The exact amount food truck employees make per hour often depends on numerous factors. However, food truck employees in the United States on average make around $16.77 an hour.
Note that the industry also includes high earners who can make around $23.32 per hour as well as those who make as low as $11.30 per hour. Howbeit, the reports note that a good percentage of food truck employees in the United States currently make around $14.42 to $19.23 per hour.
For an employee, competitive wages mean that what they earn from a potential employer is substantial enough considering their qualifications and the industry.
It is left for the employer to find this balance by researching similar jobs in the area and making adjustments by offering employees the same pay rate, and for higher-level employees, leverage market comparisons as their starting point.
Recruiting and training employees can prove to be quite tasking and costly for a food truck. Owing to that, it is imperative you focus on retention when hiring employees.
Employee retention can increase if an employee is hired at the low end of the pay scale but their pay increases after 90 days, six months, and a year. Nevertheless, note that anything a food truck employee is paid will factor as both a business expense and a business investment.
Factors That Determine How Much Food Truck Employees Make Per Hour
Just as was noted above, the exact amount food truck employees in the United States make per hour will depend on numerous factors. Those factors include:
1. Location
There are a whole lot of reasons or justifications why the exact location of the food truck will have a say when it comes to how much employees will earn per hour. Wages tend to vary from one city to another especially when you take into consideration the cost of living as well as the demand for food trucks.
2. Experience
Ideally, more experience has been proven to result in higher pay, and when it comes to running a food truck business, experienced employees will most definitely want higher hourly wages.
3. Type of Food Truck
No two food trucks are ever the same especially when you take into account their menu, branding, and every other thing that sets businesses apart in the industry. Owing to that, the exact type of cuisine and reputation of the food truck will determine the exact amount the food truck makes sales and, in turn, employee earnings.
4. Tips
Food truck employees are known to earn tips from patrons and this goes a long way to supplement their wages.
5. Employee Roles
There are a wide range of positions within a food truck, such as cooks, servers, or managers, and this will most definitely determine what each employee makes. Please note that each role will have specific duties, so do not expect the manager to earn the same hourly wages as a server.
6. Employer Policies
People tend to run or operate their businesses differently. While the primary intention is to attain success by offering classic services to clients and making both patrons and employees happy, you have to understand that the route can really differ.
Owing to that, you will find food truck owners who are willing to offer benefits such as health insurance or retirement plans, and this will in one way or another affect overall compensation.
7. Seasonality
Anyone familiar with food trucks would say that up north where the weather turns cold in winter, a good number of trucks tend to stay close. From around November to April, food trucks are basically redundant. Even those who stay open do not make that much. Owing to that, note that employee earnings can also vary based on the time of year.
8. Local Regulations
You have to understand that there are federal, state, and local employment laws, and all these will impact employee wages.
Some states have also put in place additional laws that apply to employers operating in that state, including laws covering the payment of wages, the treatment of employees, and the process of hiring and firing employees. Aside from that, local regulations also impact operating costs, and this will most definitely impact employee wages.
9. Market Competition
Most often, employers research similar jobs in the area and make adjustments by offering their own employees similar pay rates, and for higher-level employees, leverage market comparisons as their starting point.