Test whether completed orders in feasible service windows can cover the truck, base or commissary, food cost, paid crew and downtime. This California profile connects official wage and population benchmarks to a defined operating scenario.
Single mobile food truck with a focused menu, an approved base or commissary relationship and a fully paid preparation and service crew
State benchmarks: May / July 2025 · Page prepared September 11, 2026
We examined the available wage records for this single mobile food truck with a focused menu, an approved base or commissary relationship and a fully paid preparation and service crew, checked the Census population observations and calculated the staffing implications using the stated wage benchmarks. The results below show what that completed analysis establishes.
The same roster costs $12,241 at the selected California wage benchmarks versus $9,436 at national medians, including the stated employer-cost allowance. This isolates wage differences; it does not compare local rent or customer spending.
Inspect the roles and source rows →The reference operating month is below EBIT break-even. Its assumed 80 completed orders per service day must increase to 92.6, or its price and costs must change.
See the calculation and cash results →| Component | What the evidence establishes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Wage records and state population | Selected May 2025 occupational records and July 2024/2025 Census estimates, with exact fields and source rows. | Source records checked |
| Paid payroll and break-even | Calculated from observed wage benchmarks and the explicitly modeled roster, employer allowance, price and costs. | Derived result |
| Opening budget and commercial costs | Published fit-out, equipment, occupancy and other allowances define this comparison scenario. State-specific commercial quotes have not yet replaced them. | Reference assumptions |
| Revenue | $26,667 per mature month follows 80 completed orders per service day at the stated price. It is not observed sales or a researched state revenue average. | Modeled sales assumptions |
Each test changes one input from the published reference. These are sensitivity tests, not local market forecasts or probability ranges.
| Test | Monthly EBIT | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Published reference | -$2,637 | The stated inputs on this page |
| 20% fewer sales units | -$5,981 | 64 completed orders per service day; other inputs unchanged |
| 25% higher occupancy cost | -$3,087 | $2,250 per month; other inputs unchanged |
| 10% higher wage rates | -$3,861 | Same paid roster; employer allowance unchanged |
The completed research covers the source observations and analysis described here. The funding and revenue scenarios still contain commercial assumptions; they are not a completed local feasibility study. Read the evidence and its limits.
Published research and calculations support business planning and education. They are not personalized financial, investment, tax or legal advice, and they do not guarantee costs, revenue, profit or financing. Estimates depend on the stated format, location, source periods and assumptions. Check the requirements and commitments that apply to your circumstances.
The 2023 County Business Patterns extract reports 1,329 employer establishments and 4,788 employees in Mobile Food Services (NAICS 722330). The official industry is broader than this page's frozen format. Establishment counts do not measure a viable site, completed demand, startup cost or profitability.
| County | Stratum | Employer establishments | Employment observation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | major | 289 | 1,292 |
| Sacramento County | secondary | 58 | 177 |
| Shasta County | smaller | 3 | 3 · flag J |
The selected county rows are collection anchors for later premises, price and demand work. Reported county rows reconcile to 99.1% of the state establishment count; unpublished or flagged values remain visible. The 2022 Economic Census separately reports 1,144 establishments and $541,917,000 of receipts for the broad state industry, or $473,704 per establishment by division. That aggregate is not a sales forecast for this format.
| Source | Captured finding | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| California Department of Industrial Relations | California's statewide minimum wage is $16.90 per hour from January 1, 2026; local floors may be higher. | Local ordinances may set higher floors. Whether a particular food truck is covered by separate fast-food rules remains an address and business-facts question. |
| Sacramento County Environmental Management Department | Sacramento County classifies a cook-on-truck unit as Category D and describes enclosure, plan review, commissary, route and restroom records. | Each California county issues its own permit; no complete current Sacramento fee bundle or commissary contract is captured. |
| Sacramento County Environmental Management Department | Sacramento County lists an $812 Category D fee and a $792 new-construction plan-review fee for July 2026 through June 2027. | Commissary, HCD, vehicle, fire, municipal vending, site/event and other conditional costs remain outside these two county lines. |
| Sacramento County Environmental Management Department | Sacramento County's current forms page provides a mobile-food-facility commissary verification form; operators still need to confirm applicable services, availability and price directly. | The list is not a current quote, and candidate availability and permitted services require direct confirmation. |
3 direct menu pages were retained for this state. None passes the approved comparable-price gate or establishes the realized value of one completed retail order.
