Mobile Food Services

The 11,500 mobile food service operators in the US use food trucks and carts to sell prepared meals, snacks and beverages for immediate consumption to walk-up customers. Mobile food services also contract with individuals and businesses to cater food at events, such as parties, corporate gatherings, and festivals.

Economic Sensitivity

Food trucks that catered to construction sites and industrial parks were hit hard during the Great Recession when construction and manufacturing declined and workers were laid off.

Permit Restrictions

Food trucks are typically permitted and inspected by the city in which they operate, with regulations varying significantly from city to city.

Aug 14, 2026 - NJ Bans Single-Use Utensils

• Effective August 1, food trucks and other food services businesses operating in New Jersey may provide single-use utensils and condiments only when customers specifically request them, Food Truck Operator reports. The new law, (S3195) aims to reduce waste by making "no utensils or condiments" the default option for takeout and online orders, while allowing customers to request them in person, by phone, online, or at self-service stations. Under the new law food trucks and certain other food service businesses are required to provide reusable, washable utensils to customers eating on site. For mobile food trucks, the rule may modestly reduce spending on disposable supplies and packaging waste, but operators must update ordering procedures, train staff, and ensure compliance to avoid violations. California has had a similar law on the books since 2022.
• Food truck operators are facing a growing wave of scams in which fraudsters impersonate event organizers and collect vendor fees through peer-to-peer payment apps such as Zelle for fake or unauthorized events, Food Truck Operator reports. In 2026, victims in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Colorado lost hundreds of dollars in registration fees and inventory costs after arriving at events only to discover they were not registered or that the events did not exist. Consumer protection officials warn that payments made through these apps are often unrecoverable. Food truck operators can reduce their risk by verifying event invitations through official websites or known organizers, avoiding unsolicited payment requests, and being cautious when vendors refuse payment methods that provide a clear paper trail, such as checks.
• New York City ranked as the best US city for food trucks in 2026 based on walkability, job location, and a high adjusted weekly wage of $785, among other criteria, according to the Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP), which analyzed data from the top 200 metropolitan statistical areas by population to find the top cities for food trucks this year. In second and third place were Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles, which trailed NYC in walkability but ranked highly in food truck searches and recreation GDP growth. With more than 4,000 food trucks, LA is the most highly saturated market on the list. Rounding out the Top 10 were Miami, Houston, Washington, DC, Honolulu, Boston, Philadelphia, and Denver. Aspiring food truck entrepreneurs beware: NYC issues a maximum of 445 mobile food vending permits per year, meaning many business owners are on a waiting list for years.
• Employment by catering and mobile food services grew 4.4% in May compared to a year ago, while the average industry wage rose 8.5% over the same period to a new high of $25.23 per hour, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Mobile food operators are facing sharply high food and energy costs. In June 2025, the Producer Price Index for All Foods stood 20% above its reading five years ago. The price for a gallon of diesel fuel was $4.90 in July, down from $5.02 in June, but about 29% higher than in July 2025, according to the EIA.

Industry size & Structure

A typical mobile food service firm operates out of a single location, employs 3 workers, and generates over $305,000 annually.

• The mobile food service industry comprises about 11,500 companies, which employ about 44,120 workers and generate about $3.5 billion annually.
• The industry is highly fragmented with the 50 largest firms accounting for less than 10% of industry revenue.
• Most companies are small, independent operators - about 83% employ less than 5 workers.
• Immigrants own 30% of America’s food truck businesses, which frequently represent the first step toward launching a restaurant, according to the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative.
• Cities with large numbers of food trucks include Los Angeles, Washington DC, San Francisco, Houston, and Miami.
• Customers include individual consumers, event organizers, and businesses seeking mobile catering.