Opening a food truck, mobile food service
Verified 01 January 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
You want to get into the itinerant catering by opening a food truck. Offer a commercial offer nomad is indeed an interesting solution especially to start an activity! We'll explain step by step the steps to be carried out.
Step-by-step approach
Do you have the right to become a merchant?
You must to be of age and not to have been convicted in court for certain offenses.
Did you anticipate the difficulties?
- Prepare for your future occupation :
- By performing a immersion course in the catering sector
- By following a entrepreneurship education
- The CCI: titleContent offer training after which you get a certification of company skills (CCE)
- If you are a job seeker, France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) offers company preparation training
- Learn about management and accounting
These courses are optional but highly recommended.
- Anticipate:
- Make a financial reserve to deal with unforeseen events
- Get ready for steady rate of work : weekend and evening, overtime
Are you made to build and manage a company?
It is important to think ahead of the project about your assets to manage a company.
You will face sometimes difficult situations and decisions that you will have to make manage alone.
If your business grows, you will need to hire and supervise staff.
Testing and training are available to help you determine if this job is right for you.
You can use the testing prepared by CCI: titleContent France:
Chamber of Commerce and Industry's entrepreneurial test "Character traits"
Chamber of Commerce and Industry entrepreneurial test "Determination and motivation"
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Entrepreneurial Test "Resources and Skills"
These tests accompany your thinking.
They are not definitive answers without alternatives.
It is possible to find other assets in your home.
You will always be able to learn new skills.
Financial aid
If you don't have enough equity to start your company, know that outside financial solutions are available.
Depending on your situation, we help you find the right solution.
You can also consult the national guide to aid to companies.
State aid can be a way to start a business without having a lot of money. We'll get you explains in detail each of these public support measures.
The crowdfunding is now an interesting option.
Finally, if you take back a company, you can receive specific recovery support.
Entrepreneur support in creation
Don't stand alone
- Meet entrepreneurs
- Accompany yourself with business networks
- Getting to fairs and trade shows that are related to your future business.
For know trade fairs which may be of interest to you, you can visit the KIC by Region. They list upcoming events for entrepreneurs: - Be accompanied by the advisors of CCI: titleContent of your department
Take training
You can request different accompanying solutions.
Get closer to the CCI: titleContent from your region.
Each KIC offers a training (3-5 days) to succeed your company creation.
KICs also offer personalized follow-up to your project.
Who shall I contact
You then have to choose the legal form of your company.
It exists 3 choices possible: business individual business, microcompany.
- Business :
Choose to create a business is appropriate if you wish to combine (SAS, SARL). But not only that, because you can also create a business that you'll be a part ofunique associate (SASU and EURL).
Banks may be more supportive if you choose business individual business status over EDI.
The disadvantage may lie in the greater complexity of administrative and accounting procedures. However, in the medium term, this difficulty can be overcome, for example, by hiring an accountant, or by having more experience in managing your company.
The business is a suitable shape if your activity is growing.
- Individual business VID (EI) :
You carry out your activity in your own name and make all the decisions alone that relate to your company. With this status, it is not possible to have a partner.
Steps to create a individual business (EI)) are simple, fast and inexpensive. Indeed, you do not have any articles of association to draft or any share capital to deposit.
Accounting obligations are limited: only the journal, the general ledger and the inventory ledger should be kept up to date.
In case of professional debts, you benefit from a protection on your principal residence. However, you may encounter situations (investors, banks, etc.) that require guarantees on your personal property. You can consult our factsheet on the seizure of the personal assets of the individual contractor.
- Micro-entrepreneur:
The micro-company is synonymous with self-company. This is a individual business (EI) with a simplified tax and social system.
This scheme is intended for individual entrepreneurs with a turnover of less than €188,700. If your business starts to grow and your CA: titleContent annual exceeds this amount, you automatically change the status toIS: titleContent.
This status is characterized by simplicity of administrative procedures. The cost of creation is low. Accounting formalities are restricted. For example, you are not required to provide tax books or publish your annual accounts.
Moreover, this status makes it possible to invoice your products without VAT (exemption from VAT), and therefore to charge lower prices. The flip side of this is the impossibility of deduct VAT on your business purchases, for example on the purchase of equipment.
