Free planning tool · Formula and source review September 12, 2026
Break-even is easier to test as a daily order count. How many transactions must clear the service window to cover food, labor, site costs, debt and the rest of the operating plan? Enter your own numbers, then compare the result with a timed service test and a realistic location forecast.
The calculator does not send your financial inputs to analytics.
Editable planning model
How many orders do you need each day?
This worksheet connects service capacity, average ticket, monthly costs and startup cash. The three examples only demonstrate the formulas. They are not market averages, MOBITRUCK prices, lender terms or income forecasts. Replace every example with a written quote or a number you can defend.
Scenario result
Custom trailer
0 planned orders per selling day. Trailer length (0 ft) is recorded for planning but does not drive sales.
This divides startup cash by monthly operating cash. It ignores taxes, depreciation, changes in working capital, replacement equipment and the time value of money. Use it as a screening calculation.
Monthly cash calculation: $0 sales − $0 percentage costs − $0 paid labor − $0 other monthly costs − $0 debt payment.
Break-even cannot be calculated until selling days and contribution per order are greater than zero.
Read the formulas and exclusions
Planned orders per day = service hours × tested orders per hour × expected capacity used.
Monthly cash after entered costs = sales − percentage-based costs − paid labor − monthly fixed costs − estimated debt payment.
For a mixed menu, use a weighted average ticket and percentage-cost rate that reflect the expected sales mix. Rerun the scenario when that mix changes.
Break-even orders per day = monthly labor and fixed costs ÷ selling days ÷ contribution per order.
The worksheet does not decide whether a site permits mobile vending, whether a menu passes review, whether a lender will approve financing or whether demand exists. Confirm those questions with the property owner, current authorities, qualified advisers and real customer tests.
01Replace the example inputs with evidence
Start by replacing the three example inputs that can move the result the most:
- Build the project cost from written shell, rolling-shell, final-build, equipment, freight and professional-service quotes. Keep every exclusion visible.
- Time the launch menu with the crew you expect to schedule. Use the working test for orders per hour—not the theoretical output printed on one appliance.
- Confirm the site and operating costs separately: site or commissary fees, operating days, event charges, local wage assumptions, insurance and actual payment costs.
Average ticket should exclude sales tax unless the rest of your model treats tax the same way. Add owner compensation as labor or another monthly cost if the business must pay it from the start.
If the menu combines items with different margins, use a weighted average ticket and percentage-cost rate based on the expected sales mix. Rerun the scenario when the mix changes.
02Keep market context separate from the forecast
The U.S. Census Bureau publishes employer business data for NAICS 722330, Mobile Food Services. Those figures can compare the size of the employer category across geographies, but they do not reveal what one coffee, burger or pizza trailer will earn.
Under the Census definition, an establishment may be the central location serving a route rather than each vehicle or cart. County Business Patterns covers businesses with paid employees. Nonemployer Statistics follows a different universe, and exact 722330 detail was not available for every state and county reviewed, so this calculator does not use it. Never convert an establishment count into a trailer count.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics can help test local labor inputs. Match the occupation and geography, read the release date, and add payroll burden or benefits separately when the published figure does not include the employer costs in your plan.
03Use the result to decide what to test next
The calculator shows monthly sales, operating cash, break-even orders per selling day, startup cash and a simple payback period. Use the 10% lower-volume result as a stress test. If cash turns negative, revisit menu margins, labor, site costs, build cost or financing before signing a contract. A positive number still needs customer, regulator, site and lender validation.
Trailer length is recorded beside the scenario but does not change sales directly. Use the service-flow guide and a timed test to determine whether the planned crew and equipment can produce the entered orders per hour.
04Use the results in the project brief
Send the menu, operating city, equipment list, busiest-hour target and build budget into the project brief. Compare the calculator's capital inputs against the written scope of work. The estimate should identify whether the price covers an Estonia-made shell kit, a Concession Nation rolling shell or a completed commercial build.
Do not freeze equipment or openings because one spreadsheet looks profitable. The responsible agencies review the actual menu, drawings, systems and location. Your final builder must price and coordinate the work assigned to its contract.
Sources checked
Formula and market-context sources
- U.S. Small Business Administration — Calculate your startup costsChecked September 12, 2026. Used for startup-cost categories and the fixed cost ÷ contribution per unit break-even method.
- U.S. Census Bureau — County Business Patterns APIChecked September 12, 2026. Annual employer statistics by industry and geography; disclosure treatment and scope apply.
- U.S. Census Bureau — Nonemployer Statistics APIChecked September 12, 2026. Separate universe for businesses with no paid employees; methodology changed for the 2022 release.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS tablesChecked September 12, 2026. Use the current state or metropolitan occupation table when replacing the labor example.
- Internal Revenue Service — Publication 583Checked September 12, 2026. Used for recordkeeping and federal startup-cost context; tax treatment requires qualified advice.
Capital planning
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