Concession trailers are popping up all over as today’s intrepid chefs find they can ditch the brick and mortar to bring their succulent creations right where the large, hungry crowds are. A concession trailer gives you the ability to choose the best location with the ability to change as demand dictates. In today’s spotlight series, we’ll cover all the important information you need to know to make your dream of owning a concession trailer a reality.

Questions Every Concessions Trailer Owner Should Consider

How much does a concession trailer cost?

Let’s cut right to the chase, most everybody has price front and center in their minds as they browse their options. You know the price point you are most comfortable at for you and your concession business. Rather than push, we’ll work with you to build out the perfect food truck trailer package to meet, or even beat, your budget. With different specials running each month, be sure to check in often to see if you can snag the perfect trailer at a reduced price. Remember, your concession trailer is a business investment, so make sure it produces the best return on that investment as possible. 

Considering the trailer’s price, the anticipated costs, and projecting profits can at least help give you a ballpark financial picture of the new venture. Cheaper isn’t always better. A cheaply made trailer can prove to be far more expensive in the long run to maintain. With Renown’s trailers, you get rock-solid trailer options made for the unique demands of food service and built upon our reputation of integrity. When you need help years down the line, we commit to standing beside you and the trailer you purchased from us.

How much does a concession trailer weigh?

The next most scrutinized item on your concession trailer buying to-do list has to do with the trailer’s weight. Within a food truck and concessions trailer, you will need all manner of different kitchen equipment in order to prepare food and serve your hungry customers. Triple basin wash sinks, fridges, prep counters, stoves, fryers, fire suppression hoods, etc. all will be vying for a spot and all contribute towards the maximum weight load your trailer and your vehicle can safely manage. 

There are two numbers here you should be keenly aware of: 

• First, is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). This number is the maximum amount of weight that your vehicle can safely carry. Specified by your vehicle’s manufacturer, this number incorporates everything within your fully loaded tow vehicle including passengers and gas, as well as the vehicle’s components. You’ll need this number along with our next figure every trailer owner should know. 

• Easily confused with GVWR, the Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) is the total combined weight of your vehicle’s max weight plus your trailer’s max weight. This is the absolute maximum that your vehicle can safely tow so it should be a pretty important aspect of your concession trailer design. Add up all the weight of your food truck trailer’s necessary kitchen equipment and make sure this stays under the payload capacity of the trailer. Then, add up all the weight within your vehicle combining the curb weight and the vehicle’s own payload capacity. This gives you the GVWR. If the GVWR plus the payload capacity of the trailer stay below your GCWR, you’re golden.

Other measures you’ll need to keep in mind include your trailer’s payload capacity, which is the max weight it can safely carry. Checking your trailer’s weight is easy – click here for all things enclosed trailer weights and measurements.

What’s the best way to finance a concession trailer?

Picking out the perfect concessions trailer is only half the battle and many dread the financing portion of the purchasing process. We understand this can be an uncomfortable juncture, especially for those that might have a few mishaps represented on their credit score. That’s why we worked hard to develop a seamless and pain-free financing process. Partnering with trailer-financing names like Rock Solid Funding, we are able to help secure our customers financing even when credit scores and histories are somewhat less than perfect. When working with a financing company like Rock Solid, there’s a few important considerations to help you get the best rate and improve your chances of approval. 

1. Select Your Financing Type: for a concessions trailer, it is most likely that you are seeking commercial financing for this business asset; however, perhaps you are using this trailer to compete in cooking contests and therefore consumer financing is more appropriate. In any case, consider and be honest with yourself as to how you plan on employing this trailer. Remember, consumer financing is tied to your personal debt so be careful about what all you finance.

1. Increase Your Approval Odds: first and foremost, pull up your credit score. Free services like Credit Karma let you check your score without affecting your rate like formally pulling your credit does. If you see something on your report that doesn’t quite add up, you can dispute it with the credit reporting bureaus. In some cases, you can get the event wiped off your report and boost your score. Other tactics to help your credit score include keeping low balances on your credit cards, being sure not to miss any payments, and maintaining a budget to keep yourself on track. When your credit is a real issue, you can consider using a cosigner to boost your credit worthiness and more than likely will get a better loan rate and terms. 

Financing can seem daunting but we’re here to help the process go as smoothly as possible so you can be driving off with your new concession trailer sooner. By working with a professional financing company, you get to understand the whole picture before you commit to anything. The loan specialist will look at your unique situation and discuss your future plans to help you select the best terms and rates available. 

Looking at Custom Concession Trailer Options

Concession trailers are great because they are so versatile. With so many different options for concessions trailers, it is virtually impossible to not find the perfect setup for your new mobile kitchen. Both internally and externally you can add design elements that help with aesthetics, functionality, and durability. 

We’ve helped many different business owners launch their culinary dream with mobile concession trailers that each required custom configurations. With all this knowledge, we have developed some pretty cool concepts. For example, we can add an extended tongue to add space for external fuel racks to be mounted to the front of the trailer – freeing up the rear and sides for window space, covered eating/cooking areas, etc. 

Other custom options to consider for concession trailers includes:

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• Adding height: make sure tall cooking equipment fits easily and you’re not stopping inside your mobile kitchen.

• Using .030/semi-screwless exterior: this reduces the appearance of waves, smooths the surface, and really improves the exterior aesthetics of your concession trailer.

• Adding bigger axles: increase the amount of equipment, food stock, and other vital gear that your trailer can safely transport wherever hungry crowds gather.

• Custom rims: create a sleek, bad-to-the-bones look with an array of different options for rims. A very popular concession trailer style is ‘blacked out’, incorporating a black body with blacked out rims – all in all a very tight look!

• Stabilizer jacks – make sure your operation is on the level and stays that way with the addition of stabilizer jacks.

• Electrical upgrades – usually employing the many different kitchen apparti – like ovens, stoves, friars, refrigerators, and more – will require some solid electrical upgrades. Working with a custom concession trailer sales associate, we’ll get to know your individual electrical requirements and can help you design the perfect setup to meet your needs. 

In the end, the sky really is the limit. We can help you build out the perfect BBQ competition trailer or can work with you to design a mobile shaved ice food truck trailer that blows up in popularity this summer. Contact our team today to discuss your options for custom concession trailers.

Why buy a concession trailer from Renown?

We absolutely understand you have many choices out there when it comes to concession trailers. Shoot, just Googling ‘custom concession trailers’ lends thousands of results. So what makes us any different? When you purchase a concession trailer from Renown instead of one of the many other competitors out there, you get unrivaled service before, during, and after the sale because we are a team of integrity and will never waver in that commitment just to make a sale. We believe in doing right, giving back, and giving thanks to Him that has blessed us with the opportunity to serve. This culture permeates from our top leadership right on down to our most junior team members and translates into treating customers simply as we would want someone to treat us and our own families. Ready to experience a completely different trailer buying experience? Contact our experienced team today.