Find out how many tacos you need to sell before you buy the truck.
A connected spreadsheet for anyone planning or running a first food truck. Cost your menu once. Your break-even, profit and payback update with it.
Buy the workbook, $12Instant download: spreadsheet plus PDF guide. 7-day refund, no questions.
Sample Street Tacos (fictional)
Try the + button.
Made-up numbers for a fictional truck, not a benchmark. The workbook runs this same math on your numbers, across your whole menu.
What is inside
Food-Truck-Startup-and-Margin-Workbook.xlsx
Seven connected tabs with live formulas. Yellow cells are yours to fill in. Green cells calculate. Every tab starts with labeled example numbers to overwrite.Food-Truck-Workbook-Guide.pdf
How to use each tab, one worked example for a fictional truck, costs people commonly miss, and what to verify locally.
Free calculators give an answer. This keeps your numbers.
A free online calculator is a good way to get one quick figure, and you should use one if that is all you need. This workbook is for the longer job: a single file you keep, edit as quotes come in, and reopen every time a supplier changes a price.
- A change in one item's cost flows through to average margin, break-even, monthly profit and payback.
- Menu averages are weighted by what you expect to sell, so a best seller counts for more than a slow item.
- The startup budget tracks each quote, what is paid and what is left.
- Event vs Location shows profit for the day after the organizer's cut, so you can decide before you commit.
- It is your file. No login, no subscription.
What it will not do
It does not know what you will sell, and it makes no promise about income. It holds no real-world cost data: every number that ships in it is a labeled placeholder, so its answers mean something only after you enter your own quotes and invoices. It also does not know your city's rules. Permits vary by city, so confirm with your local health department.
One payment. Two files.
The workbook and the PDF guide, delivered on a download page right after checkout.
Questions
What is your refund policy?
If it is not useful, email mwarshaw@justdobetterconsulting.com within 7 days of buying and you get your money back. No questions. Details are on the refund page.
What format is it, and how do I get it?
One Excel-format spreadsheet (.xlsx) and one PDF guide. After you pay, you land on a page with both download links. No email is sent, so save the files or bookmark that page.
Does it work in Google Sheets and Numbers?
It is built only from standard functions that Excel, Google Sheets and Apple Numbers all share, with no macros. To use Sheets, upload the file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. We recalculated every formula in Apple Numbers and it matched.
Did you use AI to make this?
Yes. The kit was built with AI assistance and reviewed for arithmetic: every formula was recalculated in two separate spreadsheet engines and key results were checked by hand. Check it against your own records before you rely on it.
What will the charge look like on my card?
Your statement will show JDB CONSULTING, the company that runs this store.
Are the numbers in it real?
No. They are made-up placeholders for a fictional truck, clearly labeled, there to show how the sheets work. Replace them with your own.
Is this professional advice?
No. It is a planning tool, not financial, legal or tax advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation, and confirm permits with your local health department.