You don't need a restaurant lease or a quarter million dollars to sell food in Texas. You need a menu people want, a trailer or truck built to code, and the permits for the counties where you'll park. Here's the whole path, from our side of the build shop.
1. Start with the menu, not the trailer
The menu decides everything downstream: the equipment, the trailer size, the power you need, and your permit requirements. Three brisket sandwiches and two sides need a smoker, cold storage, and a serving line. Snow cones need ice, syrup, and a freezer. Write the menu first, then count the equipment it takes to serve it fast. That list is what we build the trailer around.
2. Write the real numbers
A fully equipped 14 FT cooking trailer starts at $39,000 from our shop. Ready-made units run $23,900 to $155,000 on our Trailers for Sale lot. On top of the trailer, budget for: permits and inspections, insurance, a commissary agreement if your county requires one, propane and generator fuel, initial inventory, and a point-of-sale system. If you don't have the cash, financing covers most builds, and rent-to-own starts at $4,400 down with no credit check.
3. Trailer or truck?
A trailer costs less per square foot of kitchen and you can drop it at a long-term spot. A truck moves itself, which matters if you chase office parks at lunch and breweries at night. Most first-time operators start with a trailer; the money saved goes into equipment and the first slow months.
4. Get legal in Texas
Requirements come from two levels. The state: a Texas sales and use tax permit from the Comptroller, and food manager certification. The county or city: a mobile food unit permit from the local health department, a fire inspection of your hood and suppression system, and in many jurisdictions a commissary agreement for water, waste, and overnight parking. Every county runs it a little differently, which is why we ask where you'll operate before we build: the venthood, sinks, and water package are specced to pass your inspection, not a generic one.
5. Lock your spots before you launch
Revenue is location times menu. Before the trailer is done, talk to breweries, gas stations, event organizers, and property managers about regular slots. A trailer with three steady weekly spots beats one great festival a month. This is also when you set up your Instagram and Google Business profile so people can find the schedule.
6. Order the build
By this point you know the menu, the equipment, the budget, and the counties. That's everything we need. Send us the build form and we'll call you back with real numbers and a timeline, or come by the shop at 2020 S IH 35 Service Rd in Belton, Monday to Friday, 11am to 7pm. If you'd rather skip the wait, the in-stock trailers are built, wired, plumbed, and ready to roll off the lot.
Family-owned in Belton, Texas. We've put trailers on the road for Cassidy's Grill, Becky's Burger Wagon, Summer Moon, Heroes Rise, Can-Do Pizza, and a lot of first-timers who are still rolling.