Dessert food truck: crepes, waffles or ice cream?
Crepes, waffles or ice cream: what each sweet concept needs in power, refrigeration, season, pitches and VAT, and which trailer goes with it.
Romain BarreauFounder of Food Truck Store · 5 min readA dessert food truck means crepes at a Christmas market, waffles outside the school gates or ice cream on a summer evening. The three are close cousins, but each has its own kit, its own season and its own trailer. Here is what each one needs, and how to combine them to make your season last longer.
Three sweets, three sets of kit.
Crepes and waffles are cooked to order in front of the customer; ice cream is served from a display freezer, as our guide to the ice cream trailer explains. Each needs its own equipment.
- CrepesA simple batter, crepe makers and chilled toppings; eaten on the go, folded into a cone.
- WafflesWaffle irons, chilled batter and toppings; they sit well alongside crepes on the same menu.
- Ice creamTubs in a display facing the customer, a freezer for stock and a scoop rinser, or soft serve from a machine.
- Other sweetsCookies, pastries, milkshakes: made ahead or at the counter, alongside coffee or ice cream.
Cooking with electric appliances.
Electric crepe makers and waffle irons sit on the stainless steel worktops of the Essentiel, and you choose them to suit your menu. Add up their power ratings and compare the total with what your pitch can supply, with both inlets plugged in. The gas bottle box is an option on every model, and if you add savoury grills, the Chef+ comes with its extractor hood.
Toppings and drinks, made to order.
Keep the cold chain unbroken.
Cream, batters and toppings must be kept cold, and each country sets its own temperatures. In Ireland, food at risk of rapid microbial growth must be kept at 5 °C or below, and a freezer unit that can reach -18 °C is required wherever frozen food such as ice cream is sold (FSAI guidance note 16, section 4.3.9); in Norway, perishable chilled food must stay below 4 °C (Mattilsynet).
- 5 °Cor below in Ireland, for food at risk of rapid microbial growth
- -18 °Cfor a freezer unit in Ireland, where frozen food is sold
- 7 tubsin the Frost’s display freezer, facing the customer ›
Pitches for sweets, season by season.
Ice cream in summer, crepes, waffles and hot drinks in winter: plan the space, refrigeration and power for both seasons from day one. On public land, you need permission from the local authority, such as a casual trading licence in Ireland, applied for at least 30 days before you start (Casual Trading Act 1995, section 6); at an event, ask the organiser or the venue.
The trailer: Essentiel or Frost.
For crepes and waffles, the Essentiel starts at €11,500; for ice cream, the Frost starts at €13,300, with its 7-tub display at the counter. If you add savoury grills, the Chef+, from €13,495, takes over with its hood. All prices exclude VAT, and our crepe food truck page goes into more detail.
- The trailer
The Essentiel for crepes and waffles, the Frost for ice cream, the Chef+ if you add savoury dishes.
- The kit
Crepe makers, waffle irons, fridges and utensils: priced for your menu, new or second-hand.
- The paperwork
Food business registration, pitch permits and insurance, as your country requires.
- Getting started
Opening stock, packaging, signage, and a cash reserve for the first few months, without relying on takings.
Sweet, all year round.
Choose your trailer for your main product, leave room for the other season’s menu, and test your pitches before investing any further. The free FTS Academy quiz confirms the right layout, and you can see it in detail among our food truck trailers.
Where people stroll: the right pitch for sweets.
Your questions answered.
Got another question? Just ask us ›Start with the trailer: the Essentiel, from €11,500 excl. VAT. Then add your crepe makers, stock and paperwork, which depend on your menu: the FTS Academy business plan helps you add it all up.
The Frost: its 7-tub display is set into the counter, facing the customer, with a scoop rinser and a double sink. For soft serve, the machine is better placed on an Essentiel.
For crepes and waffles made on electric appliances, we recommend the Essentiel layout. If you add savoury grills, the Chef+ and its extractor hood are made for that; the gas bottle box is an option on every model.
Yes, but plan for it from the start: the Frost is designed for ice cream, with its display freezer, and the Essentiel for crepes and waffles. Talk to us or your distributor before you choose the layout.
Under the takeaway rates that apply from 1 July 2026, cakes and biscuits are at the reduced rate, ice cream and confectionery at the standard rate, and hot tea and coffee at the second reduced rate. Ask Revenue how your hot crepes and waffles are treated.
By Romain, founder 
