Food concession trailers and food trucks are a common sight in the busy streets of America. They’re such a beautiful scenario when you walk down the road with a rumbling tummy. From cakes to ice creams, kebabs to tacos, pasta to rice meals, you can sample a variety of affordable food. Why don’t we sample the 5 best food concession trailers in America here?

 

What are Food Concession Trailers?

Food concession trailers are movable or immovable kiosks, stalls, or stands selling drinks, food, and snacks. We can find them on carnivals, cinemas, city streets, events’ venues, fairs, parks, and playgrounds. A food concession trailer and a food truck may be similar in nature. But they are totally a different venture. Both are mobile businesses but setting them up is entirely a different thing. 

What are the Differences Between Food Concession Trailers and Food Trucks?

 

Unit Type and Size

The main difference between food concession trailers and food trucks is the unit type and size they use. Food concession trailers are typically bigger than food trucks. A food concession trailer can be wider than 8.5 feet and its length ranges from 8 to 53 feet. While a food truck’s width averages at 7 feet and its length average ranges from 10 to 26 feet. The problem with a food concession trailer is finding the right parking space that can accommodate its width and length. 

Storage Space

Food concession trailers come with more storage spaces than a food truck. Their large area allows more spaces for cleaning, cooking, and storage. So, they’re easier to clean than food trucks. There’s also a lot of room for work and to stock up the ingredients or materials, you need. This means the capacity to offer more products or menu than a food truck.

Price

Food concession trailers are generally more economical than food trucks. It’s because you’re buying the trailer unit only and you don’t need the engine to run it. Food concession trailers can’t move on the streets on their own. It needs to be towed to transfer from one place to another. Most food concession trailers stay in a specific location longer than food trucks. This is to save the cost from towing and maximize profitability in the said location. In most cases, food concession trailers stay in locations where they have a continuing market. When it comes to resale value, food trucks have a higher resale price than food concession trailers.

Portability

Portability is the best advantage food trucks have over food concession trailers. They have the power to move from one location to another. Unlike food concession trailers who need to schedule towing services to move to another location or spot. As mentioned, it will also be hard to look for larger parking or space where they could fit in. 

5 Best Food Concession Trailers in America

Food concession trailers can reach 94% profit of your investment. This is why most food entrepreneurs opted to set up one instead of a brick-and-mortar shop. Below are the 5 best food concession trailers in America. 

Cotton Candy

The profit margin for a food concession trailer of cotton candy ranges from 87 to 94%. They commonly cost around 13 cents per serving and can be sold in retail from $1.00 to $2.50. There are 2 options for a cotton candy food concession trailer. You can either sell organic or traditional cotton candy flavors. Organic cotton candy uses organic colors, flavors, and sugar. They taste natural and has good health benefits. While traditional cotton candy uses artificial flavors, chemical dyes, and standard refined sugar. Their colors are extremely vibrant than the organic ones. To decide which type of cotton candy to offer, it’s best to consider the demographics and preferences of your target customers. Traditional cotton candy may sell well in communities with lots of young population. But if you’re target is health-conscious adults or gym-goers, organic cotton candy may be the in-thing.

Toppings for cotton candies are very popular nowadays. This is where you can experiment with a niche to make your food concession trailer stand out and be unique.

Funnel Cakes

Funnel cakes are sweet treats popular in North American carnivals and fairs. They are a thicker version of pancakes. They’re made by pouring the batter on hot cooking oil and deep frying the overlapping mass until they are golden brown. They got its name from the funnel which is used to pour the batter. Commonly, funnel cakes are served either with cinnamon, chocolate, fresh fruits, jam or jelly, and powdered sugar. One serving of funnel cake may cost you only 54 cents – 27 cents for the batter mix, 7 cents for the sugar, 6 cents for the oil, and 14 cents for the paper plate. You can sell them from $3.00 to $5.00. This means that you can profit more than 400 percent of your investment in a funnel cake food concession trailer.

Nachos

This Mexican regional dish is a top favorite among Americans. For food concession trailers, they are the easiest menu to make. A 3-ounce of tortilla chips costs 45 cents, the cheese sauce costs 70 cents, and the paper tray is 9 cents. For just $1.24, you can sell a serving of nachos anywhere from $3.00 to $6.00. This means a possible profit of more than 200%. To make your nacho food concession trailer unique, you can experiment with unique nacho toppings like avocado, BBQ chicken, cilantro pesto, fruit salsa, shrimp, tater tots, and veggies.

Popcorn

Popcorn is America’s most favorite food for snacking. The sound of corn kernels expanding and puffing as you heat them makes everyone excited to relax or watch TV. At a retail price of $1.00, you’ll only spend $0.26 to cook it. Butter and salt, caramel, cheese, garlic, and sour cream are popular popcorn flavors. But if you want a unique offering on your popcorn food concession trailer, you may opt for flavors like apple, buffalo ranch, chili lime, cookies n cream, dark chocolate, peanut butter, and smores.

Shaved Ice

Nothing beats summer but a shaved ice treat. Shaved ice food concession trailers are the answer to hot or warm weather. A single serving only costs 30 cents but you can sell them anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00 depending on the flavor. Popular shaved ice flavors are cherry, grape, lemon, strawberry, and watermelon. But you can experiment with custard, guava, passion fruit, pickled mango, or a mixture of different flavors.