HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a food truck in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Food trucks need no licence as such, but they are food businesses. Here is what to check, what to ask and what the booking must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a food truck in five steps

  1. Check the hygiene ratingFood vans are rated like restaurants; ask the food truck operator for theirs.
  2. Check access and groundFirm, level ground and a route wide enough for the food truck.
  3. Ask about powerMains hook-up or the truck's own generator.
  4. Agree the moneyHost-paid, guests pay, or a minimum spend.
  5. Put hours and numbers in writingService hours, guest numbers and menu.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No register or licence applies to food truck operators as such in any UK nation, and no cookery qualification is required by law. What does apply is food law: a food truck is a food business, so the checks below are about registration, allergens and hygiene, not a trade card.

Ask the food truck which council they are registered with and for a recent reference from a host.

Food business registration and hygiene rating for the food truck

Anyone cooking, preparing or selling food as a business — a home kitchen, a van or a stall included — must register with their local authority, at least 28 days before trading in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland a food truck registers with the local authority too, with advice from Food Standards Scotland. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, council food safety officers inspect food businesses and give a rating from 0 to 5 under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme; it is set in law in Wales and Northern Ireland and voluntary to display in England. The food truck is rated like any other registered food business; a 5 means very good hygiene, and anything under 3 needs explaining.

Ask the food truck for the name of the council it is registered with, then check with that council if in doubt. Ask the food truck for their rating and the inspection date, and look it up on the Food Standards Agency ratings site. gov.uk →

Allergen information from the food truck

Food law names 14 allergens — celery, cereals with gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphites and tree nuts — and a registered food business has to say when any of them is in what it serves, and manage them safely. For food served loose at your event, the food truck can give it in writing or by a clear notice saying how to ask.

Send the guests' allergies in writing and ask the food truck for an allergen list for every dish or item. gov.uk →

Street trading and the pitch for the food truck

In England and Wales, trading in the street can need a street trading licence from the council, and trading without one can bring a fine. At a private venue the land owner's permission is what counts, but a food truck parked on a public road or verge is another matter.

If the food truck will trade anywhere public, ask whether it holds the council's street trading licence for that spot; for a private site, agree the pitch with the venue. gov.uk →

VAT

Hot food served from a truck at your event is standard-rated at 20%, whether you pay up front or guests pay. Food truck operators with more than £90,000 of taxable turnover must register for VAT, charge it, and itemise it on every quote and invoice.

Ask the food truck operator for the VAT number and whether the package price is with or without VAT. gov.uk →

“What is your food hygiene rating, and which council registered you?”

A good answer: A rating and council the food truck operator names at once.

“How much space and what ground does the truck need?”

A good answer: Dimensions and access width for the food truck, and a level pitch.

“Do you need mains power, or bring a generator?”

A good answer: A clear answer the food truck operator agrees with the venue.

“Is there a minimum spend?”

A good answer: A figure in writing and what happens if guest numbers fall.

“How do guests with allergies find out what is in the food?”

A good answer: A menu with allergens or a sign saying how to ask, and staff who know.

“How many can you serve an hour?”

A good answer: A realistic figure from the food truck, so queues stay short.

“Does the truck need a street trading licence for this spot?”

A good answer: For a private venue, no; for a public street in England or Wales, the operator checks with the council.

Getting the quote right

  • Menu, guest numbers and service hours for the food truck
  • Host-paid package, pay-as-you-go or minimum spend
  • Power, pitch fees and travel
  • The operator's VAT number, with VAT under the package or minimum spend
  • Deposit and cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends to cook and serve from the truck, and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No hygiene rating or council registration named
  • No allergen information on the menu
  • No answer on ground or access for the food truck
  • A minimum spend not in writing
LOW
£200
TYPICAL
£650
HIGH
£800

What a food truck costs: £200–£800 per event

Food truck hire is priced per event, usually per head with a minimum spend, or as a host-paid package; power and travel can be extra. Food Truck Hire price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Food truck operators near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Arrive and pitchThe food truck arrives on time, sets up on level ground, generator away from guests.
  2. PrepFood prepared and held at the right temperature before service.
  3. ServiceGuests served for the agreed hours, allergen information available.
  4. CloseService ends at the agreed time.
  5. Clear the pitchWaste removed, ground checked, the truck leaves safely.

Minimum spend
The least the operator will take for a private booking.
Pay-as-you-go
Guests buy their own food.
Host-paid
You pay for guests' food in advance.
Pitch
The spot where the truck parks and trades.
Hook-up
A mains power connection.
Street trading licence
Council permission to trade on a public street in England and Wales.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the bookingPackage and hours agreed with the food truck operator.
Check the pitchRuts, oil or rubbish left behind raised with the operator.
Report illnessTell the operator and the council food safety team if guests fall ill.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours on the food truck helps the next host. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: they are asked to put it right before your review is published.

STEP 1Put it to the food truck in writingSend the food truck a short written account — late arrival, long queues, food running out — with the remedy you want. Reasonable care and skill is an implied term of the booking under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015; a service that cannot be done again can be compensated by a price reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the food truck below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Food safety, or a trader who will not engageIf you suspect food poisoning, see a doctor and report the food truck to the food safety team at the council where it is registered. For anything else, no regulator oversees food truck operators. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about food truck operators to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the food truck will not returnIf the food truck still will not pay, you can claim yourself: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a food truck: questions people ask

The food truck needs council registration as a food business rather than a licence. Licensing only comes in for alcohol, or for serving hot food or drink late at night (after 11pm) at an unlicensed place in England and Wales.

Search the food truck's business name on the Food Standards Agency ratings website, or ask them for the score and inspection date; ratings exist for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

£200 to £800 per event, typically around £650. The food truck hire price guide breaks the range down, and the search above lists food truck operators in your area.

At a private venue, usually only its food business registration. Trading on a public street in England and Wales can need a council street trading licence.

Many do, with a generator; others need a hook-up. Ask the operator.

A minimum spend usually still applies; check the terms.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Ice Cream VanHow to hire: Mobile Coffee VanHow to hire: BBQ CateringHow to hire: Hog RoastHow to hire: CatererHow to hire: Mobile Bar HireHow to hire: Marquee HireHow to hire: Event PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

Food truck operators near you

Food truck operators in LondonFood truck operators in ManchesterFood truck operators in BirminghamFood truck operators in GlasgowFood truck operators in BelfastAll food truck operators on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — food business registration
  2. Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) — allergen guidance for food businesses
  3. Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) — the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
  4. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  9. nidirect — small claims process
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  11. Catering, takeaway food (VAT Notice 709/1) — 1.3 Supplies in the course of catering are standard-rated; 2.1 Ordinary meaning of catering
  12. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register