Food Truck

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Island Smoke Caribbean Truck is a food truck serving Caribbean jerk chicken bowls, wraps and plantains in the west side of our city. We park where people work, gather and celebrate: office parks at lunch, breweries and events in the evening, and festivals on weekends. We also book private events like birthdays, company lunches and weddings. People want good, affordable food that is fast and close by. A food truck can go where the customers are instead of waiting for them to come to us, and it costs much less to start than a restaurant. Here is what our numbers show. We expect sales of about $123,000 in Year 1, growing to about $491,000 by Year 5. We expect losses of about $36,300 in Year 1 and $1,400 in Year 2 while we build our customer base, then a profit from Year 3 (about $45,100), growing to about $96,600 by Year 5. We need $103,500 in total. That covers $64,600 in startup costs (a used food truck with its kitchen, equipment upgrades, a generator, the truck wrap, permits and opening supplies), the money we expect to lose in the early months, and a cash cushion of about three months of bills. I am putting in $12,000 of my own money, and I am asking for $91,500. I am Daniel Nguyen, the owner. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

Island Smoke Caribbean Truck will be a limited liability company (LLC) in Indiana, owned by Daniel Nguyen. What we believe. Big flavor, fast service, fair prices, and a friendly face at the window. What we offer:
- Lunch service at office parks, hospitals, schools and job sites. - Evening and weekend service at breweries, apartment complexes, festivals and community events. - Private bookings: birthdays, company lunches, weddings, church events and school events. - A short menu of Caribbean jerk chicken bowls, wraps and plantains. Permits and rules. Food trucks need a health permit, a mobile food vendor license, a fire safety inspection, and in most places an agreement with a commissary (a licensed kitchen where the truck preps food, gets water and dumps waste). Cities also have rules about where trucks can park. Our county requires a mobile food permit and a commissary agreement. The city allows trucks on private property with the owner's written permission, and at permitted events. Where things stand today. I have run 12 pop-ups, built an Instagram following of 1,800, found a commissary with an open spot, and had two used trucks inspected.

Problem & Opportunity

People near us want good food that is fast, affordable and close by. 1. Few lunch options. Many office parks, hospitals and job sites have little food nearby, so workers settle for fast food or vending machines. 2. Events need food. Breweries, apartment complexes and community events want food on site but do not have kitchens. 3. Restaurants cost a lot to start. A food truck lets a talented cook start a food business for a fraction of the cost. How we know people want this. At 12 pop-ups we averaged 60 plates in three hours. Two breweries and one office park have invited us to park on a regular schedule.

Products & Services

What we sell. 1. Daily service. Meals sold from the truck window. Our plan assumes an average sale of about $12 per meal in Year 1, rising to about $14 by Year 5, with food and packaging costing about $4 per meal. About 9,000 meals in Year 1, which is about 35 meals per day over about 250 service days, growing to about 29,000 a year by Year 5 as we add regular stops and busier days. 2. Private events and catering. Booked events at an average of about $750 each in Year 1, rising to about $850, costing about $280 in food. About 20 bookings in Year 1, growing to about 100 a year. Our menu and prices. Jerk chicken bowl $13. Jerk wrap $11. Plantains $5. Drinks $3. Private events: 50-guest minimum at $15 per guest. Gross margin, explained. "Gross margin" is the share of each sale left after paying for food and packaging. Our plan shows about 66% in Year 1. That money pays the owner, staff, fuel, the commissary, insurance and repairs.

Market Analysis

Who will buy from us:
- Office, hospital and warehouse workers at lunch. - People at breweries, apartment complexes and evening events. - Festival and sports crowds on weekends. - People and companies booking private events. Where we will park. Monday and Wednesday lunch at Riverside Office Park; Tuesday and Thursday lunch at the hospital; Friday evening at Hop Yard Brewing (made-up names); weekends at festivals and private events. Busy times. Spring and fall are busiest. Hot summer afternoons and cold, rainy winter days are slower, so we book more private and indoor events then. Our plan is careful on purpose. About 35 meals a day in Year 1 leaves room for slow days and bad weather.

Competitive Landscape

Other options people have:
1. Other food trucks. Northside Services (a made-up name) charges a higher price (replace this with their real price); known for being fast, but hard to reach on weekends. 2. Fast food and restaurants nearby. Familiar, but may be far from where people work. 3. Bringing lunch from home or vending machines. Cheap but not exciting. How we will win customers: food you cannot get anywhere else nearby, fast service, a regular schedule people can count on, and fair prices.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How people will find us. - Post our weekly schedule and daily location on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok every morning. - A loyalty punch card or app. - Partnerships with breweries, apartment managers and office property managers for regular stops. - Apply to local festivals and events. - Flyers and samples at offices and job sites near our stops. - A Google business listing and reviews. Marketing budget. About $5,000 in Year 1, growing a little each year. The truck wrap, menu boards and logo are paid for from startup costs.

The first 90 days. Days 1 to 30: finish the truck, pass the health and fire inspections and test the menu on friends and neighbors. Days 31 to 60: soft-launch at two weekday lunch spots and one weekend market. Days 61 to 90: lock in a weekly schedule, start taking private event bookings and post the schedule every week.