This status is suitable for beginner entrepreneurs whose activity does not generate a lot of turnover.
Please note
The Urssaf offers a simulator to help you choose the legal status of your company through a personalized financial projection of the social and fiscal costs.
Strategic choice: Adapt your catering offer
The success of your food truck depends on the choice you make for its location.
You must analyze customers that's in the territories you're looking at.
Your offer must match the needs and to behaviour of your future clientele.
You must therefore adapt your restaurant choices to your customers.
The choice of truck by type of catering is wide. You will find rotisserie trucks, pizzeria, creperie, grocery store, Asian cuisine, burgers, etc.
Example :
If you settle your food truck in front of a cinema in an urban area with a strong purchasing power, you will not offer the same catering as in front of a football stadium in the countryside.
Analysis of the territory
You must to analyze the territory economic, social, cultural, etc.
Insee: economic portrait of a territory
You have to do the list of your competitors in the territory and work on needs of your future customers.
Working on the needs of your future clientele: the Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Canevas method
The main options available
You have several possible locations.
They are:
- One fixed place on fixed days and at fixed times
- Multiple locations : for example, a place for noon and another one on evening
- Markets, places with events such as football matches, concerts, etc.
Of course, you can mix the possibilities. However, it is important that you maintain customer loyalty with fixed benchmarks.
Each of these options requires a authorization to settle your food truck in the public space.
But above all, you need to get a itinerant merchant card.
Name and trade name
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Individual contractor (including micro-company)
If you have chosen to practice as an individual entrepreneur (including the micro-company), your company's name will be your surname. This is your company's name.
You will then have to choose a commercial name in parallel that will serve you in all your communications. This trade name refers to your business.
We'll get you explains everything on our page dedicated.
Business
If you have chosen the status of the business, your company's legal name is free. You must choose it with your associates and write it in the statutes. It often reflects the activity being performed.
We'll get you explains everything on our page dedicated.
Domiciliate your company
Before you build your company, you must give it a skill.
If you have a fixed restaurant, you can place your food truck at the same address, such as 2d establishment.
If the food truck is your only place of business, the easiest way to house your company is to choose your personal residence as your administrative address.
However, other possibilities exist (third-location, coworking, business of domicile, etc.) We'll explain all options and conditions in our dedicated content, depending on whether you individual business home a or if you house a business.
At this point, you are in a position to address the mandatory phase which consists in carrying out your market study and building your business plan.
The banks and financial partners will require access to these documents. They need it to accept or not to lend you money and make you confidence.
The business plan should include a summary of your market research.
So you have to start the 2 at the same time.
The business plan evolves as your project matures.
It then enables the management of First 3 years of your business.
We'll get you explains everything in our pages dedicated tomarket study and the business plan.
Registration via the one-stop-shop for formalities
Warning
Since 1er january 2023, it is no longer possible to carry out your procedures in a company Formalities Center (CFE). You must make them on the website of the company formalities office.
You must create personal account. Then you need to click on the column “ Company ” and then click on “File a company”. One interactive online form 8 pages is offered; you must fill it out step by step. A user manual is available on this Single Window website.
Following this declaration, your restaurant is registered and registered on the RNE: titleContent and on SCR: titleContent.
This listing proves its legal existence.
As soon as your application is processed and accepted, you will receive a unique identification number (Siren), a Siret and one Kbis.
We'll explain in detail the formality of registration in our dedicated pages, according to individual business if you wish to register a , a micro-company or a business.
Declaration of activity in the town hall
You must declare your activity and the identity of your restaurant to the town hall where it is located.
This declaration must be made 15 days minimum before opening of your restaurant.
This declaration shall be made in filling out the form next:
You need to take out insurance for your business restaurant owner.
Her name is professional civil liability.
You should ask your regular insurer.
Depending on the characteristics of your restaurant, you can subscribe to different types of insurance.
She's giving you guard, you and your customers.
This is protection against accidents:
- materials (stocks of goods, IT, etc.),
- intangible (operating loss),
- and personal injuries (accident, death).
We'll explain in detail how to insure your company.