| Operator | Locality | Captured examples | Research use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nash & Proper | Sacramento County | Quarter bird: $9.00; Tenders: $11.00; Wings: $10.00; Sandwich: $12.00; Sides: $3.00-$4.00 | No — exploratory menu only. One menu is not a realized order-value sample; taxes, discounts, modifiers, product mix, availability and transaction counts were not observed. |
| Pancho Villa BBQ Food Truck | Sacramento County | One-meat plate: $20.00; Burrito: $16.00; Vegetarian item: $13.00 | No — exploratory menu only. Toast hosts the operator page, but no standardized basket, realized ticket, order volume, fees or item availability sample was collected. |
| Kogi BBQ | Los Angeles County | No usable dated price table was captured. | No — exploratory menu only. Third-party delivery or directory prices were not substituted for a direct comparable. |
With the common operating case held fixed, California wage benchmarks change loaded monthly payroll to $12,241, 29.7% above the identical roster at national medians ($9,436). The resulting reference scenario shows $320,798 of funding, -$2,637 of mature monthly depreciation-inclusive operating result and 92.62 completed orders per service day at break-even. These outputs remain a sensitivity, not completed California opening-cost, operating-cost or revenue research.
No exact-content human research review has been recorded. The approved state method still requires sufficient comparable local evidence for opening costs, operating costs and revenue before a completed state study can be claimed.
Census 2023 state CBP · Census 2023 county CBP · 2022 Economic Census · BLS May 2025 OEWS · Approved state research standard
The methodology was approved on September 6, 2026. The completed work on this page covers wage and population analysis. The opening costs, operating costs and revenue below remain a reference scenario while local commercial evidence is collected.
| Evidence family | Current status | Required work |
|---|---|---|
| Opening costs | Local evidence incomplete | premises scope, fitout, equipment, installation freight tax, deposits, preopening training, opening inventory, contingency |
| Operating costs | Local evidence incomplete | occupancy, utilities, insurance, materials, payment fees, marketing, software administration, maintenance |
| Paid labor and employer costs | Wage benchmark available; employer costs unresolved | paid roster, wages, wage floor overtime, employer taxes, benefits leave, workers compensation, owner role |
| Revenue and collections | Local evidence incomplete | realized price mix, demand volume, capacity, industry cross check, launch ramp, seasonality, collections |
| Permissions and fees | Local evidence incomplete | activity address jurisdiction, initial fees, recurring fees |
A national equipment price may be reused where its configuration, delivery and taxes apply. Missing rent, selling-price or demand evidence cannot be filled with a shared state default. Until that evidence exists, no researched state funding or revenue total is claimed.
The Census estimate for California is 39,355,309 people. It declined by 9,465 between July 2024 and July 2025 (−0.02%). This statewide movement cannot identify a viable vending calendar, completed-order mix or realized ticket.
Using the same paid roster, California occupational wages produce $12,241 of monthly loaded payroll. That is +29.72% relative to the identical roster priced with national occupation medians ($9,436). Only wage benchmarks change in this comparison; it does not measure a state’s overall business attractiveness.
BLS wage source · Census population source · Exact fields and workbook rows
Single mobile food truck with a focused menu, an approved base or commissary relationship and a fully paid preparation and service crew. A single commercially equipped food truck serving a focused menu through scheduled vending windows, with paid preparation, travel, service and close-down work.
The authored ceiling uses 30 whole completed orders per service hour across a 4.5-hour selling window, or 135 orders per service day. It is a planning assumption, not an observed throughput result or demand forecast. Menu mix, preparation, the bottleneck cooking or handoff station, stockouts, holding limits, payment time, the lawful selling window and the complete paid schedule can reduce it. Preparation, loading, travel, setup, close-down, commissary return and cleaning remain paid work even though they sit outside the selling window.
