How Much Do Food Trucks Make at High School Football Games?

Online estimates for food truck revenue at sporting events range from "$500 per event" to "$3,000 per night." Neither end is wrong — they just describe different spots at different games. The variance is almost entirely driven by spot selection, not menu quality, not truck size, and not how good a marketer you are.

A useful baseline: a three-hour high school football window on a Friday night with a varsity game, 2,500–3,500 attendees, and a well-positioned truck generates roughly 80–130 transactions at an average of $9–$12 per order. That puts gross revenue in the $720–$1,560 range before any costs. With a 25–30% cost structure (COGS + labor + gas + permit), a truck hitting 100 transactions at $10.50 average takes home approximately $735 net profit.

The problem is that many operators show up to the wrong spot and do 30–50 transactions at $9. That's $270–$450 gross — and after $190–$250 in costs, the net profit is $20–$260 for six hours of work (setup, service, and breakdown). Football game revenue is highly binary: a strong spot is worth it; a weak spot is not.

These figures assume a two-person crew, a mid-range menu ($9–$12 average ticket), and standard cost structure. The "estimated costs" column includes COGS (food/supplies at 30%), labor (one paid helper at $15/hr × 5 hrs = $75), fuel ($20–$40), and a per-event permit/fee allocation ($25–$50).

The red number in the weak-spot row is not a typo. A bad spot loses money.After you factor in gas to and from the game, a helper's wages, and the COGS on inventory you prepped but didn't sell, a JV game in the rain with 400 people in the stands can easily cost you $100–$130 net after selling everything you can.

Food truck operators who post "$1,200 nights!" on social media usually aren't disclosing their cost structure. Here is what actually reduces your take-home:

Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) — 28–35% of gross

For a $1,000 gross night, expect $280–$350 to go back into food and packaging. High-volume, simple menus (tacos, hot dogs, fries) run closer to 28%. Full proteins with complex prep (brisket, specialty burgers) can push 38%. Over-prepping inventory you can't sell is a hidden cost — you paid for it whether it sold or not.

Labor — $75–$150 per event

If you bring a paid helper, budget $15–$18/hr × 5–6 hours (including travel, setup, service, breakdown). Solo operators save this but sacrifice service speed during peak windows — especially the halftime rush where a second person on the window can add $100–$200 in transactions you would otherwise miss.

Fuel and vehicle costs — $20–$60 per event

A food truck getting 8–10 MPG driven 30 miles round-trip burns $20–$30 in diesel at current prices. Longer drives (45–60 miles) push this to $45–$60. Wear-and-tear and commercial insurance allocation add another effective $10–$20 per event if you count them honestly.

Permits and venue fees — $0–$100 per event

Many operators work off an annual permit and see zero per-event permit cost. Others pay $25–$75 for a temporary event permit per location, and some private lots charge a nominal fee or take a percentage of sales (5–10%). Budget $25–$50 per event as a baseline if you're still building your permit infrastructure.

New operators sometimes wonder why established trucks pass on Friday night games that seem busy enough. The math explains it: if an event won't reliably hit $1,000 gross, the economics often don't pencil.

At $800 gross with a 30% cost structure, you net $560 before labor. Pay a helper $90 and you're at $470. Subtract fuel ($35) and a permit allocation ($30) and you're at $405 for 5–6 hours of active work. That's fine money — but it assumes everything went right. A slow service window, an over-prepped protein, or light rain drops you to $280–$320.

Experienced operators treat football games as premium events that justify premium preparation costs: more inventory prepped, an extra helper staffed, generator fuel topped off. That preparation makes sense at $1,200 gross — it doesn't at $600. So they filter aggressively. A truck with three strong spots in a metro can work three Fridays in a row at $1,100+ net. The same truck chasing marginal spots works six Fridays for the same total take-home — twice the wear, twice the labor hours.

The filter isn't elitism. It's arithmetic. The spot determines the outcome more than any other variable.

Operators who consistently clear $1,000+ aren't lucky — they've learned to read the following signals before committing:

• Game tier. Varsity district or rivalry games draw 2–5× the crowd of JV or non-district scrimmages. Homecoming adds 20–40% on top. UIL playoff games at neutral sites are the single best opportunity of the year — large crowds at venues often designed with vendor space in mind.
• Position on the foot-traffic path.You want to be between fan parking and the stadium entrance — not beside the entrance or across the street from it. If fans have to detour 50+ feet, most won't. Scout the venue during a non-game event first.
• Competitor count. Zero to one competitor at a 2,000-person game often beats three competitors at a 4,000-person game. Shared crowds always compress your take.
• Weather forecast at kickoff time.A clear, 60–70°F October night is your best condition. Rain before halftime costs 15–25% of revenue. A thunder/lightning suspension can cost 60–80% — fans leave immediately and don't come back.
• Drive time. A $900 gross event 50 miles away nets less than a $750 gross event 8 miles away after fuel, time, and wear. Proximity is an underrated filter.

The honest answer: yes, at the right spots — and no at the wrong ones.

Football games have two features that almost no other recurring event can match: predictability and concentration. Every Friday from late August through November, thousands of people gather at a known location at a known time. That predictability lets you plan inventory, staff, and prep with much lower waste than unpredictable event types (farmers markets, pop-up festivals).

The concentration is equally valuable: the crowd is typically within a quarter-mile radius of a single venue for two to three hours. You don't need strong foot traffic the entire evening — two 30-minute rushes (pre-game and halftime) can do $700 in transactions if you're positioned correctly.

The risk is the variance. Pick the wrong game or park in the wrong lot and you get one of those break-even or loss nights from the table above. That variance is why smart operators spend time each week researching game schedules, attendance history, weather forecasts, and competitor positions — or use a service that does it for them.

Now that you understand the revenue math, the practical question is: how do you consistently find the high-quality spots before your competitors do?

Our companion guide covers exactly that — game-card reading, Texas parking permit basics, weather as a revenue variable, arrival timing, and the best metro markets by opportunity density: