Bookkeeping for food trucks
that doesn't treat you like a stationary restaurant
Per-event profitability, event deposit deferral, multi-jurisdiction sales tax, commissary rent as its own cost center, and fuel separated from generator fuel. Built specifically for mobile food — not copy-pasted from a restaurant template.
What we look at every month
Mobile food has a different unit economic than restaurants. These are the items we reconcile.
Per-event profitability
Revenue — food — labor — truck fuel — event fee — commissary allocation, booked event by event. Not per-day like a restaurant.
Commissary rent
Monthly prep kitchen rent tracked as its own cost center. Required by most health departments; allocated across events for accurate P&L.
Mobile vending permits
City-by-city permit and health certificate fees amortized monthly so they don't distort the month they were paid.
Fuel + generator costs
Truck fuel (vehicle operating), generator fuel (COGS), and personal vehicle fuel (not deductible) kept in three separate accounts.
Event deposit liabilities
Deposits received for future catering bookings held on the balance sheet as unearned revenue until event day.
Food cost % per event
Ingredient cost divided by event revenue. Target varies by concept (25–35%) — we show drift before it kills margin.
Multi-jurisdiction sales tax
Taxable sales broken out by event location. Filing-ready reports for every state and home-rule city where sales occurred.
Catering vs street mix
Private bookings vs walk-up festival/street revenue tracked separately. Most healthy trucks move toward 40–60% catering over time.
What usually goes wrong
Five food-truck-specific mistakes we find when we take over from a general bookkeeper.
Booking event deposits as revenue when received
A $2,000 deposit for a wedding in March shows up in November's revenue. February arrives and the P&L looks flat because the event was already recognized. Correct treatment: deposits are a balance-sheet liability until the event is delivered, then reclassified to revenue on event day.
Missing commissary rent as a fixed cost
Commissary rent is often paid from a personal card or lumped under 'rent.' Health departments require a licensed commissary for most jurisdictions, and it's a real cost of doing business. Breaking it out lets you allocate to per-event profitability accurately.
Applying the wrong sales tax rate
A truck based in Austin but selling at SXSW at a venue just outside Austin city limits owes the venue's tax rate, not Austin's. Missing this compounds across a year of festivals and creates a serious back-tax exposure if audited.
Lumping fuel together
Truck diesel, generator gas, personal car — all under 'Fuel.' This misclassifies the personal portion (not deductible), underweights COGS (generator fuel is COGS), and overweights vehicle operating cost. Three separate accounts solve it.
Ignoring spoilage from generator-out events
Generator dies mid-event, you can't cook, and prepped protein gets tossed. If you don't track it as a spoilage line, you'll keep over-ordering. Once it's visible, the fix is obvious (backup generator or tighter prep).
What your books should tell you every month
Useful operational data — not just a Schedule C surprise in April.
Profit per event
Revenue minus food, labor, truck fuel, event fee, and commissary allocation — event by event, so you know which festivals and corporate gigs actually make money.
Catering vs street sales mix
% of revenue from private bookings vs walk-up. Catering has higher margin and predictable cash flow; a healthy mix trend reduces weather and event risk.
Top 5 most profitable events YTD
Ranked net profit by event. Tells you which organizers to renew with and which to drop, before the next season's applications go out.
Food cost % trend
Ingredient cost as % of revenue, trailing 3 months. Drift up = ingredient inflation, portion creep, or menu mix change. Catch it before it eats your season.
Documents we need from you
Connect the POS and upload the items below. We handle the rest.
When basic bookkeeping isn't enough
You've outgrown the Essentials plan when any of these show up:
- 2+ trucks or a brick-and-mortar companion location
- W-2 employees with variable per-event schedules
- Corporate catering contracts with 30–60 day invoicing terms
- Multi-state operations or tour-style seasonal travel
- Separate LLC for commissary/kitchen ops
FAQs — Food Truck Bookkeeping
How do I book event deposits received for future events?
Event deposits are not revenue when received. They're a customer liability (unearned revenue) until the event is delivered. On event day, you reclassify the deposit to revenue and record any final payment. Most food trucks book deposits as revenue on the day they land in the bank — inflating current-month revenue and creating a year-end mess when deposits received in December are for events in March.
Which jurisdiction's sales tax applies when I sell at a festival?
The sales tax rate for where you physically make the sale — not where your truck is based. A truck based in Austin selling at a Dallas festival collects Dallas sales tax. We track each event's jurisdiction and produce filing-ready reports for every state and local authority where you've had sales during the period. Texas, Florida, Washington, and similar states have home-rule cities that add local taxes on top of state, so the breakout matters.
Is commissary rent deductible?
Yes — commissary rent is a normal and necessary business expense and fully deductible. It should live as its own line in your P&L, not lumped with 'rent' or 'occupancy.' This matters because some jurisdictions require proof of a licensed commissary kitchen for your health permit, and keeping it cleanly separated is easier for both audits and allocation to per-event profitability.
Can you track per-event profitability?
Yes. For each event we record revenue (from POS deposits), food cost (prep ingredient cost), labor (hours worked by cooks and front-of-house), truck fuel, event fee/commission paid to the organizer, and a commissary allocation. Net per-event profit tells you which festivals, corporate gigs, and street spots are actually worth the drive.
How do I separate truck fuel from generator fuel?
Generator fuel (propane or gas for cooking equipment) is a COGS input — it keeps your equipment running so you can sell food. Truck fuel (highway diesel or gas) is a vehicle operating expense or mileage base. Personal vehicle fuel is not deductible at all. We keep them as three separate accounts so year-end categorization is clean.
What about catering vs street sales?
Catering (private bookings, corporate gigs, weddings) usually has higher margin, requires a deposit, and is invoiced. Street and festival sales are walk-up cash/card transactions. We track them as separate revenue streams so you can see mix shift over the year — most successful food trucks move toward 50/50 catering/street over time.
Do you handle mobile vending permits across cities?
Yes. We track each city permit and health department certificate (renewal date, fee, jurisdiction) and amortize annual fees monthly so they don't land as a lumpy expense. If you operate in a metro with 10+ municipalities, permit cost can exceed $5K/year — it matters for P&L.
How do I account for spoilage when a generator fails mid-event?
Spoiled product goes to COGS waste, not 'lost revenue.' We track spoilage events separately so you see the true cost and can decide whether to carry backup equipment or refrigeration insurance. Over-ordering for events where the generator only cooked for half the day is the silent killer of food truck margin.
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