Food Truck Project for High School Students
Students love learning about food trucks in a foods class because there are so many different types and styles of food trucks. They have schema because may have been to a food truck that is why a food truck project is such a fun option for your middle school or high school class.
1- Show a video about food trucks. Students love to see food trucks in action and the video (below) is a great brief overview of the history of the food truck industry and marketing strategies that should keep your student’s interest!
2- Discuss the history of food trucks as it helps create background knowledge and we think that giving students the history of what they are creating is important. Did you know that the first food trucks were carts and bicycles? What’s your favorite type of food truck?
3- Design their own food truck. Do you want a no-prep lesson? We created a food truck lesson that helps to introduce the history, and the types of food trucks as well as a design your own food truck activity!
Run a Food Truck Class Project
Chris was able to teach the students about food trucks and then actually execute a food truck for local events! They held a food truck event for the community and it was a lot of prep but it was a success! They served:

- Pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw, Carolina BBQ sauce, and crushed pork rinds.
- Chicken or Vegetable Quesadillas with elote (Mexican street corn) with a Buffalo twist by adding Frank’s Hot Sauce and parmesan cheese.
Teaching about food trucks is engaging for students because many of them have been to a food truck and they are pretty trendy right now. There are even some fun television series about food trucks although the language is not appropriate for the classroom, unfortunately!
Click on the image to check it out!
In this lesson we have a slideshow all about the history of food trucks, with guided notes as well as a design your own food truck activity with rubric. Students enjoy having the ability to get creative and design their own!
🚚 Here is a free download for your students to brainstorm their food truck design ideas. This is a great way to get your students thinking about the food truck that they will create. When they are finished, have them present their food truck creations to the class. This is a win-win because students get to present what they made and their classmates can learn about new perspectives and ideas.
Other Culinary Arts Course Projects
Are you looking for more ideas for your Family Consumer Science or Foods classes that will excite your students about food and cooking? Here are a few more project ideas:
- Gourmet Ramen Challenge– hand them a pack of cheap ramen and watch them go! Read about how we set this one up in our blog post.
- Chopped Mystery Basket– give them either real ingredients or paper ingredients to create dishes with techniques they have learned!
- Gourmet Mac and Cheese Challenge– give them a box of mac and cheese and ingredients and see what they can create! Read more about this in our blog post as well.
- Chili Cook-Off Project– our students have a lot of fun with this one and we have staff members taste test the chili! Students can work in groups depending on your class size and create delicious chili.
Happy Teaching!