
How to Make a Food Truck Menu Design With Examples (Free Template)
Everything you need to know to develop, engineer, and design your perfect food truck menu.
Maddie RocklinAuthor

Food Truck Menu Templates
Use these food truck menu templates as a starting point for your menu design or to give your menu a refresh.
Get Free DownloadHow do you design a food truck menu?
Designing menus and graphics in-house is a great way to save, but hiring a designer streamlines the process. If you decide to do do-it-yourself, use design software like Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or Powerpoint to create designs with a professional finish.
Whether doing it yourself or working with a designer, keep these design best practices in mind. Our food truck menu templates can help you to get started.
How to Create a Food Truck Menu
You’ve always dreamed of having a restaurant on wheels. Mobility. Flexibility. Innovation. Creativity. Go-to spots and new destinations, festivals, and city streets. The possibilities are endless and now, as you get ready to open up your very own food truck, they can finally be yours to explore. There’s just one thing you need before you hit the road on your new endeavors: you’re going to need a menu.
Whether it’s printed or handwritten on a chalkboard in front of your truck, available online or on social media, your menu is a critical tool for driving customer engagement and maximizing your profits. As you design your menu, you’ll need to think about so much more than just what you’re selling – but also how you’re presenting it, what colors and fonts are you choosing to communicate your brand identity, how your items are spaced out and what your menu composition looks like. If this feels overwhelming, don’t worry. You’ve come to the right place!
Food Truck Menu Design Best Practices
This post will cover all of the menu design best practices you need to know as you figure out what composition, layout, style, and more will best reflect you and your food truck.
And while there are menu tips and tricks that can be helpful for establishments across the restaurant industry, it’s also true that your food truck, and its menu, are uniquely yours. Take what resonates from our recommendations, don’t be afraid to embrace your own, one-of-a-kind flair, and have fun with the process!
The Ultimate Guide to Restaurant Branding
Use this guide to get tips on how to create a restaurant brand that stands out, attracts customers, and drives repeat visits.
How to Make a Food Truck Menu
From taking stock of your menu items to finalizing your layout and printing your copies, check out these 10 steps for designing the perfect menu for your food truck.
1. Write Out all Menu Items
The first question to consider as you begin your menu design is: what are you selling? Your answers to this question will guide how you move forward through the rest of this list. So, pull up Google Sheets, Excel, a pen and paper, or whatever method works for you, and write down every single item that a customer might buy from your food truck.
Now, if you’re starting a food truck, given its usually niche focus and limited kitchen space, you likely have a very specific type of food or drink that you’ll be offering – and, therefore, a smaller menu to create than a typical restaurant. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still get creative about adding items to your menu that will help drive revenue for your business.
If you’re serving tacos, for example, are you making a note of every single protein and topping that you’ll have available for your customers? Will a certain number of toppings be included, and any extras available to buy as add-ons? If you’re serving coffee, are you writing down what milk substitutions or flavor syrups you’ll carry? Are there certain items that will only be available as part of a special deal or combo? Will you have a “secret menu” that only real regulars are in on, adding an element of exclusivity, mystique, and intrigue?
Whatever your fare, make sure to take your time with this step and include on your list any item that could possibly be available for purchase.
2. Categorize Menu Items
The next question is: how will you categorize your menu?
Even with a small, food-truck-sized menu, this step is still really important, providing a foundation for the rest of your menu design. For example, will you present your tacos in a build-your-own style, listing out proteins and toppings customers can mix and match, or will you have a set taco menu that doesn’t offer modifications? If you’re offering some form of combo plate option, will you list out all the components of your plates, or only the combinations to choose from? How will you organize your items in a way that makes your best-sellers or highest-priced items stand out? The way you categorize your items can go a long way in optimizing your menu and helping to maximize your revenue.
Think about what organizational approach would make the most sense to your customer, and be most intuitive and accessible. If you need support, resources like this menu engineering worksheet and these menu templates can also be super helpful in figuring out the best approach for your food truck.
3. Set Menu Prices
Determining your menu prices shouldn’t be an arbitrary decision – it should be a careful calculation that takes into account multiple factors. Here are some components to consider as you work your way through this step:
How do your prices align with your target market? Think about who your ideal customer would be, and what price range would be realistic and sustainable to keep that customer coming back for more.
Will you generate a sustainable profit? It can be a tricky balance making sure your costs are low enough to keep your food truck accessible to your target market, while still driving enough revenue to keep your truck afloat.
This brings us to…
What expenses will you have to cover? How much revenue will you need to make to cover all of your operating costs, and will your prices get you there? From staff compensation and benefits to cleaning and repairs, health and safety, overhead, inventory, gas, and more, food truck costs can add up so make sure to factor everything into your calculations.
How much are other food trucks in your area charging? Doing a competitive landscape analysis will be crucial to understanding the market rate for your goods, and where your prices can and should fall within that market, based on quality, creativity, and any other value add that sets you apart from other food truck options.
You can also consider using resources, like this menu engineering course, to access valuable insights about how data and psychology can help inform your food truck menu design, including how to best price your items.
And, learn more about creating a menu pricing strategy here.
