Catering trailer: how to choose, fit out and buy one
Burgers, chips, sandwiches: let your menu choose your catering trailer. Equipment, size, licence, the Irish rules and what to check before you buy.
Romain BarreauFounder of Food Truck Store · 5 min readA catering trailer is a fast food kitchen on wheels: burgers, chips and sandwiches, served through the hatch. Whether you call it a food trailer, a fast food trailer or a snack trailer, the question is the same: which one should you buy for your menu? Here is the guide, item by item, with the checks to make before you sign.
Let your menu choose the trailer.
Choose a catering trailer as you would a kitchen, not a car: what you serve decides the equipment, and then the size. All four of our layouts share the same base: a fibreglass shell, stainless steel worktops, an automatic sink and a European Certificate of Conformity. The appliances, such as a griddle, fryer or panini press, are yours to choose and bring.
- Burgers, chips, grillsThe Chef+: extraction hood, cooking top set below the counter, double-door fridge.
- Cold sandwiches, saladsThe Essentiel: worktops, a double sink and two spaces for your own fridges (not supplied).
- Coffee and drinksThe Barista: serving counter, bottle fridge and room for your coffee machine or beer tap.
- Ice creamThe Frost: a 7-tub ice cream display facing the customer, plus a scoop rinser.
If you cook, you need a hood.
In Ireland, the FSAI asks for a canopy over any appliance in a food van or trailer that gives off heat and steam, and mechanical extraction to the outside, with grease filters, may be needed (FSAI, Guidance Note 16, 5.2). On the Chef+, the hood is 130 cm long in the AIR 220 and 180 cm in the BOLD 270, above a cooking top set below the counter.
The cooking area, under the hood.
Refrigeration, water, power and gas.
For a mobile kitchen, EU rules call for enough drinking water, facilities for washing and drying hands, and the means to keep food at the right temperature and monitor it (Regulation (EC) 852/2004, annex II, chapter III). In Ireland, the FSAI adds a power supply suited to the site, either a generator or a mains hook-up, placed where it cannot contaminate food (Guidance Note 16, 4.3.2). Gas must be installed and inspected by a qualified professional in your country: in Ireland, non-domestic gas work is reserved for Registered Gas Installers from 1 September 2026 (CRU).
- Fridges
On the Chef+, a 150 cm double-door fridge in the AIR 220, and a 200 cm three-door one in the BOLD 270.
- Water
An automatic sink and a double sink on all four layouts, with an optional hot-water hand basin.
- Electricity
Wired for 230 V, with two power inlets for two circuits: both must be connected, so check what your pitches supply.
- Gas
The gas bottle box is optional on every model; a qualified professional in your country does the installation and inspection.
AIR 220 or BOLD 270: choosing the size.
The format depends on your team and your sales volume, not your menu. The AIR 220 suits markets, events and a first food truck; the BOLD 270 suits daily trading at high volumes. Compare them side by side on our comparison page, and find every measurement in our guide to food truck dimensions.
- 220 cmbody on the AIR 220, for 1 or 2 people serving
- 270 cmbody on the BOLD 270, for 2 or 3 people serving
- 203 cmwide and 262 cm high, for both formats
Licence, papers and trading in Ireland.
A category B licence lets you tow a trailer of up to 750 kg, or a heavier one as long as car and trailer together come to no more than 3,500 kg (Directive 2006/126/EC, art. 4(4)); in Ireland, a trailer of up to 3,500 kg is not registered and carries a plate with the towing car’s number (RSA). To trade on the street, you apply to the local authority for a casual trading licence at least 30 days in advance (Casual Trading Act 1995), and you notify the HSE of your food stall before you start (Guidance Note 16, 2.2). Since 1 July 2026, hot takeaway food has been at the second reduced VAT rate of 9% and soft drinks at 23%, with a meal deal including a soft drink split between the two (Revenue, current VAT rates, Tax and Duty Manual).
- The driving licenceCategory B for the AIR 220; for the BOLD 270, it depends on your car.
- The plateNo registration up to 3,500 kg, but a plate with the towing car’s number.
- The trading licenceA casual trading licence from the local authority, for the street and designated areas.
- The HSENotify your food stall before you start; the HSE then registers it in writing.
New or second hand.
A second hand catering trailer can be a good deal if its papers and certificates come with it: check the plate and certificate of conformity, the gas and electrical installations, the hood, the stainless steel, the chassis and the axle, as our guide to second hand food trucks explains. New, prices start at €11,500 excl. VAT for the Essentiel and €13,495 excl. VAT for the Chef+, both as an AIR 220.
The right tool, not the biggest.
You find out what a catering trailer is worth at the first rush: a hood that draws well, fridges within reach, a place for every movement. Choose the layout to suit your menu and the format to suit your team, find yours with the Academy quiz, and browse our food truck trailers.
The finished product, ready to leave the hatch.
Your questions answered.
Got another question? Just ask us ›Category B is enough for a 750 kg trailer like our AIR 220, if your car is rated to tow it. Above 750 kg, it still applies if car and trailer together come to no more than 3,500 kg; above that, you need code 96 or a BE licence, depending on your country.
In Ireland, the FSAI asks for a canopy over any appliance in a food van or trailer that gives off heat and steam. The Chef+ comes with one as standard: 130 cm on the AIR 220 and 180 cm on the BOLD 270.
The Chef+, with its hood, its cooking top set below the counter and its double-door fridge. For a cold menu, the Essentiel.
Since 1 July 2026, hot takeaway food and hot tea and coffee have been at 9%, and soft drinks and ice cream at 23%; a meal deal that includes a soft drink is split between the two rates.
At Food Truck Store, from €11,500 excl. VAT for the Essentiel and €13,495 excl. VAT for the Chef+, both as an AIR 220.
Yes: every trailer is delivered with a European Certificate of Conformity. Ask for a quote and you get the price and the delivery date in writing.
By Romain, founder 
