Food Truck Profit Calculator

Enter your daily sales and costs to instantly see gross profit, operating profit, food cost %, and net margin. Entries are saved locally so you can track trends over time.

Today's Entry

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Gross Profit
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Sales − Food Cost
Operating Profit
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Gross − Variable − Fixed
Food Cost %
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Target: 25–35%
Net Margin
—
Operating Profit ÷ Sales

30-Day History

Entry Log

Date Sales Food Cost Variable Fixed Gross Profit Op. Profit FC % Margin %
No entries yet. Fill in today's numbers above and click Save.

How it works

Four inputs map to four metrics using standard food-service P&L math:

Gross Profit Sales − Food & Ingredient Cost
Operating Profit Gross Profit − Variable Costs − Fixed Costs
Food Cost % (Food Cost ÷ Sales) × 100 — industry benchmark: 25–35%
Net Margin % (Operating Profit ÷ Sales) × 100 — healthy truck: 6–15%

Example: Sales $800, Food $240, Variable $80 (gas + packaging), Fixed $60 (daily lease share) → Gross $560, Operating Profit $420, Food Cost 30%, Margin 52.5% — wait, that looks high? Check your fixed cost allocation: if you only count a $60/day portion of your monthly lease instead of the full lease, that is correct. All data stays in your browser via localStorage — nothing is sent to any server.

Frequently asked questions

What is a healthy food cost percentage for a food truck?
Most food trucks target a food cost percentage between 25% and 35% of sales revenue. Below 25% can mean portions are too small or ingredient quality is low; above 35% usually erodes profit to the point where the business cannot survive. Fast-food and high-volume street foods often achieve 20–28%, while gourmet trucks serving premium proteins may run 30–38%. Track yours daily — even a 2-point creep over a month signals a purchasing or waste problem worth investigating.
What should I include under "variable costs" vs "fixed costs"?
Variable costs change with how much you sell or operate each day: fuel/propane, disposable packaging and utensils, credit card processing fees (usually 2–3% of sales), extra staff wages for busy shifts, event fees or pitch fees that vary by day. Fixed costs stay constant regardless of sales: truck lease or loan payment, commissary kitchen rent, health department permit (prorate monthly cost ÷ operating days), insurance premium, and any SaaS software you use. Splitting them correctly shows your true break-even sales floor.
How do I calculate my daily fixed cost portion?
Take each monthly fixed expense and divide by the number of days you operate per month. For example: truck payment $900/month ÷ 20 operating days = $45/day; insurance $150/month ÷ 20 days = $7.50/day; permit $60/month ÷ 20 days = $3/day. Total fixed allocation: $55.50/day. Enter that single number in the Fixed Costs field so the calculator can determine whether a given day's sales actually covered all your overheads.
Is my data stored anywhere?
No. All entries are stored exclusively in your browser's localStorage. Nothing is uploaded to a server or shared with any third party. Clearing your browser data or switching browsers will erase your history — use the Export CSV button regularly to keep a backup copy.
Why does the chart only show 30 days?
Thirty days is the operationally useful window for spotting weekly patterns, event-day spikes, and slow-period trends without visual clutter. Older entries remain in storage and are included in any CSV export — you just need to scroll the table or open the CSV to see them. You can also look at the full log in the Entry Log section below the chart.