Food Truck Expert Interview #4 with Richard Willis of M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks

In today’s interview series, we sat down with the co-owner of Florida-based M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks, Richard Willis, to learn more about what you need to consider and the questions you need to ask before investing in a food truck. Here’s what Willis had to say…

Question: What’s the most important element to consider when preparing to build a food truck? What should you have planned ahead of time?

Answer: It’s impossible to narrow it to one element, so I’ll try to narrow it to three.

• What kind of food will you serve? You need to be able to get it to the customer as fast as possible. The longer it takes the less money you make and the less happy your customers are.

• Should you buy a truck or trailer? Total trailers cost is less to build and they are easier to design, but harder to transport and park. Trucks cost more to build but are easier to transport and park. Also, if a truck breaks down you are out of business until it is fixed. If the vehicle you are pulling the trailer with breaks down you can borrow or rent a vehicle to pull it with.

• What is the cost and design? How can you make a food truck business plan without knowing the cost? We give free itemized quotes along with a custom drawing of your design. That way you know exactly how your kitchen will be designed and what the total cost is. This allows you to make changes as needed either to save money or change items.

You can find more information on our MR Trailers F.A.Q. page.

Question: Do you build a food truck differently depending on what food the truck plans to offer? 

Answer: Yes. The equipment needed depends on the food being prepared. Specialty items may include a sandwich prep refrigerator, proofer, pizza oven, BBQ smoker etc., depending on your needs.

BBQ smokers are usually on a porch separated from the kitchen. Some pieces of cooking equipment will need a grease hood, some a greaseless hood and some no hood at all. Some items will need to be ducted through the roof.

The vehicle, whether it is a truck or a trailer, will determine the design is as well.

Trucks are typically not as wide as a trailer and the roof is usually lower. The wheel wells are also deeper. Certain types of equipment, like refrigerators, ovens, fryers, etc, cannot be placed where the wheel well is located in a truck. Also the lower roof does not allow for some taller pieces of equipment like some refrigerators and freezers. We have actually raised the roof on some trucks to make the design work.

The power draw of the equipment is also a factor. Most of the time generators are needed and the power needed will determine the size and cost of the generator. Most quiet generators are water cooled and are very nice to have but are also very expensive. Some air cooled generators are quiet, for example the Honda or Yamaha inverter style generators but they are limited to 5.5k watts and are also fairly costly. If you are trying to save money you can use a loud generator but the noise factor can cause problems. Besides the fact you will have to hear it all day, the event managers, your own customers and other vendors around you will not appreciate the noise.

Question: Is there an advantage to having a food truck custom built as opposed to buying a pre-built food truck? What about buying a used food truck? Do you recommend one method over the other?

Answer: If you can afford it, it is almost always better to have a food truck custom built. That way you can get the exact design you want and the exact equipment you need. Every food truck owner has their method of cooking and prepping. Finding a pre-built vehicle to exactly fit your needs is difficult, if not impossible, to do.

Buying a used food truck presents the same problem. Finding one to fit your style is tough. Also you don’t know the quality of the build. You may have faulty wiring or plumbing and not know it until it is too late. Also, the equipment may be old or worn out. The engine or transmission may be shot or the axles on a trailer may be ready to give out. Buying used is a risk!

As we stated earlier if you can afford a custom built truck or trailer, that is by far the best way to go.

Question: How much does having a food truck built cost? How much should aspiring food truckers be prepared to spend?

Answer: That’s a tough question to answer because there are so many variables to consider.

A concession trailer may cost anywhere from $28k to over $100k depending on equipment, size, porch addition, options, etc. An average concession trailer will cost around $40k.

Trucks are an aftermarket item, meaning that the truck was not designed to be a concession. For that reason, the cost is a little higher to modify the truck and make it work for our purpose. The average cost to build out a truck, without equipment, is around $20k. Once you add cooking equipment, refrigeration etc. the cost will be around $38k. That cost does not include the truck. The truck price will be influenced by age and condition. Used trucks will typically cost between $10k and $30k. So the total cost for a concession truck will be, on average, between $48k and $68k.

Question: What are the advantages and disadvantages of building a food truck DIY style? Do you recommend this method? Why or why not?

Answer: Building a concession equates to building a kitchen on wheels, only with more technical requirements. Not only do you have to plan and install the utilities like plumbing, electrical, A/C etc., you have to have the ability to weld, install hoods, re-wire existing wiring and so on. You also have to know health code requirements, gas piping codes and where to purchase all the different types of materials you need. There are so many different areas you need to be knowledgeable about.

The only time I would recommend a DIY project was if you are a building contractor or have a friend that is one. Even then you may not end up saving much money. Because of the volume of concession trucks and trailers that we build we are able to demand discounted pricing on our equipment and we pass those savings to our customers. Also, if you ever have a warrantee issue, our customers can come directly to us and we help them get the service they need anywhere in the country. We do have some customers that have a partially built trucks or trailers and we work with them to get their project finished. Many times after everything is finished they realize they would have been better off coming to us in the beginning.

To see a step by step of how to build a food truck, you visit our M&R Concession Truck Building Guide. 

Wow, that’s some great information! Thanks so much for answering those questions Richard – I know truckers will greatly appreciate your insight. Big thanks also to Brett from Food Truck Empire for putting me into contact with Richard.

What do you think of Richard’s food truck building advice? Did anything he say surprise you? Do you have your own experience with food truck building? Share your thoughts in the comments!