Drink trucks are a popular part of the food truck industry and a good reason to start one
The food truck and street food industry is a diverse landscape these days with food and flavors from all across the world – from Mexico and Thailand to Jamaica and India.
But food trucks are not all about the main course and people looking to get started in this industry tend to overlook what other products can be sold from a mobile catering unit.
Drink trucks, in particular, are a profitable segment of the food truck market and are especially popular in the spring and summer months at a range of indoor and outdoor events.
So to give you a flavour of what is out there on the street food scene here are 8 profitable food truck drink ideas.
1. Cocktail Truck
Nothing tells you summer has arrived more than a mobile cocktail truck.
Cocktail trucks have become very popular over the last 5 years, especially in the UK at a range of events.
There is a particular demand for mobile cocktail bar trucks at weddings and private functions. The only real drawback of serving cocktails is alcohol licensing issues.
Converted horseboxes are also a popular vehicle for mobile cocktail bars.
Drink truck menu ideas
- Mojito (fresh mint, white rum, sugar, lime, cooling soda water)
- Sangria (Spanish brandy, sparkling water, cinnamon, chopped fruit)
- Pink negroni (pink gin, Vermont, Aperol, grapefruit)
2. Bubble tea truck
Bubbe tea, also known as “boba tea” originates from Taiwan and is a tea-based drink that consists of condensed milk, and chewy tapioca balls, and comes in a range of flavors.
Some of you readers, especially in the West may be a little unfamiliar with bubble tea, but it is now starting to become very popular with bubble tea shops opening up in many cities.
This is always a good sign when you see a trend in shops opening, which is why a bubble tea food truck could be a good idea.
Drink truck menu ideas
- Green milk tea
- Strawberry milk tea
- Coffee milk tea
- Mango milk tea
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3. Juice & smoothie truck
Juice and smoothie food trucks have been around for quite a while and are very popular in the summer at festivals and outdoor events.
The good thing about this type of food truck business is that there is a wide variety of flavours to combine and the profit margin on fruit and veg is relatively high.
Smoothie food trucks are also good for tapping into the healthy market of consumers and if you want to add a bit of naughty to nice can also do boozy smoothies.
Drink truck menu ideas
- Apple, cucumber, spinach, ginger, lime
- Orange, carrot, lemon, ginger
- Watermelon, mango, pineapple
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4. Coffee truck
We are a nation of coffee lovers and you pretty much have a coffee shop on every corner in major cities.
This means there is a lot of demand for this type of product and why a mobile coffee truck business is a good choice if you are looking for ideas.
And Coffee truck businesses are not only popular on the food truck scene but there is an increasing demand from corporate customers for events such as conferences and product launches.
Drink truck menu ideas
- Ice coffee
- Coconut iced coffee
- Americano
- Latte
- Cappuccino
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5. Lemonade truck
Lemonade is one of my favorite drinks, especially in the summer. Tangy, zesty, and ultra-fresh, lemonade is a great idea for a food truck.
The profit margins for lemonade are very low as you are only using one main ingredient.
And if you want to stand out and experiment You can expand from traditional lemonade to flavours such as strawberry or grapefruit.
Drink truck menu ideas
- Lemonade
- Pink lemonade
- Limeade
- Grapefruit lemonade
6. Gin Truck
Mobile gin bars are very popular amongst a wide range of events, such as summer parties, weddings, and corporate functions.
Mobile gin bars often come in the form of converted horseboxes or other vintage trucks such as Citroen HV vans.
Drink truck menu ideas
- Classic G&T (London dry gin, soda water, tonic water, lime)
- Strawberry gin (Henricks gin, strawberries, caster sugar)
- Pink gin iced tea (pink gin, spiced rum, elderflower cordial, chamomile tea bag, pink grapefruit juice)
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7. Milkshake truck
Milkshakes have been around since the ’50s and for a very good reason……They are delicious and people love them.
They also come in an almost endless array of flavors, from family favorites such as chocolate and strawberry to more unique flavors such as peanut butter and salted caramel.
Drink truck menu ideas
- Chocolate and banana
- Oreo cookie and creme
- Peanut butter and banana
- Strawberry, raspberry, creme
- Salted caramel
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8. Craft Beer Truck
Microbreweries are popping up everywhere these days and are becoming a big trend in the drinks retail market.
The craft beer market in the US grew from less than 5% in the 2010s to more than 13% today.
This means a good opportunity for the mobile catering industry and in particular anyone looking to start a craft beer truck business.
I’ve not seen many of these types of drink trucks around so it may be a good idea to get in ahead of the game.
Drink truck menu ideas
- India pale ale
- American pale ale
- Brown ale
- American Wheat & Hefeweizen
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Different types of Drink Food trucks
There are many different types of units used for drink trucks which means you don’t necessarily have to serve drinks from a food truck.
And depending on your budget what type of catering unit you choose to sell your drinks from will be a big consideration.
Types of mobile units
- Food truck
- Food stall
- Food trailer
- Horsebox
- Vintage caravan
- Trikes
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Final thoughts
It is good to keep an eye on what’s going on outside of the food truck industry.
When there is a demand in the wider consumer market for a particular product or categories of products you often see it being sold from a food truck at events.
Take coffee and gin for example. These products started to become popular in cafes, pubs, and bars and then you started to see coffee and gin trucks pop up.
So if you get anything from this article let it be not to focus solely on the main course and see what other stuff is sold from a food truck.
Author
Gavin D is the founder of Street Food Central and Tru Foo Juice Bar Co. and has worked in the mobile catering industry for over 7 years.