Built by a food truck operator, for food truck operators

From Guesswork to Real Forecasts

TruckCast started as one food truck owner's spreadsheet in St. Louis. Here's every step we've taken — and everything coming next.

7
Phases completed
50+
Features shipped
3
POS integrations
119
Automated tests
45 milestones completed77 total

7 of 12 phases complete

Phase 0Completed

The Problem

Every booking tracked by hand. No way to predict what an event would make.

  • Wok-O Taco (St. Louis) tracked every event by hand in a spreadsheet
  • Booking a new event meant guessing revenue — no data-backed answer
  • The manual system worked for one truck, but couldn't help other operators
  • Decision: turn the system into a platform any food truck could use
Phase 1Completed

Foundation

A solid, secure platform built to last — ready for real operators from day one.

  • Platform live at vendcast.co — fast, secure, accessible on any device
  • Every operator's data completely private — no cross-contamination between accounts
  • Sign in with email or Google — no password hassle
  • Built to store your full event history, forecasts, and performance over time
  • Clean, modern design that works on phone, tablet, and desktop
Phase 2Completed

Core Product

Add your events, see your forecast, understand what drives your revenue.

  • Add, edit, and manage all your bookings in one place — or import from a spreadsheet
  • Fee calculator handles flat fees, percentages, pre-settled, and day rates
  • AI forecast engine predicts revenue for upcoming events— Validated: within 16% of actual revenue on aggregate forecasts
  • Forecasts automatically adjust for weather, day of week, and attendance size
  • Enter your city, and TruckCast automatically looks up the weather and location coordinates
  • The more events you log, the smarter your forecasts get
  • Dashboard with year-to-date revenue, upcoming projections, and trends at a glance
  • See which events, event types, and organizers are most valuable to your business
Phase 3Completed

POS Integrations

Connect your card reader — sales log themselves after every event.

  • Square: connect once, sales sync automatically each day
  • Clover: same seamless auto-sync as Square
  • Toast: forward your daily summary email and it syncs hands-free
  • Automatic email routing so Toast users don't have to do anything after setup
  • Run multiple locations? Pick which one TruckCast pulls from
  • If you had two events on the same day, TruckCast splits the revenue intelligently
Phase 4Completed

Go to Market

Real pricing, a free trial, and a beta program for early operators.

  • VendCast brand and vendcast.co live — TruckCast is the first product
  • Starter, Pro, and Premium plans — pay for what you need
  • 14-day free trial so you can see the value before committing
  • Beta invite codes to bring early adopters aboard first
  • Automated emails for welcome, trial reminders, and important updates
  • Free forecast calculator — try it before you even sign up
  • "What if?" tool — adjust weather or attendance and see how your forecast changes
  • Admin view for monitoring health and activity across all operator accounts
Phase 5Completed

Reliability & Speed

Under-the-hood work to make everything faster and more dependable.

  • Eliminated duplicate sync code — every POS provider now works the same way
  • Centralized performance recalculation — one change updates everything correctly
  • Consistent sync status tracking across Square, Clover, and Toast
  • 17 automated tests running on every code change — catches regressions before you see them
  • Fixed new user profile creation — no more blank accounts after signup
Phase 6Completed

Onboarding & Guidance

TruckCast now meets you where you are and shows you what to do next.

  • Setup checklist on your dashboard so you always know the next step
  • Smart onboarding guide — changes based on how far along you are
  • Guided tour on first login — 60-second walkthrough of the key features
  • Crew view — share a read-only link with your team so they always know where to be
  • Navigation works the same on mobile and desktop — nothing gets left out
  • When you add your Toast sync address to Gmail, a button appears to confirm it — no more hunting for a link
  • Email reminder the day after an event if sales haven't been logged yet
  • Nudge to connect your POS when you're manually logging sales
  • Public roadmap at vendcast.co/roadmap — see exactly what's been built and what's coming
Phase 7Planned

Growth & Community

Know your best organizers, grow your fan base, and manage more than one truck.

  • Organizer ratings — automatically score which event organizers bring in the most revenue
  • Fan / follower system — let customers subscribe to your schedule (Premium)
  • Multi-truck accounts — manage a whole fleet under one login
  • Discover events near you — connect with organizers actively looking for food trucks
  • Open to developers — API access for custom integrations
  • Beyond food trucks — farmers markets, pop-ups, mobile retail, and more
Phase 8Planned

Cost & Profitability

Revenue is only half the story — know exactly what each event actually puts in your pocket.

  • Track food cost per event — see if you're hitting your target margin— e.g. 28% food cost as a % of net sales
  • Log labor — hours worked, crew size, and wages per event
  • Track supplies and overhead — packaging, propane, fuel, commissary kitchen fees
  • See actual net profit per event after all costs are subtracted
  • Forecasts upgraded to predict profit, not just sales
  • Profitability dashboard — which events are actually worth doing?
  • Break-even tool — know the minimum sales you need before rolling out
  • Cost templates per event type — set your usual costs once, apply them automatically
Phase 10Planned

Operator Community

A home base for the mobile food industry — where operators learn from each other, not from guesswork.

  • Community forums — ask questions, share tips, learn from operators who've been there
  • Event reviews — operators share honest intel on organizers, venues, and crowd quality
  • Benchmark sharing — opt in to see how your numbers compare to similar trucks
  • Resource library — contracts, pricing guides, health code checklists, and more
  • Regional groups — connect with other trucks in your city or market
  • Verified operator badges — build trust and reputation within the community
Phase 11Planned

The Marketplace

Book events directly. No middlemen. No commissions. Just your subscription.

  • Event listings — organizers post opportunities directly on VendCast
  • Apply to events — submit your truck for consideration in a few taps
  • Company catering portal — corporate clients find and book trucks without going through an agency
  • Organizer profiles — see ratings, past events, and payment history before you commit
  • TruckCast data powers the match — your forecast history tells organizers exactly what to expect
  • No booking commissions — ever. Your subscription covers everything.— Companies like Food Fleet take 20–30% of your revenue. We don't.
Phase 9In Progress

Brand Redesign

A fresh look that feels as professional as the system behind it — built for real operators.

  • New color palette and typography — clean, modern, and easy on the eyes
  • Refreshed logo and brand identity
  • Updated marketing site — clearer messaging for food truck operators
  • Polished dashboard UI — every screen gets a visual pass
  • Mobile-first tweaks — tighter layout for phones operators actually use mid-event
  • Dark mode refinements — better contrast and color balance

Ready to forecast your revenue?

TruckCast is the only platform built specifically for food truck event forecasting. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

Start free trialTry the calculator

Built by Julian Engels, owner of Wok-O Taco in St. Louis. vendcast.co