High Margin Food Items for Food Trucks: Drinks, Sides, and Add-Ons

Maximizing profit isn’t only about raising prices—it’s about pushing items that already have strong margins. This article focuses on which types of items usually deliver the best margins for trucks: drinks, sides, add-ons, and simple desserts. Pair this with our Menu Engineering guide and Menu Costing so you know your real cost and contribution margin per item.

Categories That Usually Deliver Strong Margins

Practical Ideas for High-Margin Items

Drinks: fountain sodas, iced tea, lemonade, cold brew or simple coffee. Sides: fries, chips, coleslaw, or a house side that uses ingredients you already have. Add-ons: extra protein, cheese, bacon, avocado, or sauce—cost each one and price so margin stays strong. Desserts: cookies, brownies, or churros that are pre-made or simple to prep. Keep the list short so you can execute well and avoid waste.

Menu Placement and Promotion

Put high-margin items where customers see them first: top of the board or near the register. Train staff to suggest a drink or side with every order (e.g. \"Want a drink with that?\"). Offer combos that bundle a main with a drink or side at a price that feels like a deal but improves average ticket and margin. Use menu engineering to identify stars (high margin, high popularity) and give them prime placement and promotion.

Checklist: Rolling Out High-Margin Items

• Cost every item — Use the Menu Costing Tool and Menu Costing Guide so you know food cost % and contribution margin for drinks, sides, and add-ons.
• Price to protect margin — Aim for lower food cost % on high-volume add-ons (e.g. 20–25% or less for drinks and sides).
• Update the board and POS — New items and combos need to be visible and ring up correctly.
• Train staff — Simple scripts (e.g. \"Add a drink for $2?\") increase attach rate without feeling pushy.

Using High-Margin Items With Menu Engineering

Once you know which items are high margin (and which are stars vs. plowhorses), promote the winners: place them prominently on the board, train staff to suggest drinks and add-ons, and consider combos that include a drink or side. For pricing, use our Pricing Calculator and Menu Costing Tool. For strategy, see Menu Pricing Strategies for Food Trucks.