Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Projected net profit
$694
Projected revenue
$2,080
Total event fees
$412
Profit per hour (6hr event est.)
$116
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter expected crowd/foot traffic.
- 2Enter capture rate (% who buy from you) (%).
- 3Enter average ticket ($).
- 4Enter event commission (if %) (%).
- 5Enter flat booth fee ($).
- 6Enter food cost % (%).
- 7Enter staff wages for event ($).
- 8Read your projected net profit on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Food truck event economics hinge on a few variables that change every booking: expected sales volume (often estimated from crowd size and average spend per attendee), the event's booth or commission fee, food cost, and staffing for that specific event. This calculator projects revenue from either a direct sales estimate or crowd size times capture rate times average ticket, subtracts event fees (flat fee or percentage of sales, whichever the venue charges), food cost, and staff wages for the event, and returns net profit and profit per labor hour, which is the number that tells you whether a specific booking is worth the drive and setup time compared to a regular service-area day. Many truck operators find that private catered bookings often out-earn public festival bookings per hour once festival commission and lower per-guest capture rates are accounted for honestly.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Expected crowd/foot traffic: 2000
- Capture rate (% who buy from you): 8 %
- Average ticket: 13 $
- Event commission (if %): 15 %
- Flat booth fee: 100 $
- Food cost %: 30 %
- Staff wages for event: 350 $
Results
- Projected net profit: $694
- Projected revenue: $2,080
- Total event fees: $412
- Profit per hour (6hr event est.): $116
What each field means
Inputs
- Expected crowd/foot traffic
- The expected crowd/foot traffic used in the calculation. Starts at 2000 so you have a working example on load.
- Capture rate (% who buy from you) (%)
- The capture rate (% who buy from you) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 8 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Average ticket ($)
- The average ticket used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 13 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Event commission (if %) (%)
- The event commission (if %) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 15 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–50 %.
- Flat booth fee ($)
- The flat booth fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 100 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Food cost % (%)
- The food cost % used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 30 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–80 %.
- Staff wages for event ($)
- The staff wages for event used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 350 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Projected net profit
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Projected revenue
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total event fees
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Profit per hour (6hr event est.)
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's a realistic capture rate for a festival?
3-10% of total foot traffic is typical for a food truck at a multi-vendor festival, depending on how many other food options compete and how much of the crowd is actually hungry versus just passing through. Single-truck private events can see capture rates of 60-100% of invited guests.
Should I take a flat fee or percentage-of-sales booking?
A flat fee protects you if turnout is lower than promised; a percentage fee protects the venue but scales with your upside if turnout is huge. For unproven or new events, prefer a flat fee or a percentage with a cap; for established high-traffic events, percentage is usually fine since volume is more predictable.
Why do private catering bookings often profit more per hour than festivals?
Private events guarantee a captured audience (contracted headcount) without festival commission fees eating 10-20% of sales, and setup/teardown time is often similar, so the effective hourly profit is frequently higher even at a lower total revenue than a big festival.
How do I estimate crowd size for a new event?
Ask the organizer for prior-year attendance data and vendor count, then discount your first-year estimate by 20-30% until you have your own track record at that specific event, since organizer estimates tend to run optimistic.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Food Cost Percentage Calculator
Find your plate cost as a share of menu price and where it lands vs. target.
Catering Quote Calculator
Build a per-head catering price from food, labor, rentals, and margin.
POS & Payment Processing Fee Calculator
True cost of card processing and POS fees on your restaurant sales.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Food Truck Event P&L Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/food-truck-event-pnl
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/food-truck-event-pnl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Food Truck Event P&L Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Food Truck Event P&L Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/food-truck-event-pnl) (2026).