Food truck vs. Catering

What's your guest list and how many trucks are you thinking?

Some food trucks will prep the meals and have them ready so people file through and just pick up what they want. They limit the selections so that they aren't all being made to order which can limit the waiting in line time. They can also carry their food to their seats, similar to if it was a buffet. You definitely just need to make sure you have enough trucks to handle your amount of guests and enough choices for everyone

I wouldn't do only a food truck. You will get a bottleneck. Multiple trucks or a truck in addition to other food sounds fun!

Love it! My cousins wedding was 250 guests. It was perfectly casual and totally them. They had 2. One was a taco guy and the other was BBQ sliders. Alcohol was just kegs and galvanized steel tubs filled with chilled wine bottles and sodas/waters. That's essentially what we're planning with a lot less people.

We're having one - it fits our style (it's also ridiculously common in our area). Our venue has worked with them extensively, and I've talked to guests who've been at food truck weddings at the venue, so I know that it works I'm using one of the vendors the venue suggested.

I've also been to a wedding where it wasn't done well; it seemed that the food truck wasn't used to weddings, and it was just really the wrong season for that (March in Denver...there was snow. It was cold).

So I guess the advice is to consider the experience levels of both the venue & the truck with that sort of a setup, and also the weather.

I love food trucks! We're still considering if we want one to come in for hot boiled peanuts during the cocktail hour. We're also considering a hotdog cart for the rehearsal dinner but we haven't figured out a way to make it clear it's a nod to NY in a very SC centric wedding. (That and we don't even know where to get a decent kinish in Charleston.)

I think for a cocktail hour or late night snack it is great. Other than that, as a guest, I would not like it to be the only source of food. It doesn't seem special or creative, just asking for trouble in terms of logistics and the overall flow of the reception.

I also think its great for part of cocktail hour or an afterparty, but the flow seems to be problematic. If they're just going to make a lot of food truck food and serve it from a buffet, it becomes, um, a buffet, so what's the point?

We are having 2 food trucks for 115 people. There will be no standing inline, we hired servers & our food trucks, both, have done quite a few weddings and it works. The trucks will be serving for 3 hours from Cocktail hour & two hours into the reception. It should be noted: we are having a more laid back reception at a barn.

We were at a wedding a few months ago and the food trucks did a phenomenal job! Again a more laid back reception.

Hi There! I am planning on doing the same thing. Though, I am having a hard time planning logistics and budgeting. Did you find that it was just about the same as if you hired a normal caterer, less or more? And did you hire a separate service for bar/drinks? I love the idea, but I am wondering if I am way over my head.

Thanks!

Hi Bethany! I haven't actually booked a truck yet but It is still high on my list. I did a price comparison, a food truck would be roughly 4k less than a full caterer. In my mind that is great! But I worry that people will wait in line and get impatient. I will have a little under 100 people at my wedding but I am considering possibly two trucks. I am in the early stages of planning right now but I am still up in the air. The truck I am considering has done weddings before and my venue has trucks all the time. I am so indecisive!

Per what I've read, you should have one truck for every 50 people. I LOVE the idea and think it makes it part of an experience. We have been to over 12 weddings in the past two years and are over the "typical" wedding food (not hating on it, but we just want something different for ourselves!) Maybe see what options the trucks around you can do, most are willing to work with you and cater their menu to what you want and how you want it!

As of now this is what we are planning on having: having one truck come and do apps, cheese table, etc for our cocktail hour, I actually know the owner so he has been so accommodating. He will have a server or two(three) pass the apps around.

Then for dinner we are planning a pizza truck. I've been to a bunch of parties with this truck and they just spit out pizzas constantly and also provide a green salad, gelato, cappuccino! That way people don't need to wait in line and can go back for seconds/thirds!

Things to keep in mind, that I've thought of and that people have mentioned to me: the sound of their generators, make sure they are low sounding or won't disrupt the party, trash cans, someone to refill water cups and clear tables (depending on how you set it up), but you may want someone there to help clean as the night goes on. usually the caterer service provides this, but not always with trucks.

Good luck!