4. Create Menu Descriptions
You’ve listed out your items, organized them into categories, and determined their prices – now, how will you describe them to your customers?
Think about the best way to communicate what you’re selling – would lengthy or short descriptions be best? Perhaps it would be better to forgo the written word altogether and rely instead on high-quality photos to do the talking? Maybe you’ll go for a mix – keep it short and concise on the menu displayed on the side of your truck, but offer lengthier explanations on your printed or digital version.
Think about what tone you want to strike – will you provide a straightforward list of what’s included in each item, or incorporate some humor into your dish descriptions?
Think about how you’ll denote dietary restrictions or allergies – will you deploy a menu key or have a nutrition fact sheet behind the scenes, ready to give customers additional information should they ask for it?
Imagine you are your customer: what information would you need to know to feel most comfortable placing your order? Make sure you’re including any answers to that question in your descriptions.
If the gears just aren’t turning, this could also be a good step to hire a copywriter and add a little grease to your menu description wheels.
Menu Engineering Worksheet
Use this menu engineering worksheet, complete with intricate menu engineering formulas, to determine areas of strength and weakness in your restaurant's menu.
5. Decide on a Menu Color Scheme
Now that we’re through the written portion, it’s time to dive into the more creative side of your menu design – starting with your color scheme.
Consider what resources you have available for your brand already. Maybe you have a full brand kit complete with logos, fonts, and colors that you’ll replicate on your food truck menu. If so, that’s great!
If you’re earlier on in your brand development process, think about what colors would best represent your business, what aesthetic you want for your color palette, and how many colors you want to include in it. If you’re going for bright, eye-catching colors, maybe fewer is better to avoid overwhelming visuals. Or maybe, overwhelming visuals fit right in with your brand. If you want to incorporate a wider variety of colors into your menu but still keep it from being too much on the eyes, opting for more neutral tones, or similar, complementary colors in different hues, might be a good way to go.
You can explore resources like Chron’s The Psychology of Colors for Restaurant Designs, Adobe Color CC (color wheel tool), ColorDot (color palette tool), and ColRD (color inspiration) for all of your color inspo needs.
And pro-tip: black and white printing tends to be cheaper than color, so if you’re planning to print a lot of menu copies, this step is a great opportunity to do some research into costs associated with printing the colors you want to incorporate.
6. Design Your Food Truck Menu
When it comes to the design of your menu, sites like Canva, Adobe Suite, and templates like these are great resources to start with. If you’re in need of further menu design inspiration, social media like Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok can also be super helpful in pulling together your food truck menu mood board.
As you get this process underway, here are some components to consider:
How much space do you have for your menu?
How will you maximize space on your truck while still conveying all the necessary information?
Is your menu easy to read and navigate, or crowded and cluttered?
How does your menu flow? Are the sections distinct and clearly labeled?
Are your prices easy to find? Do your high-cost or most popular items stick out?
If you’re opting for a printed or digital version in addition to a truck-side menu, how will these options be different? What will you include in a printed or digital menu that you won’t be able to fit on your food truck?
Our menu engineering course’s section on menu design, as well as these menu design best practices, also offer additional menu design strategies and insights and might be worth a browse when you get to this step.
7. Food Truck Menu Photos
Giving your customers a preview of the options available for them to order by putting high-quality photos of your food on display can go a long way in influencing customer behavior and driving your food truck’s sales.
As we went over in step 4, some food trucks may even opt to rely on photos as their primary menu form. This creative choice can be a great strategy (especially if your food is particularly photogenic) given trucks’ limited space and more casual nature. Just make sure the photos you include are indeed worthy of display – having no photos at all is actually better than going with poorly shot or low-quality images, as they can undermine customer trust in your food truck’s quality and credibility.
If photos don’t fit into the menu concept you have in mind for the truck itself, there’s always the option to include them in any printed or digital versions of your menu. A QR code on your truck linking to your digital menu is also a great way to tie these different options together, while still maximizing both your space and visual assets.
Speaking of visual assets – in addition to professional shots, don’t forget to factor in the power of social media. Nothing generates hype about a new food spot like viral images or videos highlighting the items on its menu. In this digital age, I, like many of my peers, rely on apps like TikTok to tell me where to go and what food to try. Incorporating social media strategy into your menu planning from the start will help to generate buzz about your new food truck, introduce you to new customers, and give you the best chance at capitalizing on this social currency and converting it into food truck sales.
8. Choose Menu Fonts, Spacing, and Composition
The last visual components to consider are your fonts, spacing, and menu composition.
As you nail these down, think about what will fit best with the overall aesthetic of your truck. Will you opt for more playful or serious fonts, or go with a mix of both? Will you stick with one font throughout in varying sizes? If you go with multiple styles, how will you decide how many to go with, and where will they appear on your menu page?
In terms of spacing, how will you compose your menu so that your sections are clearly defined, easy to read, and not overcrowded? Or will you opt for either under- or over-exaggerated spacing to curate a specific vibe for your menu? Where will pictures fall into the composition – and will you include actual photographs or take some creative license with drawings or illustrations of your food truck goods?
Remember, your menu will change as you do so make sure to leave room for growth – and have fun with the process.