Truck or trailer?
You're hesitating between a truck and a trailer.
The truck has the advantage of being ready-to-usei as soon as you stop the engine of your vehicle. The trailer, on the other hand, requires installation at every location where you want to work.
You must indeed know to untie the coupling and to attach the trailer on the ground in a balanced way. It's longer. The trailer is also more difficult to drive.
If the truck falls into purlinSo it's your business that's blocked, whereas with a trailer you're less dependent on outages.
The advantage of a trailer is not to lose value and to be able to be resold easier than a truck. You can thus change offer more often with a trailer, if you feel the need.
Please note
You must register the trailer if its PTAC is greater than 500 kg , which is very often the case given the weight of the equipment.
How much does it cost?
A new truck will cost between €20,000 and €40,000 depending on the type of restaurant.
Example :
A rotisserie truck will cost more with its roasters than a burger truck with a plancha and a deep fryer, and even more than a creperie truck with its crepes. The pizza truck will also be more expensive because of its oven and its high safety standards.
A new trailer will cost between €10,000 and €20,000, depending on the equipment.
Nine or occasion?
Of course, a new purchase is more expensive, especially for a truck.
Even if most professionals are serious, make sure you have all the health and safety compliance certificates.
Warning
In the case of an occasion, you must absolutely verify that the equipment of the truck is up to the safety and hygiene standards. To do this, you must retrieve all certificates. The controls are common and your business may be stopped for non-compliance. The carte grise must be marked VASP: titleContent.
Verification of gas and electricity equipment and installations
Whether you buy new or used, your truck or trailer and its equipment must meet strict standards and numerous safety and hygiene.
He must have a water point.
When cooking, it must have a fume hood evacuation.
You need to make sure you have all the certificates of conformity.
Everything has to be right fixed, waterproof and washable.
Vehicle insurance
Like all motor vehicles, your truck must be insured against theft, accidents. Remember to specify that this is your working tool. As much as subscribe to the insurance of the truck at the same time as the insurance for your activity (professional civil insurance).
Hiring a truck can be a good choice for test your business. The consequences of failure will be less severe than if you go into debt to buy a truck.
This helps you refine your idea and get more out of it change especially for the choice of the type of restaurant.
Driving license
First of all, we must remember what is the PTAC: titleContent. It's not the actual weight of the truck. It shall be entered in the F2 entry of the carte grise of the vehicle.
He determine what driving license you must own.
In the case of a trailer, you need to look at both the trailer's PTAC and the Total PTAC i.e. the addition of the PTACs of towed vehicle + trailer vehicle.
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Truck less than 3.5 t of PTAC
If your food truck has a PTAC: titleContent not exceeding 3.5 tons, on B-permit enough.
Truck more than 3.5t of PTAC
If your food truck has a PTAC: titleContent greater than 3.5 tons, you must own the heavy goods vehicle license. It's one of the C licenses, particularly the C1 license.
Trailer and towed vehicle
Food-truck trailers very often weigh more than 750 kg, so we give you the information corresponding to this criterion.
Trailer + towed vehicle less than 4.25 t
If your coupling meets the following 2 criteria:
- PTAC: titleContent of the trailer greater than 750 kg,
- and maximum permissible mass of the combination, vehicle + trailer, more than 3 500 kg but less than 4 250 kg,
you must have the B-permit and take an internship d'1 day driving school.
On your license, you will get the B96 mark, without examination.
Trailer + towed vehicle exceeding 4.25 t
If your coupling meets the following 2 criteria:
- PTAC: titleContent of the trailer greater than 750 kg,
- and maximum permissible mass of the combination, vehicle + trailer, more than 4 250 kg,
Carte grise specificity VASP-Magasin
Your food truck or food truck trailer must receive theapproval VASP: titleContent : Specially equipped motor vehicle, marked Shop.
Without this, you will not get permission to drive technical inspection.
This type approval guarantee whether your truck or trailer complies with the safety standards for your business.
You need to apply to Dreal :
Who shall I contact
What are your obligations?
You must have the itinerant trading card.
This card allows you to travel outside of the municipality of your business address for service.
