Skip to main content
Calcimator

Food Truck Event Pricing Calculator

Minimum guarantee pricing for catering and events.

Inputs

$
$
%

Results

Minimum guarantee price

$1,384.44

≈ 11 pairs of sneakers

Price per person$9.23
Total event cost$1,153.70
Food cost$675.00
Labor cost$324.00
Travel cost$26.20
Supplies cost$112.50
Projected profit$230.74
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter the expected number of guests and your food cost per person.
  2. Set service hours, staff count, staff hourly wage, and one-way travel distance in miles.
  3. Enter your target profit margin percentage.
  4. The calculator shows minimum guarantee price, price per person, total event cost broken down by food/labor/travel/supplies, and projected profit.
  5. Never accept below the minimum guarantee; build in your target margin before quoting the event organizer.

How the result changes with Expected guests

Expected guestsMinimum guarantee price
501$3,595.74
1,751$11,470.74
3,250$20,914.44
4,500$28,789.44

What each input means

Expected guests
Number of people expected at the event.
Food cost per person ($)
Your ingredient cost per guest. Typically $3-$7 depending on menu.
Service hours
Hours of active food service (setup/cleanup added automatically).
Staff needed
Number of workers for the event including yourself.
Staff hourly wage ($)
Average hourly wage for event staff.
Travel distance (miles)
One-way distance to event (round trip calculated automatically).
Target profit margin (%)
Desired profit margin on top of all costs.

What each result means

Minimum guarantee price
The minimum you should charge for this event.
Price per person
Event price divided by expected guest count.
Total event cost
All costs: food, labor, travel, fuel, and supplies.
Food cost
Total ingredient cost for all guests.
Labor cost
Staff wages including setup and cleanup time.
Travel cost
Round-trip fuel/mileage at IRS standard rate.
Supplies cost
Disposable plates, utensils, napkins, etc.
Projected profit
Revenue minus total costs at your target margin.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Expected guests = 150, Food cost per person ($) = 4.5, Service hours = 4, Staff needed = 3 = 7 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Minimum guarantee price
    Minimum guarantee price = totalCost * targetMultiplier
    1384.44 = $1,384.44
  3. Calculate Price per person
    Price per person = minimumGuarantee / expectedGuests
    9.23 = $9.23
  4. Calculate Total event cost
    Total event cost = totalFoodCost + totalLaborCost + travelCost + generatorCost + suppliesCost
    1153.7 = $1,153.7

Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

Related Calculators

The questions that sit next to this one — chosen by subject, including calculators filed under a different category.

Food Truck

Food Truck Menu Pricing Calculator

Item pricing from food cost percentage and overhead.

Food Truck

Food Truck Location ROI Calculator

Revenue per location from foot traffic and event data.

Restaurant & Hospitality

Catering Quote Calculator

Calculate per-person pricing for catering events.

Event Planning

Catering Quantity Calculator

Estimate how much food and drink you need for your event based on guest count, meal type, and number of courses.

Food Truck

Food Truck Break-Even Calculator

Daily sales target to cover fixed and variable costs.

More in Business & Entrepreneurship.