§1What this business is
You fit a kitchen into a vehicle and sell fast food such as momos, rolls and chaat. Customers are college students, office staff, fairs and events, and night markets. Location and taste are everything.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A young person who loves cooking and knows the city's hotspots.
Who it is not for
Someone who wants to run it in a small town with no night market.
Advantages
- No shop rent
- Move to where the crowd is
- Orders from events and weddings
- Quick to build a name on social media
Drawbacks
- Parking and vending trouble with the municipality/police
- Depends on the weather
- Vehicle maintenance
- Hard to keep hygiene in a small space
Skills you need
- Cooking/menu
- Hygiene
- Social media marketing
- Cash handling
Why difficulty 2/5: Low capital, but permissions and location are a hassle.
§3Market
Who buys
- Street-food customers: office-goers, students and families
How it sells
- Sale from the truck at busy spots; the location can change daily
- Online food delivery apps
Good to know
- The report assumes 100 customers a day spending ₹75 each, for 300 days a year.
- Sandwiches, burgers, French fries and regional fast food are common menus.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Truck structure (Tata 407) | 1 | ₹1,25,000 |
| Paint job | 1 | ₹30,000 |
| Vinyl | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Branding boards | 1 | ₹16,500 |
| Stainless steel panelling | 1 | ₹66,000 |
| Aluminium flooring | 1 | ₹12,500 |
| Exhaust fan | 1 | ₹12,500 |
| Water system | 1 | ₹9,500 |
| Gas supply | 1 | ₹11,000 |
| Logo and truck design | 1 | ₹10,000 |
| Truck labour (matting, seat covers, bumpers, lights) | 1 | ₹72,500 |
| Extra lights | 1 | ₹12,500 |
| Kitchen equipment | 1 | ₹60,500 |
| Insulation | 1 | ₹4,500 |
| Generator | 1 | ₹1,40,000 |
| Inverter | 1 | ₹24,000 |
| Others | 1 | ₹51,500 |
From: UP MSME 1-Connect (Govt of UP, RAMP) – Project Report: Food Truck Business (2024)
- Food ingredients and consumables₹3.96 lakh in year 1 against sales of ₹9.00 lakh in the report
- Cooking gas (LPG)the truck has its own gas supply line
From: UP MSME 1-Connect (Govt of UP, RAMP) – Project Report: Food Truck Business (2024)
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI registration/licence
- Municipal vending/parking permission
- RTO — vehicle body modification approval
- Fire safety (LPG)
- GST (above the limit)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- CM YUVAUPActiveUp to ₹5 lakh, interest-free
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
~₹10 L: CM-YUVA (UP), MUDRA, PMEGP service, CGTMSE. PM SVANidhi is only for small loans to street vendors (not in our list).
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Report grand total ₹9.84 L, financed by own ₹0.98 L + term loan ₹6.16 L + working capital limit ₹2.70 L. Min = gross fixed assets ₹6.84 L.
Report 2024.
§8Export potential
A local service business; it has no goods to export.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Vending permissions
- Weather
- Vehicle breakdown
- Food safety
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working food truck unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (FSSAI registration/licence, Municipal vending/parking permission), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Food Truck?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.