| Input | Reference assumption |
|---|---|
| completed orders per service day | 80 |
| Net selling price per completed customer order | $16.00 |
| Trading days / month | 20.8 |
| Variable cost share | 37.3% |
| Occupancy / month | $1,800 |
| Other fixed costs / month | $2,900 |
| Employer cost allowance | 18% above base wages |
33% ingredients, ordinary production waste and packaging plus 4.3% payment fees and other costs that move with completed orders; every crew hour remains in payroll. Truck insurance and registration $700; vehicle fuel and route running costs $900; software and administration $300; marketing $500; permit and inspection allowance $250; phone, utilities and miscellaneous standing costs $250 per month. Commissary occupancy is modeled separately at $1,800 and maintenance investment at $900 per month.
| Role / SOC | Paid hours / month | Wage benchmark / hour | P25–P75 / hour | Base wages / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid restaurant cook35-2014 · Cooks, Restaurant · State observation | 166.7 | $21.58 | $18.55–$22.76 | $3,597 |
| Two paid counter and preparation workers35-3023 · Fast Food and Counter Workers · State observation | 333.3 | $20.33 | $17.69–$21.62 | $6,777 |
Base wages total $10,373 per month. An authored 18% allowance for employer costs adds $1,867, giving $12,241 of loaded payroll. The allowance is a planning shortcut; it is not a state-specific payroll tax calculation or benefits quote for California.
Cooks, Restaurant and Fast Food and Counter Workers are broad occupational wage benchmarks. They do not establish a local hiring quote, tip treatment, driver assignment, food-safety qualification or lawful roster. The cook and both counter and preparation roles are paid for the complete operating day; no owner labor is used to create capacity. Every operating role is paid, including management or supervision. If the owner performs a modeled role, their compensation occupies that role once; no additional owner draw is included in operating profit.
The middle 50% wage interval describes the occupation’s observed wage distribution. It is not a confidence interval for this business’s total payroll. Allocate the aggregate hours across an actual roster and check wage rules, overtime, leave and employer obligations for the chosen location.
| Use of funds | Cash paid |
|---|---|
| Truck and installed focused-menu kitchen allowance | $135,000 |
| Professional, plan-review and permit allowance | $10,000 |
| Commissary access, parking and service setup | $1,400 |
| Smallwares and opening inventory | $12,000 |
| Wrap, POS and launch setup | $13,000 |
| Opening contingency | $15,000 |
| Refundable deposit (two months of occupancy) | $3,600 |
| Paid pre-opening training | $1,763 |
| Total payments before opening | $191,763 |
The equipment and premises allowances are the same in all 50 states for this operating format. They are a comparison baseline and must be replaced with local scopes and quotes. Training uses 72 aggregate paid hours at the modeled team’s weighted loaded rate. The refundable deposit is cash tied up, not an operating expense.
The cash schedule tests 60 months, with sales ramping through 40%, 55%, 70%, 82%, 90%, 96%, 100% of the volume assumption. Full payroll and fixed costs begin in month one. The reserve covers the deepest cumulative operating deficit plus the stated buffer. A buffer is retained cash, not spending and not part of project payback twice.
The reference assumes card or cash collection when an order is completed during the service day. Sales tax collected for government and voluntary tips remain outside service revenue. Event fees, deposits, refunds, chargebacks, minimum guarantees and delayed catering collections need a separate contract and cash schedule. Asset purchases are depreciated over 60 months for this scenario. No sale or deposit recovery is assumed at the end.
At the assumed 80 completed orders per service day, the reference scenario loses $2,637 per mature month after paid labor and depreciation. The break-even threshold is 92.6 completed orders per service day. More starting cash alone does not solve that operating gap.
| Measure | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Revenue | $26,667 |
| Variable operating costs | $9,947 |
| Loaded payroll, including management | $12,241 |
| Occupancy assumption | $1,800 |
| Other fixed operating costs | $2,900 |
| EBITDA | -$221 |
| Depreciation | $2,417 |
| Operating profit (EBIT) | -$2,637 |
| Maintenance capital expenditure | $900 |
| Mature project cash flow | -$1,121 |
EBIT break-even revenue is $30,873 per month: $19,357 of fixed costs plus depreciation divided by a 62.7% contribution margin. At $16.00 per completed customer order, that means 92.6 completed orders per service day and 68.6% of the stated capacity.
| Measure | Months 1–12 | Mature month |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $275,467 | $26,667 |
| Operating profit (EBIT) | -$59,569 | -$2,637 |
| Project cash flow | -$41,369 | -$1,121 |
Project payback is not reached within the 60-month reference schedule. It measures recovery of actual pre-opening payments from cumulative project cash, with no financing or owner distributions. It does not measure cash paid back to an owner.