Operations Plan

How the business runs day to day. The truck. We will buy a used food truck with its kitchen already built in, after a mechanic and a food truck inspector check it. Equipment costs about $55,000 at opening, including the truck, cooking upgrades, refrigeration repairs, a generator, a point-of-sale system and smallwares. We set aside about $3,000 to $4,000 a year after that for repairs. Commissary. The truck preps food, fills water and empties waste at our commissary kitchen. Commissary and permit fees are about $8,000 a year. A typical service day: prep at the commissary, drive to the stop, serve for two to four hours, clean up, return to the commissary to clean, restock and record sales. Staff. The owner cooks every service. Truck staff grow from about one full-time-equivalent in Year 1 to about four by Year 5, at about $30,000 a year each. Food safety. Temperatures checked and written down, hand-washing station on the truck, and a certified food protection manager on every shift. Running costs. Commissary and permits about $8,000 in Year 1, marketing about $5,000, insurance and office costs about $6,000. Fuel and generator gas run about $60 a service day. We track them weekly and keep $3,000 set aside for surprise repairs.

Risks and how we plan for them:
- Weather and slow days. We watch the forecast, move to indoor events and offer pre-orders to reduce waste.
- Permits and parking rules differ by city. We confirm the mobile food permit, fire inspection and allowed locations before the first service.
- Food safety. A certified food protection manager is on every shift, and temperatures and cleaning are logged.
- Truck breakdowns. We budget for repairs and know a backup commissary and mechanic.
- Rising food costs. We cost every dish, review prices monthly and keep a short menu to limit waste.

Management & Organization

Who runs the business. Daniel Nguyen, owner. As owner I will cook, plan the menu and schedule, book events, manage staff and handle the money side of the business. I plan to pay myself $46,000 a year. People who will help us: a bookkeeper or accountant, an insurance agent, a mechanic who knows food trucks, and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Anthony Lopez serves as a key volunteer advisor.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them. - Before starting: buy and inspect the truck, get permits and the commissary agreement, wrap the truck, and lock in regular stops. Target start: April 2027. - First year: about 35 meals a day, about 20 private events, and about $123,000 in sales. - Year 2: about $218,500 in sales and a loss of about $1,400. - Years 3 to 5: grow to about $491,000 in sales by Year 5. What we check every week: meals sold per stop, average sale, food cost, events booked, fuel and repair costs, and cash in the bank.

What the plan's numbers say. Year 1: sales about $123,000, loss about $36,300; Year 2: sales about $218,500, loss about $1,400; Year 3: sales about $308,000, profit about $45,100; Year 4: sales about $403,500, profit about $74,800; Year 5: sales about $491,000, profit about $96,600. The lowest year-end cash is about $17,000.

How we will keep score. Every month we compare real sales to the plan, check the cash in the bank, review the direct cost of each job or product, and look at what customers say. If sales are behind plan for two months in a row, we slow spending and delay hiring until the numbers catch up.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total needed: $103,500. This number comes from the Funding Need Calculator in this plan. It adds up: - Startup costs of $64,600, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section (about $55,000 for the used truck, cooking upgrades, refrigeration, a generator, point-of-sale and smallwares, $2,000 for opening food and supplies, $1,500 for permits and inspections, $800 for business setup, $4,500 for the truck wrap and menu boards, and an $800 commissary deposit). - About $14,800 to cover the money we expect to lose in the early months while we build our customer base. - A cash cushion of about $38,900, about three months of bills, so slow weeks do not put the business at risk. Lenders call this "cash cushion." Where the money comes from: - My own money: $12,000. - Amount requested: $91,500. Kind of funding we are looking for: an SBA 7(a) loan through a local bank or community lender. How we will pay it back. We expect losses of about $36,300 in Year 1 and $1,400 in Year 2 while we build our customer base, then a profit from Year 3 (about $45,100), growing to about $96,600 by Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank every year of the plan. The loan is planned at 12.75% interest over 10 years, the most the SBA allows for a loan this size, so payments of about $1,353 a month are already included in our cash flow. What we are offering the lender: our equipment as collateral and a personal guarantee from the owner. A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan: - Phase 1: sell at pop-ups, markets and events using a rented tent setup or a food trailer, which often costs much less than a truck, cooking from a shared commercial kitchen. Build a following and learn what sells. - Phase 2: once you have regular customers and savings, buy the truck and follow this plan. To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match. All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

What if sales are slower? We also tested a cautious case where sales come in 20 percent lower every year. In that case the plan shows a loss of about $55,300 in Year 1, a profit of about $11,400 in Year 3 and the lowest year-end cash is below zero, by about $27,700. Cash would run short in that case, so we would cut costs early, delay hiring and talk to the lender before it happens.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume (one page is fine) and any licenses or certificates. - A personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form). - Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov). - The mechanic's and kitchen inspection reports on the truck you plan to buy. - Your health permit, vendor license and commissary agreement (or applications). - Your menu with prices and food costs. - Letters from businesses that will host your truck. - Photos of your food and pop-up sales records. - Proof of insurance (commercial auto and liability), or a quote. If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue. The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Daily service: about $12 per meal in Year 1, rising to $14; about $4 in food and packaging; about 9,000 meals in Year 1, growing to 29,000. - Private events: about $750 each in Year 1, rising to $850; about $280 in food; about 20 events in Year 1, growing to 100. - Owner pay: $46,000 a year. Truck staff: $30,000 a year each, from one to four. - Other yearly costs in Year 1: commissary and permits about $8,000, marketing about $5,000, insurance and office costs about $6,000. - Tax rate: 21%. - Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Plain words used in this plan:
- Commissary: a licensed shared kitchen where the truck is stocked, cleaned and parked.
- Mobile food permit: the license needed to sell from a truck.
- Food protection manager: a person with a recognized food safety certificate.
- Private event: a catering booking for a party or company.
- Cash cushion: money kept on hand to pay bills while sales build.

Startup Costs