You are affected by this obligation whether or not you have a fixed commercial premises and regardless of your status.
If you hire an employee who travels with or without you, he must have a copy of your card.
The card is valid 4 years.
It costs €30.
How do I apply?
You must complete Form 14022.
You must send it (by email, by mail or on site) to the CCI: titleContent for traders, at the CMA: titleContent for craftsmen or craftsmen-traders.
Prior declaration for the exercise of an itinerant commercial or craft activity
Card Renewal
The card is valid for 4 years.
You have to do yourself the application for renewal.
The request is made from1 month before the expiry date from validity until 2 months after this date. If you exceed this time limit, you must reapply.
The waiting time to receive the new card is 15 days.
You must complete form 14022.
You must send it by mail or by post to your CCI: titleContent for merchants, at your CMA: titleContent for craftsmen or craftsmen-traders.
Prior declaration for the exercise of an itinerant commercial or craft activity
Please note
You can request a temporary card during the waiting period. To do this, you must return the old card.
Caution : to make location requests, you must have a unique identification number (Siren), i.e. have already carried out theregistration of your company.
You must also have purchased a professional insurance for your business.
Location on a sidewalk, a public square
You must request a parking permit.
This license is intended for trade whose occupation of public space is without right of way fixed to the ground.
How do I apply?
The file varies according to the municipalities.
You can find the file to download on the website of your city hall (or of your prefecture if your request is located on a major artery of the city).
This is either a form specific to your municipality or the cerfa form n°14023:
Where to send the file?
You must send your complete file to the City Hall (or the prefecture if your request is located on a major street of the city).
You can drop it off on site or send it by mail, preferably by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt.
General case
The request is located on the communal area or a street of the city
The request is located on a national or departmental road or on some major arteries of the city
In Marseille
Who shall I contact
Marseille - Pitches Service
Allows Marseille professionals to make the following requests:
- Location in an open-air market or covered hall
- Authorization to settle a terrace, a display, a sign in front of a shop
- Authorization to settle scaffolding or palisade in the public domain
By mail
33 A rue Montgrand
13006 Marseille
By telephone
+33 4 91 55 15 64 or 04 91 55 22 44
To find out all about parking permit applications, you can consult our dedicated page.
Market location
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Fixed Place
If you want to have a fixed location in a market covered or uncovered, you must apply to the town hall concerned.
You must pay a seat fee through a subscription (annual, quarterly or monthly).
Occasional flying place
If you want a day vacancy (said steering wheel seat or passenger seat), you must make the request to the Food Processor.
You pay then a royalty per busy day.
According to the conditions detailed in the communal regulation, the allocation of vacant space can be carried out by drawing lots or by order of arrival, after entry on a waiting list.
In the interests of equality before public services, it is forbidden to reserve locations for local resident traders.
For all the information on rights of place on markets, you can consult our dedicated page.
Location in a festival, fair, event
You must request a location from the event organizer.
You can also inquire at the relevant city hall.
You'll pay a royalty to the organizer.
Compulsory food hygiene training in commercial catering
Who is involved?
Training in food hygiene rules is obligatory in commercial food outlets, including food trucks and vans, including sale in markets.
All it takes isonly one of the people the institution or company has completed the training.
Most diplomas in the cooking and catering sector automatically includes this training.
This training is optional for a professional who can justify at least 3 years of activity in the food sector as a manager or operator.
Warning
This training must not be confused with HACCP training, which is covered by the European regulations known as the hygiene package.
How's it going?
Training lasts 14 hours minimum.
Its cost varies between €200 and €500 (according to market prices).
There is no expiry date for this training or a requirement for renewal.
Where to find a training organization?
It is issued by an organization approved by the Ministry of Agriculture.
A list of training organizations registered in a region can be found on the Regional Directorate for Food, Agriculture and Forestry :
Who shall I contact
You can also find the list of organizations providing this training in your region on the agricultural education professionals website, chlorofil.fr.
Good Hygiene Practice Guides (GBPH), HACCP training and the “Hygiene Package”
Persons handling food must be supervised and provided with food hygiene instructions and/or training appropriate to their professional activity.
This training is often called HACCP training.
