No matter your ultimate goal, every food truck in Ohio will need specific licenses and permits to operate.

Others still use a food truck as a way to test their concept before opening a restaurant. Others aim to open a fleet of trucks to operate across the city or even across a whole region, or specialize in event catering.

Some restaurateurs aim to open just one food truck and keep their local community fed. Food trucks have lower startup costs, smaller teams, and lower operational costs, so they can be more easily profitable than typical restaurants.Īnd once you’re open, success can look different for various types of food truck businesses. If you’re savvy about your costs and you deeply research the market you want to reach, making sure you’re in high-traffic areas on each day that you operate, food truck businesses can reach the top end of the average restaurant profit margin range, which is 3-5%, or even exceed it. The process involves building a strong food truck business plan, applying for all your licenses and permits, finding food truck funding, choosing a vehicle and ensuring it’s ready to prepare and serve food, renting an additional prep space, planning your ideal parking locations, building a food truck marketing strategy, finding and hiring a great team, creating your menu, stocking the ingredients you’ll need, receiving your permits, and finally, opening your (figurative) doors. Starting a food truck in Ohio can take many months to over a year. How to start a food truck business in Ohio

Ohio business license and permits cost