Access to a curb, event or recurring stop creates a selling opportunity. Revenue still depends on completed paid orders within that specific window.
More items can increase preparation, holding, stockouts and waste while slowing the station that limits whole-order throughput.
Change the assumptions to see how this format responds. The sections above remain the published reference, so you can compare your scenario with the original. The full setup and data can be downloaded below.
Reference scenario. JavaScript enables editing and exports.
1,666.7 completed customer orders per month × $16.00 = $26,667 revenue. Loaded payroll: $12,241 per month. Break-even uses 68.6% of capacity.
Download published inputs, sources and calculations (JSON). The download preserves the published scenario and its source references.
Describe the exact truck, vehicle ownership, installed cooking and fire systems, menu and preparation scope, commissary or base, water and wastewater route, food storage, service locations, hours, parking, waste, fuel or power, employees and event activity. Ask the responsible state and local offices which business, food, health, fire, vehicle, vending-location, land-use, employer and tax requirements apply to each location and operating activity.
| Workstream | Official starting points | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Business and activity | Which entity, name or activity registrations apply, and which local or specialist office also has responsibility? | |
| Tax | Which registrations and treatment apply to the actual goods or services, location and staffing arrangements? | |
| Employers | Which employer accounts, reporting steps and labor obligations apply to the planned paid roster? |
Take the activity, address, proposed equipment and staffing plan to the relevant office. Record applicability, supporting documents, fees, dependencies and renewal terms from the actual official response.
Agency routes were listed on the IRS California directory when retrieved September 5, 2026. Links identify starting offices; they do not verify a permit, tax treatment, fee or opening time for this business. Open the full California opening checklist →
Fix the menu, portions, production stages, holding limits, prices, refund rules and exclusions. Map preparation, loading, travel, setup, each service window, close-down, return, cleaning and records to the paid roster.
Obtain a documented vehicle and installed-equipment scope plus an actual commissary or approved-base agreement. Take the exact unit, menu, water and wastewater route, fuel or power, locations and hours to the responsible food, fire, vehicle, parking, land-use, employer and tax authorities.
Run an authorized paid service period and record completed orders, item mix, realized ticket, ingredient and packaging use, waste, stockouts, bottleneck time and every paid hour. Fund the opening ramp and ordinary downtime without assuming an event slot produces demand.
Vehicle uptime, installed systems, commissary access, lawful parking, food controls and return cleaning can each remove a planned service period.
A fully researched city case for this business in California has not been prepared. The next content improvement is an address-specific evidence pack covering quotes, demand, staffing, collection terms and responsible authorities.
State: California, FIPS 06. Cross-industry, ownership 1235. H_MEDIAN supplies an available hourly benchmark; H_PCT25 and H_PCT75 describe the occupational distribution. 35-2014 (Cooks, Restaurant), state workbook row 3151; 35-3023 (Fast Food and Counter Workers), state workbook row 3156. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
The national comparison uses the same paid roster and these national H_MEDIAN observations: 35-2014, national workbook row 690; 35-3023, national workbook row 699. Any national value substituted for a suppressed state value is identified separately. National observations do not become state observations.
SUMLEV 040; STATE 06; POPESTIMATE2025 and POPESTIMATE2024. July 1 estimates; change and percentage change are calculated within the same vintage. Population is context, not a customer forecast.
OEWS covers employee jobs across industries. It is a statistical benchmark, not a hiring quote or legal wage floor. Employer benefits and overtime premiums are outside the wage measure; tips can be included.
An official route to the state government and major agencies. This directory does not confirm the fees, permits or approval times for a particular address or business.
All selling prices, demand, paid hours, employer allowance, premises, startup allowances, cost shares, ramp and cash buffer are authored planning inputs. No commercial quote or researched state total is implied.
A business format and a state record are joined by stable IDs. The shared calculation computes the outputs, and the template publishes static HTML with the source fields and original inputs. A change to evidence or a format triggers recalculation and review before republication.
Choose the next planning or verification step →