Your Guide to Food Truck Catering in Boston

Greater Boston asks for more paperwork than any other market we serve. Most towers, campuses and hospitals want a certificate of insurance naming the property before a truck arrives, and a placement approved by facilities.

Start that early and the rest is straightforward. Public kerb space is scarce almost everywhere, so nearly every event happens on private ground.

Trucks serve year-round, though November to March wants a covered loading area or an indoor-adjacent spot.

Greater Boston celebrations mean graduation parties in Newton and Lexington, backyard birthdays in Brookline and Milton, shore weekends on the North Shore and the South Shore, and receptions in Seaport lofts and MetroWest barns. We book Boston-area trucks experienced with each.

Graduation parties cluster from mid-May through June across the metro's colleges and high schools, so those are the dates to book early. Everything else needs less notice than you think: the date, the headcount and the space, often the same week.

Lobster rolls are the signature Boston celebration booking. Tacos are the most requested truck for graduation parties, wood-fired pizza is the easiest single-truck booking for a crowd of every age, and ice cream, cannoli or cider donuts stand in for cake.

Trucks on private property generally need only the owner's permission plus the truck's own municipal permit, and a level spot with about 12 feet of clearance. Street placement varies by town, so tell us the address and we will confirm what applies.

Boston is a city of neighborhoods with active associations behind them, from Jamaica Plain and Dorchester to the South End and East Boston, and the metro adds condo associations, Seaport and Assembly Row apartment towers, and subdivisions from Needham to Andover. We book Boston-area trucks for resident truck nights and association socials.

Residents pay at the truck, and the association or the property backs a minimum guarantee it only pays if a date falls short. That is the most common setup for resident truck nights, and a fixed weekday builds turnout month over month.

On property the association or the manager controls, the owner's approval is all a truck needs; a street closure goes through the City of Boston, Cambridge, Somerville or your town. A truck takes a level stretch of about 25 feet with 12 feet of clearance, placed so driveways and emergency access stay open.

Towers and associations across the metro schedule trucks weekly or monthly with the cuisines rotated so the line-up never repeats, all managed from the same account.

Greater Boston has more than fifty colleges and universities, from Harvard and MIT across the river to Boston University, Northeastern and Berklee along the Fenway, Boston College and Brandeis in the suburbs, Tufts in Medford and UMass Boston on the harbor. We book Boston-area trucks for student affairs offices, campus dining, student organizations and the metro's schools.

Student organizations usually book through a department or student life office, and a school books through its PTA or front office. Bring the approval contact in early and we route the paperwork.

The biggest lines are move-in in late August and the week before commencement in May, so those are the dates to book early. Everything else needs less notice than you think.

Trucks bring their own permits, insurance and power; the campus provides a level spot the facilities office has approved, away from building entrances.