If you’re feeling stuck, this step might also be a good moment to revisit these menu templates.
Menu Engineering Course
Take this course to make the most of your menu. Learn about menu psychology and design, managing your menu online, and adapting your menu to increase sales.
9. Select the Final Menu Layout
If you’ve been following these steps thus far, you’ve probably been playing around with different colors, designs, photos, fonts, spacing, and composition styles – and, by this step, likely have a few menu design options to choose from.
Well, it’s time to choose.
Use your network as a resource here – share your different options with stakeholders, staff, family, friends, and other trusted advisors to get their feedback, and incorporate any suggestions you agree with into your design before it’s locked in and off to the printer (or artist, or whatever process you’re using to get it up on the side of your truck or on a chalkboard in front of the ordering window).
10. Proofread and Print Your Menu
This brings us to… proofread your menu. Seriously. Don’t get excited and skip this step. We beg you. It’s so important.
Errors like spelling mistakes and typos are entirely preventable, and this step gives you the opportunity to prevent them – so seize it and avoid arrest by the grammar police. And feel free to once again tap in your network to get a fresh set of eyes for a menu close read.
And finally – if you’re going with a printed option – to the printers we go! Companies like Staples, Vistaprint, PsPrint, and PrintPlace offer printing services across a range of prices and are good starting points as you look into the best option for your menu needs.
That’s it, you did! Congratulations – and bon appétit!
Food Truck Menu Templates
Use these food truck menu templates as a starting point for your menu design or to give your menu a refresh.
Outstanding Examples of Food Truck Menus
Belly Bombz
Belly Bombz does it all — high-quality photos, easy-to-read and well-organized items, informative menu descriptions, an option to make it a combo that stands out from the rest of the menu. And if the mouthwatering images on their social media are any indication, it’s no wonder this Korean-inspired wing stop is considered one of the best food trucks in LA!
Bread Heads
Two things I love: The Grateful Dead and a good pun — and the Bread Heads food truck delivers on both. With their multi-colored handwritten chalk with font reminiscent of a 70s album cover, and cheeky menu items like “Fried & True” pickles and the “Grateful Shred” sandwich, this truck is sure to be a smash-hit.
Pork in the Road
Speaking of puns, I obviously couldn’t scroll past the Pork in the Road without including it here. The name alone is A+ — and the menu lives up to it. Using different colors to clearly distinguish their items, an engaging but not overwhelming color palette, easy to find prices and choices for sides, this truck will be hogging all their customers’ attention.
Flashback Franks
From the bright color scheme balanced with the simple black and white menu, to the funky logo, innovative menu items and descriptions, and retro fonts, customers will relish the chance to visit Flashback Franks’ food truck menu. And if you’re wondering what exactly these creative approaches to serving hot dogs will look like, their Instagram is full of delicious photos to browse ahead of your visit.
Heritage Kitchen
With their menu front and center, enticing food photos, fun graphics, clear logo and brand consistency throughout, and a standout box for their signature fried chicken sandwich Heritage Kitchen cracks the menu code. What an eggciting stop for a meal!
El Taco
The menu on this Las Vegas-based, family owned and operated taco truck is well-organized, well-labeled, and easy to read. While food photos are incorporated onto another the side the truck, the menu remains simple, with clearly defined sections and plenty of protein options to choose from. With their Instagram handle and phone number also included on the truck, El Taco ensures customers have what they need to come back for more and keep taco’ing about their business.
The Lobster Roller
Lobster rolls are a New England beach town staple — and the Lobster Roller, based in Gloucester, Massachusetts makes sure that customers all over town are well-fed. With their handwritten chalk menu, this truck keeps things casual while still communicating everything their customers would need to know to place their order. And with a strong social media presence showcasing their items, this truck is sure to be the lob-star of the show. Shell yeah.
Thyme Traveling
With beautiful illustrations consistent with their garden-inspired street food brand, the Thyme Traveling food truck will surely catch your eye. And once that seed is planted, their tempting menu photos will only make your interest grow!
Curbside Bistro
While the Curbside Bistro food truck’s menu is organized into only four main items, don’t be fooled by this deceptively simple approach — each item has several variations and add-on options, offering far more potential combinations than initially meets the eye. From add-ons like an extra patty, bacon, caramelized onions & mushrooms, or a friend egg to their burger; to a choice between kimchi or classic deep-fried chicken sandwich; to a range of sauce options and fries for all, customers have plenty of choices to curb their hunger.
Mom on the Go
The Mom on the Go food truck does a great job combining multiple factors for a smash-hit menu: fun images, easy-to-read fonts, clear menu item descriptions, a note asking customers to inform their server of allergies, neatly organized categories — all on an eye-catching red truck background. Food that is accessible, delicious, and comforting indeed!
Related Menu Ideas
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DISCLAIMER: This information is provided for general informational purposes only, and publication does not constitute an endorsement. Toast does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information, text, graphics, links, or other items contained within this content. Toast does not guarantee you will achieve any specific results if you follow any advice herein. It may be advisable for you to consult with a professional such as a lawyer, accountant, or business advisor for advice specific to your situation.
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