How Much Does a Catering Trailer Cost in the UK?

One of the questions we get asked most often at Kio Pod is:

“How much does a catering trailer cost?”

The honest answer is that it depends on what you actually need.

The price of a catering trailer can vary considerably depending on its size, the equipment inside it, the layout, gas and electrical requirements, refrigeration, extraction and the overall finish.

A small, simple serving unit is very different from a fully equipped catering trailer designed to cope with high-volume events. That's why we think it's more useful to understand what affects the price rather than simply putting a headline figure on a trailer that might be completely wrong for your business.

Size matters – but bigger isn't always better

Naturally, the size of your catering trailer will affect the price. A larger trailer requires more materials and generally takes longer to build.

But bigger isn't necessarily better.

A well-designed smaller trailer can sometimes work far better than a larger unit with a poor layout. You're also potentially towing around additional size and weight that you don't actually need.

Before deciding on the size, think about what you're selling, how many people will normally work inside and how much equipment and storage you genuinely need.

Getting those things right first makes choosing the right size much easier.

What affects the price of a catering trailer?

There are quite a few things that can influence the final cost of a build, including:

• Size of the trailer
• Cooking equipment – griddles, fryers, ovens, ranges and other commercial equipment
• Refrigeration – under-counter fridges, upright fridges, freezers and display refrigeration
• Gas installation
• Electrical requirements and power supply
• Extraction and ventilation
• Hot and cold water systems and sinks
• Stainless steel worktops, counters and storage
• Flooring and internal wall finishes
• Serving hatches, doors and access
• External signs, lighting and canopies
• How bespoke you want the finished trailer to be

This is why two catering trailers that are exactly the same size can have completely different prices.

The cheapest equipment isn't always the cheapest option

This is something we've learned through years of actually working in the mobile catering industry ourselves.

When you're putting together a new catering business, it's very tempting to save money by buying the cheapest equipment you can find.

Sometimes that's absolutely fine.

But sometimes buying cheap means buying twice.

There's also no point automatically buying the most expensive equipment available. What matters is buying the right equipment for the job.

Mobile catering can be demanding on commercial equipment. A fridge might be opened constantly throughout a busy service. A griddle or fryer might be working flat out for hours. Equipment can be operating inside a hot trailer in the middle of summer while you're trying to serve a queue of customers as quickly as possible.

That's very different from equipment that's only being used occasionally.

If a piece of equipment can't keep up when you're busy, the saving you made when you bought it can quickly disappear – particularly if it lets you down in the middle of an event.

Because we've worked in mobile catering ourselves, we've got experience of what works, what doesn't and where it's worth spending a little more.

Equally, we'll tell you when we don't think you need to spend the extra money.

Our aim isn't to fill a trailer with the most expensive equipment we can find. It's to help specify reliable equipment that's suitable for the job, represents good value and can cope with the way you intend to use it.

Sometimes spending a little more at the beginning really can save you from spending the money twice.

Your menu should help determine your trailer

One of the first questions we'll normally ask is:

What are you actually going to sell?

That might sound obvious, but your menu has a huge influence on how your trailer should be designed.

Someone selling burgers and chips at large events will need a completely different setup from someone serving coffee and cakes. Pizza, jacket potatoes, ice cream, breakfast food and street food all have their own requirements.

Once we understand the menu, we can start looking at what equipment you need, how it needs to be powered, what refrigeration and storage you require and how everything should be positioned.

In other words, start with the business and design the trailer around it – not the other way around.

A good layout can be worth more than extra space

Layout is something that's easy to underestimate when you're buying a catering trailer.

When you're standing in an empty unit, an extra cupboard or a fridge being a few feet away doesn't seem particularly important.

It becomes very important when you've got a queue of customers.

Where does the food preparation happen? Where are orders taken? Can you reach the fridge without walking past somebody who's cooking? Can two or three people work comfortably without constantly getting in each other's way?

These aren't particularly glamorous questions, but they're the things you'll notice every single day once you start trading.

We've worked in mobile catering ourselves, and that experience has a big influence on how we design our units.

A catering trailer needs to work well, not just look good.

New, used or refurbished?

Buying brand new isn't your only option.

A good used catering trailer can be a sensible way into the industry, particularly if the existing layout and equipment already suit what you're planning to do.

Refurbishment can also be a very good option. At Kio Pod, we regularly take existing catering trailers and units and give them a new lease of life.

However, it's important to look beyond the initial purchase price.

A cheap used trailer can quickly stop being cheap if you then need to replace the equipment, alter the gas installation, upgrade the electrics, change the water system, rebuild the counters and completely redesign the interior.

You're also effectively buying somebody else's layout – and what worked perfectly for their business might not work for yours.

So when comparing new, used and refurbished units, look at the total cost of getting the trailer ready to trade, rather than just the price on the advert.

Start with your business, not your budget alone

Budget obviously matters, and we're always happy to work with customers to find the best way of spending it.

But we'd recommend starting with a few basic questions:

What are you selling?

Where are you planning to trade?

How many people will work inside the trailer?

What equipment do you genuinely need?

What sort of volume are you expecting to serve?

And what is your realistic overall budget?

Once we know those things, we can give you a much better idea of what's achievable and where your money is best spent.

There may be areas where it's worth spending a little extra and others where we can save you money without affecting how the trailer performs.

Built by people who understand mobile catering

Kio Pod isn't just about building trailers.

Our background is in the mobile catering industry, and that experience goes into the units we build today.

We understand what it's like when you're in the middle of a busy service. We understand why seemingly small details such as where a fridge door opens, where your preparation space is or how easily you can reach a piece of equipment can make a huge difference.

And we understand that ultimately your catering trailer is there to make you money.

It needs to look good, but more importantly, it needs to be practical, reliable and designed around the way you're actually going to use it.

So, how much should you budget for a catering trailer?

There's no single figure that will give everyone a useful answer.

You'll see catering trailers advertised at all sorts of prices, from basic second-hand units through to completely bespoke new builds.

The important thing is to compare like with like.

Look carefully at what's included in the price. Consider the quality and suitability of the equipment, the gas and electrical specification, refrigeration, water system, extraction, internal finish and whether the layout actually suits your business.

A lower initial price doesn't necessarily mean a lower overall cost.

Likewise, spending more doesn't automatically mean you're getting a better trailer.

The right catering trailer is the one that's properly designed and equipped for the business you're going to run from it.

Talk to Kio Pod about your catering trailer

You don't need to come to us with a finished drawing or a complete equipment list.

Tell us what you're planning to sell, where you're hoping to trade, how you expect to use the trailer and roughly what budget you're working with.

We can talk through the options, help you decide what you genuinely need and advise you on where your money is best spent.

And if we don't think something is worth spending extra money on, we'll tell you that too.

If you're considering a new catering trailer, refurbishment or bespoke mobile catering unit, give Kio Pod a call on 01763 788773 or get in touch through kiopod.co.uk.