Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started: Mobile Coffee Cart Business Basics
How much does it cost to start a mobile coffee cart business?
Startup costs for a mobile coffee cart typically range from $11,706-$13,462 per our Cold Brew Coffee Cart Equipment List & Startup Budget resource. This depends mainly on whether you buy new or used equipment, choose an espresso setup versus a cold brew setup (this range is for cold brew only), and whether you're building a cart from scratch or buying a turnkey unit. For example, when I started my own Mobile Coffee Business, I already owned a lot of tools, service accessories, and office equipment so while my initial cost projection was $11,706, I ended up spending closer to $9,647 to get a set up that I felt would work for us. Then we had an additional $10,000 of operating capital to get me through the initial events.
At the end of the day, it really depends on what business and products you plan to start with. Costs can be lower than this, or they can be significantly higher if you decide to purchase a fully built out coffee truck or trailer. Our Cold Brew Equipment List & Startup Budget breaks down the full cost of equipment category by category and is a great jumping off point to get started as an events based coffee business.
Do I need a business plan to start a coffee cart business?
Yes! Even a small mobile coffee business benefits from a real business plan, both to think through your concept, costs, and target market before spending money. Additionally, most commissaries, even some large event organizers, and any lender or investor will expect to see one. Our Mobile Coffee Business Plan Writing Guide walks you through building one specifically for a mobile coffee business, with a finished example plan included.
What licenses and permits do I need for a mobile coffee cart?
Requirements vary by state, county, and city, but most mobile coffee businesses need some combination of a business license, a mobile food/beverage vendor permit, a health department permit. If you're required to use a commissary kitchen, you will need to verify that kitchen is permitted and licensed in your state/city/county health department. We also recommend a formal, written agreement with that commissary. Even for a small business, having contracts is very important. Always confirm current requirements with your local health department, since rules differ significantly by location.
Should I start with an espresso cart or a cold brew cart?
It depends on your target market, your comfort with equipment, and your startup budget. Espresso carts generally cost more upfront and require more skill/training to run well, but serve the broadest customer base. Cold brew carts are typically lower-cost and simpler to operate, but offer a narrower menu. We have focused our initial business and business planning resources on operating a Cold Brew Coffee Cart with iced lattes and drinks as the products. This has allowed us to start up at a lower budget as well as design our operations more efficiently. However, the choice is yours and depends on your business model and goals!
How much can a mobile coffee cart business make?
Revenue varies enormously based on your market, event schedule, pricing, and hours worked, so there's no single honest number to give here. In our experience, our average event gross revenue varies between $3,258 and $4,572. We currently run between 1-2 events per week for an average of 1.58. So our average annual gross revenue is $260,794. Being an owner operated business, we run very lean, so our annual profit is about 60% of that at $156,476. That said, we are reinvesting almost all of that back into the business so that we can operate another cart and hire additional labor by the end of our first year.
Everyone’s revenue and results will vary, but we have found that the more consistent you are in showing up for your business and a willingness to work as an owner operator tends to result in more revenue and better margins. These revenue numbers are not prescriptive or a guarantee of your own success, but are illustrative of what we have seen in our own business operations. Our Mobile Coffee Business Financial Projection Worksheet & Guide will help you build realistic revenue and cost projections for your specific market and schedule rather than relying on generic averages.
How long does it take to start a mobile coffee cart business?
Much like revenue, this can vary widely depending on how much time and effort you put into getting your business planned and then execute on that plan. Most people take about 3-6 months from initial concept and planning to their first day of operation, depending on how quickly they secure financing, permits, equipment, and their first booked events. Planning (business plan, financial plan) can move quickly; permitting timelines are usually the longest pole in the tent and vary by jurisdiction. But if you are on top of things both internally as well as getting any additional licensing and permitting, things can move quicker.
Our Digital Products for Business Planning
What products does CoffeeCartStartup.com offer?
We offer a full library of digital planning resources built specifically for mobile coffee and tea businesses:
A Business Plan Writing Workbook, Guide, and Template
A Financial Projection Workbook and Template
An Equipment List & Startup Budget (Cold Brew now and more to come)
A Recipe & Cost of Goods Sold Worksheet
Each sold individually or as the Ultimate Business Planning Bundle. See the full lineup on our Product Details Page.
What's the difference between the Business Planning Guide and the Financial Projection Guide?
The Business Plan Writing Workbook and Guide helps you think through and document your business concept, market, operations, and strategy: the "what and why" of your business.
The Financial Projection Worksheet and Guide is a 5-year financial projection model: the "what it will cost and earn", with its own example and my personal business assumptions. Most people benefit from drafting both for their business plan. Since lenders, investors, and your own planning process typically need both pieces.
Do I need both the Business Plan Guide and the Financial Projection Guide?
We recommend both for your business plan. They're designed to work together, and most people planning a real launch (rather than just exploring the idea) end up needing both to ensure their business and model will be viable and profitable. The Ultimate Business Planning Bundle includes both at a lower combined price than buying them separately.
What's included in the Ultimate Business Planning Bundle?
The Ultimate Business Planning Bundle ($349) includes the
There is also the option 1-hour Strategy Session with Derek is also available for an additional $75 (a $150 value) as well as a review service if you choose to do it yourself but would like a full review from an expert.
