. Also plan around peak hours: often 30 to 40 per cent of your day's revenue lands in the two busiest hours, so your stock needs to cover that moment without leaving you short for the rest of the day.
Plan a buffer both ways
Too little stock means lost 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. Work with a base stock for an average day, plus a top-up order you can place mid-afternoon with a supplier who can restock quickly, so you can adjust the moment it turns out to be busier than expected.
Turning an estimate into a purchasing list
Group your purchasing by dish or component rather than one long list of loose ingredients, and work out the quantity per dish based on your estimated sales for the day. Keep a standard base stock that you adjust per festival for the type of event, expected footfall and the weather forecast, rather than starting the maths from scratch every time.
Want to stop rebuilding this purchasing list 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 per cent of the estimated visitor number, depending on how many other food trucks are there.
How much of your revenue lands in peak hours?
Often 30 to 40 per cent of your day's revenue 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 gets busier than expected?
Work with a base stock for an average day, plus a top-up order you can place mid-afternoon with a supplier who can restock quickly.
How do you avoid throwing away stock at the end of the day?
Plan a buffer both ways rather than one fixed number, and choose products you can portion flexibly where possible.
How do you turn an estimated visitor number into a purchasing list?
Group by dish rather than by loose ingredient, work out the quantity from your estimated sales, and keep a standard base stock you adjust per festival.
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