Prices for a food trailer for sale range from about $15,000 for a compact used unit to $120,000 or more for a fully custom build, with most first-time buyers spending $20,000 to $60,000. The right size is usually 12 to 20 feet, and it depends on your menu, your equipment list, and how many cooks work the line at once.
Buying a food trailer is a real capital decision, not a browse. Two things drive almost every choice: the size that fits your menu and the money you have to put in. Get those right and the rest — layout, equipment, permits — falls into place around them.
Here is the short version of how the options compare before you dig into the details below.
| Path | Typical price | Best for | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Used trailer | ~$15,000–$35,000 | Tight budget, willing to inspect and fix | Hidden wear; layout you did not choose |
| New stock build | ~$25,000–$50,000 | Ready-to-run without a long wait | Limited say over the floor plan |
| Custom build | ~$40,000–$120,000+ | A specific menu and long-term use | Higher cost; you wait for the build |
Worth reading alongside this: a closer look at what a custom concession trailer costs, and how new, used, and custom-built food trucks stack up if you are still weighing a truck against a trailer.
Price ranges above are industry-typical figures from market research, not Eastcoast Concessions pricing. Eastcoast Concessions publishes a $495 Virtual Blueprint design fee, credited toward a 25% deposit due at order to start a build; the rest depends on the exact spec you choose. Ready to shape yours? Build & Price Your Trailer.
For current base prices by model and in-stock units, see food and concession trailers for sale.
Size is the first decision because it caps everything else — how much equipment fits, how many people can work, and how much you tow. Builders group trailers into rough classes by length. A common industry breakdown looks like this:
| Class | Length | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Compact | 6–14 ft | Coffee, shaved ice, one-product menus, tight events |
| Standard | 16–20 ft | Most single-concept kitchens: burgers, tacos, BBQ |
| Large | 22–28 ft | Multi-station menus and higher volume |
| Extra large | 30 ft and up | Full mobile kitchens, goosenecks, multi-cook lines |
Most first-time operators land in the standard range. A 16-foot trailer typically holds a cooking line — a flat-top griddle, a fryer or two, a refrigerated base, and a run of prep counter — with room for one cook and a second person at the window. Go compact and you trade menu range for lower cost and easier towing. Go large and you gain stations and speed, but you also need a bigger tow vehicle, more power, and often a commercial parking spot.
Width is usually fixed. Most trailers are 7 feet or 8 feet 6 inches wide; the extra 18 inches of an 8.6-foot body is the difference between squeezing past your cook and walking past them. If two people will work inside, the wider body is worth it.
There is no single price, because a food trailer is priced like a house — by size, finish, and what you put inside it. As a market guide, three tiers cover most of what you will see listed:
Those are industry-typical ranges, not Eastcoast Concessions figures. For a closer look at how the numbers move on a made-to-order unit, read our breakdown of how much a custom concession trailer costs. If you are still weighing a trailer against a truck, see how a food trailer compares to a food truck on price and upkeep.
This is the fork that decides your budget and your timeline.
Used is the cheapest entry and the fastest, but you inherit someone else's decisions and their wear. Photos hide a lot: a tired generator, a griddle near the end of its life, a floor that fails an inspection, a layout built for a menu that is not yours. If you buy used, inspect in person or pay someone who knows trailers to do it, and price in the repairs you find.
New stock builds are already made and ready to run. You skip the wait and get equipment with life left in it, but you take the floor plan the builder chose.
Custom is the most money and the only path where the trailer is built around your menu instead of the other way around. You choose the equipment, the layout, and the finish. The tradeoff is time — a build takes weeks, sometimes longer, so it suits operators who are planning ahead rather than opening next week. Ask any builder for their current lead time before you commit.
Two trailers the same length can differ by tens of thousands of dollars. Here is where the money goes:
When you compare two listings, compare what is inside them, not just the sticker. The cheaper trailer is sometimes the one missing the $8,000 of equipment you will have to add anyway.
A food trailer is a mobile kitchen, and it has to satisfy the same kinds of rules a building kitchen does — just enforced locally. That last part matters: health and fire requirements are set by your county or city, so a trailer that passes in one place can need changes in another. New Jersey's NJDOH and New York City's DOHMH, for example, each have their own mobile-vendor requirements. Confirm the code where you will operate before you buy, not after.
What inspectors generally look for is NSF-compliant equipment — stainless, cleanable surfaces, the right sink setup, and safe hot and cold holding. NSF-compliant means the equipment meets the recognized sanitation standard; it is the baseline most health departments expect in a mobile kitchen. Beyond the equipment, plan for a fire-suppression system over the cook line, a permitted electrical and gas setup, and your local vendor and health permits. None of this is optional, and building it in from the start is far cheaper than retrofitting a trailer that was not built for it.
Work in this order and the decision gets simple:
If a custom build fits your plan, Eastcoast Concessions builds trailers to order and lets you spec yours step by step, starting with a $495 Virtual Blueprint design fee, credited toward a 25% deposit due at order.
Industry-typical prices run from about $15,000 for a compact or used trailer to $120,000 or more for a fully custom build. Most first-time buyers spend $20,000 to $60,000 for a new or lightly customized unit. The final number depends on size, equipment, and finish, so price the exact build rather than a range.
Most single-concept kitchens fit a 16- to 20-foot trailer, which holds a full cooking line and one to two cooks. Choose a compact 8- to 14-foot unit for a simple or single-product menu, and a 22-foot-plus trailer only if you need multiple stations or high volume. Let your menu set the size.
Used saves money and time but carries hidden wear and a layout you did not choose, so inspect it carefully. New stock skips the wait with fresher equipment. Custom costs the most and takes longest, but builds the trailer around your menu. Match the path to your budget and how specific your menu is.
A typical build includes a cooking line — often a flat-top griddle, fryer, and refrigeration — plus a three-compartment sink, a handwash sink, fresh and gray water tanks, and a ventilation hood. Higher-volume trailers add ranges, char-broilers, and more cold storage. Equipment should be NSF-compliant to satisfy most health departments.
Yes. You generally need a health department permit, a fire inspection, and a local vendor or business license, and the exact requirements are set by your county or city. Because rules vary by location, confirm the code where you plan to operate before you buy so your trailer can legally open there.