Is the Ultimate Business Planning Bundle cheaper than buying everything individually?
Yes. Bought individually, the four products in the bundle would cost $456, over 30% more than the $349 bundle price. The bundle is our most cost-effective option if you know you want the full planning package rather than a single piece. If you are serious about planning and starting your coffee business, you will want all of the business planning resources to help you succeed.
What file formats do the products come in?
Our digital products come in two file formats. PDF’s for all of our business planning and instruction guides and Excel workbooks for our Financial Projections and Equipment Planning templates. So all you need to view them is a computer with Microsoft Office and a web browser of your choice.
Can I customize the templates for my own business?
Yes! Every template is designed to be edited and adapted to your specific business model, concept, market, and numbers rather than used as-is. They're starting frameworks built from real mobile coffee business experience, not one-size-fits-all fill-in-the-blank forms. We also offer customized business planning consulting services for those who would like assistance and done for you business and financial planning. Contact us directly at hello@coffeecartstartup.com to book a free consultation call to get a quote!
How do I access my products after I purchase?
After completing your purchase, you’ll receive an order confirmation followed by a separate email with a link to access the Coffee Cart Startup Community.
Your Coffee Cart Startup Learning Community account is where you’ll find all of the business planning resources included with your purchase, organized in one convenient place so you can access them whenever you need them.
Be sure to save your login information and bookmark the community page for easy access as you work through your business plan.
This will also be where you can access any additional business planning resources you purchase and get updates to products you own as we improve them.
What is your refund policy?
Because our digital products provide immediate access to downloadable resources, all sales are final once access has been delivered.
If you accidentally purchase the same product twice, please contact our support team. We’re happy to review duplicate purchases on a case-by-case basis and help resolve the issue when appropriate.
Consulting Services & Working With Plato Beverage Consulting
Do you offer one-on-one help in addition to the business planning products?
Yes. Alongside the self-serve digital products, Plato Beverage Consulting offers direct consulting services. From a single 1-hour Strategy Session (starting at $150 per hour, or $75 per hour if you purchase one of our digital products) up through full custom business and financial plan development ($2,495 and includes all digital products we offer) for people who want a plan built specifically for their business rather than building it themselves from a template.
See our Consulting Services page for more details.
What's the difference between buying a digital product and hiring you for consulting?
The digital products and guides are self-service. You do the work of building your plan, with a proven framework and real example to follow. Consulting means Derek works with you, builds, reviews, and/or advises on your plan directly. Our consulting services are better fit if you'd rather have expert eyes on your numbers and strategy or don't have the time to build it yourself.
What does a Business Plan Review or Financial Plan Review include?
These are $499 each, and are a middle option between a fully self-serve template and full custom plan development.
In this case, you have already written your business plan or drafted your financial plan yourself. Maybe you used our products as a guide (recommended), or you have done so on your own. Whatever the case, we will meet with you, discuss your business, review your plan(s) in full, provide notes and recommendations for improvements, and meet with you to discuss. From there, it will be up to you to take the recommendations and finalize your plan(s) yourself, or work with us to complete them. If you hire us to review your plan and decide to have us draft or redraft your plan, the $499 review pricing will be put toward the cost of any done for you services.
Example: You hire us to review your business plan for $499. We recommend significant improvements that would require a rewriting. You decide to hire us to write your business plan ($1495), that $499 review goes dollar for dollar directly toward that consulting service.
How much do your full business planning consulting services cost?
Full Business Plan Development is $1,495
Financial Plan Development is $1,495
Business + Financial Plan Development package is $2,495
These are fully custom engagements where Plato Beverage Consulting builds your plan and financial model while working directly with you, rather than you working from a template.
Who is Derek, and why should I trust this advice?
Derek Wasak is the owner of Plato Beverage Consulting and has spent over 17 years in the beverage and events industry. Unlike a lot of generic startup content online, these templates and this advice come from real operating experience; actual costs, actual recipes and margins, and actual day-to-day decisions, not just research.
A Few More Things People Ask
Do I need coffee industry experience to start a mobile coffee cart business?
No you don’t! Many successful mobile coffee cart owners start with no prior coffee or food service experience. What matters most is a solid plan, realistic budget, and willingness to learn the operational and customer-service side. Then showing up every single day to your business. Our planning products are built for first-time owners, not industry veterans.
Can I use these resources if I'm starting a different kind of mobile beverage business, not coffee?
Yes you can! The core planning framework: business planning, financial projections, equipment budgeting, recipe/COGS costing, applies broadly to mobile beverage and event based beverage concepts.
Is a mobile coffee cart a good business to start right now?
For the right person, yes. Mobile coffee carts have a lower barrier to entry than a full café, strong and growing demand at events and high-foot-traffic locations, and a business model that can start small and scale. It's not the right fit for everyone: it requires early mornings, physical work, and comfort with variable, event-driven income, especially in year one.
It is really important to note that, like most businesses, this is not passive. Even if you decide to run this business part time, it takes very real work and consistency to be successful. For those who are willing to put in that work to both plan and operate their business, it can be a very rewarding and profitable business to own and manage!