The state wage reference below keeps the shared one-truck financial assumptions. A Detroit example tests a specific local rule, a base offer and a priced truck against that reference. Its order count and achieved ticket still need a route test.
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
The Michigan wage reference yields $635 monthly EBIT at the assumed 80 paid orders/day, but one missed trading day with fixed costs and roster unchanged turns that month into -$167 EBIT. Detroit lists $498 for a mobile food preparation license and $743 for initial plan review of a new preparation unit. Those fees identify two necessary cash lines, not the full cost of permission or operation.
| Input | Published evidence | Planning use and remaining scope |
|---|---|---|
| License and review | Detroit 2026 fee schedule: $498 mobile food preparation license and $743 initial mobile/TFU preparation-unit plan review. The $318 TFU license belongs to a different operating classification. | Confirm the vehicle classification before applying. The two identified fees total $1,241 for this new mobile-unit example but have different recurrence. They sit within the model's broad $10,000 opening permit and professional allowance; do not add them again or treat them as the complete bundle. |
| Daily base | Detroit mobile-unit guidance: a mobile unit returns to an approved commissary at least every 24 hours and carries its verified base form. The D Loft rate sheet: an 80-hour monthly prep example would be $1,200 on its three-month rate or $1,120 on six months, in Hamtramck outside Detroit. | The kitchen-time offer omits a confirmed truck-specific parking, water, waste and daily servicing package. Detroit acceptance of this base is unverified; do not substitute its hourly price for the $1,800 complete-base allowance. |
| Equipped truck | 2026 national equipped-truck offer: $189,000, versus the $135,000 reference truck line. | If the scope matched, $54,000 more opening cash and $900/month more depreciation would turn the reference EBIT into -$265. Delivery, tax and Detroit equipment approval are unpriced. |
| Menu and orders | Greektown food-truck order menu: a $12.95 chicken rice bowl and $2.95 Coke total $15.90 before tax or adjustments. | This is one other operator's possible basket, not the proposed truck's achieved $16 net ticket. Test a lawful route and count paid orders, actual mix, refunds and complete paid hours. |
The calculator below keeps the Michigan reference as its default. Change annual service days to test a sustained shorter calendar; the single lost day above is a separate one-month sensitivity. Change only inputs you can support for your chosen truck and route. Test the complete financial scenario →
Use the result as a test of one defined format. Single mobile food truck with a focused menu, an approved base or commissary relationship and a fully paid preparation and service crew. At unchanged price, cost shares and paid hours, an average of 77 completed orders per service day clears modeled EBIT break-even. This is an average across the trading calendar, not a promise that every day sells that many units. Confirm that the complete paid workload can deliver it. The positive reference month turns negative below the exact EBIT sales threshold, or when price, contribution, payroll or occupancy no longer supports it.
What the wage evidence changes. For the same paid roster, the selected Michigan wage benchmarks produce $8,968.00 loaded payroll per month, $468.07 below the national roster ($9,436.07). May 2025 BLS state OEWS supplies occupation medians; the page's paid hours and exact source rows turn them into payroll using the assumed 18% employer allowance. The medians describe employee jobs across industries. They are neither a hiring offer nor a statutory wage floor.
Apply the named local case within its scope. The Detroit example retains its cited rules, advertised prices and checked dates. Its city observations do not replace the statewide reference's opening, occupancy or sales inputs unless the stated conditional case supplies the same full cost scope. Compare the complete local case before using the state result at a chosen stop or address.
What is still assumed. Net selling yield, paid sales volume, premises and opening allowances, staffing hours, the employer load, cost shares, operating calendar, ramp and cash buffer are authored planning inputs. A scoped city fee or advertised premises subtotal does not validate all of them.
At the reference sales level, monthly EBITDA is $3,052.00, EBIT after $2,416.67 depreciation is $635.33, and steady-month cash after $900.00 maintenance investment is $2,152.00. Opening payments of $191,291.39 plus $44,309.60 modeled reserve give $235,600.99 funding. The reserve covers the peak modeled deficit and stated buffer; funding is not a researched state startup average or owner income.
The mathematical daily-average thresholds are approximately 65.4 for EBITDA, 76.96 for EBIT and 69.7 for steady-month cash after maintenance, all in completed orders per service day at the same price and cost share. A daily average of 69.8 clears that steady-month cash boundary in this fixed-input model. The cash threshold assumes steady receivables. It does not include new working-capital movements, loan payments, income taxes, owner distributions or recovery of opening cash; the single calculator's 60-month schedule handles the reference ramp and collection timing.
The reference uses 250 service days annually, averaged over 12 months: 80 completed paid orders per service day × $16.00 realized net ticket produces $26,666.67 mature monthly revenue. The net ticket must reflect the sold menu mix, discounts and refunds; a menu item price or a booked event does not establish collected order value.
The roster provides 500 paid person-hours monthly, or 24 per assumed service day. If all three workers cover the assumed 4.5-hour selling window, 13.5 person-hours go to that window and 10.5 remain for preparation, loading, travel, setup, commissary return and close-down. This is a time budget, not measured task performance. Time every role and station, include breaks and delays, and use the lawful selling window for the selected stop. The stated 135-order ceiling assumes 30 completed orders per selling hour; permissions and physical throughput do not supply paying customers.
Of the three one-input tests below, 20% fewer paid sales units has the largest absolute EBIT effect: -$2,708.67 per mature month, a $3,344.00 change from the reference. These tests have different sizes and do not rank probabilities or all business risks.
Compare all three sensitivity tests and their fixed-input scope. Test a valid scenario in the page's calculator, then compare its opening cash and full schedule. The reference copy above keeps its stated inputs when the calculator is edited.
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 $8,968 at the selected Michigan 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 →At unchanged price, cost shares and paid hours, an average of 77 completed orders per service day clears modeled EBIT break-even. This is an average across the trading calendar, not a promise that every day sells that many units. Confirm that the complete paid workload can deliver it.
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 | $635 | The stated inputs on this page |
| 20% fewer sales units | -$2,709 | 64 completed orders per service day; other inputs unchanged |
| 25% higher occupancy cost | $185 | $2,250 per month; other inputs unchanged |
| 10% higher wage rates | -$261 | 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.
This profile uses checked state wage and population records, a transparent financial scenario, and a Detroit operating example. Use the observed local fee or offer for its stated scope, then replace commercial assumptions with quotes and paid-order evidence for your own route.
| Evidence family | Published basis | What to confirm locally |
|---|---|---|
| Opening costs | Published planning inputs — replace with local quotes | premises scope, fitout, equipment, installation freight tax, deposits, preopening training, opening inventory, contingency |
| Operating costs | Published planning inputs — replace with local quotes | occupancy, utilities, insurance, materials, payment fees, marketing, software administration, maintenance |
| Paid labor and employer costs | State wage benchmark used — confirm employer costs | paid roster, wages, wage floor overtime, employer taxes, benefits leave, workers compensation, owner role |
| Revenue and collections | Published planning inputs — validate price and demand locally | realized price mix, demand volume, capacity, industry cross check, launch ramp, seasonality, collections |
| Permissions and fees | Confirm for the selected address | activity address jurisdiction, initial fees, recurring fees |
National equipment prices can support the plan where configuration, delivery and taxes match the intended purchase. Confirm rent, selling prices, demand and permissions for the actual location instead of applying a generic state adjustment.
The Census estimate for Michigan is 10,127,884 people. It grew by 27,922 between July 2024 and July 2025 (+0.28%). This statewide movement cannot identify a viable vending calendar, completed-order mix or realized ticket.
Using the same paid roster, Michigan occupational wages produce $8,968 of monthly loaded payroll. That is −4.96% 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 | $17.78 | $16.72–$20.60 | $2,963 |
| Two paid counter and preparation workers35-3023 · Fast Food and Counter Workers · State observation | 333.3 | $13.91 | $13.26–$15.75 | $4,637 |
Base wages total $7,600 per month. An authored 18% allowance for employer costs adds $1,368, giving $8,968 of loaded payroll. The allowance is a planning shortcut; it is not a state-specific payroll tax calculation or benefits quote for Michigan.
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 | $1,291 |
| Total payments before opening | $191,291 |
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 produces $635 of mature monthly EBIT, a 2.4% operating margin. Its continuous EBIT threshold is approximately 77 completed orders per service day for EBIT break-even. This result depends on unverified selling price, demand and premises inputs.
| Measure | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Revenue | $26,667 |
| Variable operating costs | $9,947 |
| Loaded payroll, including management | $8,968 |
| Occupancy assumption | $1,800 |
| Other fixed operating costs | $2,900 |
| EBITDA | $3,052 |
| Depreciation | $2,417 |
| Operating profit (EBIT) | $635 |
| Maintenance capital expenditure | $900 |
| Mature project cash flow | $2,152 |
EBIT break-even revenue is $25,653 per month: $16,085 of fixed costs plus depreciation divided by a 62.7% contribution margin. At $16.00 per completed customer order, that means 77 completed orders per service day and 57% of the stated capacity.
| Measure | Months 1–12 | Mature month |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $275,467 | $26,667 |
| Operating profit (EBIT) | -$20,298 | $635 |
| Project cash flow | -$2,098 | $2,152 |
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. Use the browser-local export buttons below to save only the scenario you are working on.
Reference scenario. JavaScript enables editing and exports.
1,666.7 completed customer orders per month × $16.00 = $26,667 revenue. Loaded payroll: $8,968 per month. Break-even uses 57% of capacity.
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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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.
For a selected address or service area, collect an evidence pack covering premises and equipment quotes, paid demand, staffing, collection terms and the responsible authorities. The state wage and population evidence on this page does not supply those location-specific inputs.
State: Michigan, FIPS 26. 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 16001; 35-3023 (Fast Food and Counter Workers), state workbook row 16006. 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 26; 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.
Current city guidance inspected September 17, 2026. A mobile food establishment returns to an approved commissary at least every 24 hours and carries an approved verification form; a new mobile or transitory unit needs plan review. Enclosed cooking units with propane or a generator need a Detroit fire inspection. Route, vehicle and operating schedule are part of the annual application.
Effective January 1, 2026; inspected September 17, 2026. The mobile food preparation unit food-service license is $498; the new mobile/TFU preparation-unit plan review is $743. The $1,241 sum is these two differently timed fees, not a complete permit bundle. A transitory food unit license is a different $318 category; paid operational inspections are $90 each.
Provider offer inspected September 17, 2026. At 9427 Joseph Campau Ave in Hamtramck, outside Detroit, the provider lists 60-plus kitchen hours at $15/hour for a three-month term or $14/hour for six months. An illustrative 80 monthly prep hours cost $1,200 or $1,120 before additional storage, truck parking and daily servicing. Detroit acceptance for the proposed unit is not established.
Advertised September 17, 2026. A new 18-foot truck with griddle, fryers, cold storage, sinks and generator is advertised at $189,000 before location-specific delivery, tax, permit and equipment approval checks.
The stated operating format and paid roster define the scenario. Wage and population observations keep their geography and period. Replace commercial assumptions only with evidence that matches the scope, then reconcile the same inputs across earnings, cash and the delivery schedule.
Plan your next evidence check →