This obligation is established by the European regulation on food hygiene known as the "hygiene package".
It is aimed at the entire agri-food sector.
The name HACCP means in English Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. It is a method of preventing and identifying hazards related to food hygiene practices.
Any person handling food must have received such training.
HACCP training may be provided either by a training organization or by the institution itself.
It shall not be subject to any requirement as to content or duration.
FYI
A company may itself organize training in good hygiene practices for its employees (through the dissemination of instructions, exchanges of practices, etc.). The use of an external service provider is not mandatory.
France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) can help you find a service provider who does this training:
Declaration on the handling of foodstuffs of animal origin
You have to make a statement for all manipulative activity of foodstuffs of animal originand intended for consumers.
It must be sent to the departmental directorate responsible for the protection of populations (DDPP).
It has to be done front theopening of the establishment.
This statement shall be obligatory to enable the DDPP's Hygiene and Food Safety department to schedule health monitoring visits.
Online declaration of food of animal origin
FYI
To know everything about hygiene rules in the restaurant, we invite you to consult our page on the subject.
The sale of alcohol by plus of 18 degrees is forbidden, regardless of the time and place of opening of the food-truck. These are strong alcohols (rum, vodka, whisky, etc.).
You can sell beverages with a degree of below 18 degrees.
This is mainly the wine, of the beer and the cider.
The obligations are not the same according to thehour to which you sell these drinks.
Sale of alcohol before 10pm
If you sell alcohol below 18 degrees before 10 pm, a statement prior is sufficient.
You must send the return to the town hall the place where your company is domiciled, or prefecture whether it is located in Paris or in Alsace-Moselle.
The declaration must be sent at least 15 days before opening of the establishment.
Sale of alcohol between 10pm and 8am
You must obtain a " small sales license take away.”
To do this, you must take training.
It takes place in a approved training. It must be done in person.
It lasts about 20 hours (2.5 days).
If you complete the training, you will receive a operating permit, or license to sell alcoholic beverages at night: this is the PVBAN: titleContent.
This license is valid for 10 years.
It is renewable by performing a new 6-hour training.
There are many display rules.
The main ones concern beverages, alcohol, protection of minors, the prices of your products, their origin.
You must display your license operating (sale of take-away alcohol).
Ouvrir l’image dans une nouvelle fenêtre
It is a wall poster of size A4 (21 x 29.7 cm), on a white background. In the center at the top is the logo of the Marianne, blue, white, red.
Below are several excerpts from articles of law, originating from the Public Health Code, concerning the repression of public drunkenness and the protection of minors from the sale of alcohol.
In particular: "It is forbidden to sell alcohol to minors under 18 years of age."
The following is added: "It is forbidden to be drunk in public places".
"The operator of a drinking establishment shall be prohibited from giving drinks to manifestly drunk persons or from receiving them in his establishment".
You must display the regulations on the suppression of public drunkenness and the protection of minors (prohibition on the sale of alcohol to persons under 18).
FYI
You must not sell or offer free alcohol to a minor.
If you do, you risk a fine of €7,500 and a 1-year license ban.
You must present a display of soft drinks listings. At least 10 different copies must be visible by customers.
You must specify the country d'origin of all meat (poultry, beef, pork, mutton) on the menu or as a poster, for any type of meat dish or meat preparation.
This must be indicated by one of the following:
- Either Origin: (name of country) where birth, rearing and slaughter have taken place in the same country.
- Either Born and raised : (name of country(ies)) and Shot Down : (name of country) where birth, rearing and slaughter took place in different countries.
This obligation does not apply to meat purchased already cooked for resale.
Failure to comply with these postings may result in a fine of €1,500 for a natural person or €7,500 for a legal person.
Please note
To know everything on restaurant display requirements , we invite you to read our page on the subject.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
Mobile merchant card obligation and prior declaration of activity
Obligations of street traders and craftsmen, including terms and conditions for applying for a street trader card: R123-208-2; renewal: R123-208-4
Training for sale alcohol in take-away shop after 10pm
Categories of driving licenses
Compulsory food hygiene training
Traineeship followed by trailer and towing vehicle PTAC less than 4.25 t
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