Shopify for food trucks
Shopify for food trucks: pre-orders at today's spot
Shopify can sell from a food truck: its POS takes card payments at the window on every paid plan. Online pre-orders are harder, because the truck moves and the lunch rush is 90 minutes long. Here's what each part takes.
Free plan: 50 orders a month, 0% commission, no card needed.
Free plan, 50 orders a month, 0% commission. Paid plans from US$17 a month.
The short answer
Good at the window. Harder online.
At the serving hatch, Shopify is a real option. Every paid Shopify plan includes some in-person selling, and its POS takes tips on card payments with a supported reader.
The online side is where a truck is unusual. Your location changes, so "pickup in store" has to point at today's spot. Customers want to order at 11:40 for 12:15, but Shopify's fastest pickup time is "Usually ready in 1 hour" and they can't choose a time without an app. And a queue at noon means orders must be capped per slot, or the kitchen drowns.
A pre-order menu built for this lets you move the pin, open for today's hours and offer 15-minute slots, without an app stack.
- Card payments at the window: Shopify POS on paid plans
- Order for 12:15: a pickup scheduling app
- Today's location: update the pickup address each day
- Menuthere: move your pin, rolling 15-minute slots from Lite
One lunch order
"Two tacos, extra salsa, pick up 12:15 at the market"
What each part needs, checked on 20 October 2026.
| Part of the order | On Shopify | On Menuthere |
|---|---|---|
| Today's spot on the map | Edit the pickup location's address, or an app with several pickup locations | Drag your store pin and edit the address; delivery and distances follow it |
| "We're at the market until 2 pm" | Store text or a theme banner | Working hours per day, an Open/Closed switch, and an announcement bar from Lite |
| Pick up at 12:15 | An app. Zapiet Pickup + Delivery from US$49.99 a month | Rolling slots, such as every 15 minutes, from Lite |
| Extra salsa +$0.50 | An options app, from US$9.90 a month | Priced add-ons, every plan |
| The order rings in the truck | Shopify's order notifications | The partner app rings until someone accepts, every plan |
| Pay at the window | Shopify POS with a card reader | Cash on every plan; online payment from Lite |
Truck-specific gaps
What a truck adds to Shopify
Order-ahead slots
Zapiet Pickup + Delivery adds pickup times and multiple pickup locations: US$49.99 a month for 250 orders and one location, US$79.99 for up to 10 locations and 1,000 orders with prep times.
A one-hour minimum
Shopify's own "Usually ready in" choices start at 1 hour, then 2, 4 and 24 hours. Fine for a parcel, slow for lunch.
Extras with prices
Three options per product and a price per variant are built in. "Add cheese +$1" needs an options app such as Globo (US$9.90) or Easify (US$9.99) a month.
What Shopify does well
Card payments at the window with Shopify POS, tips on supported card readers, and merch such as hot sauce and T-shirts sold online and shipped.
Whichever you use, the city decides where you can trade. In New York City, for example, a food vendor needs a vendor license and the unit needs a permit, and some streets are off-limits. Check your own city's rules.
A worked example
A truck with 400 pre-orders a month at three weekly spots
Lunch pre-orders for pickup at the window, with priced extras. Monthly billing in US dollars, before card fees.
| Cost line | Shopify setup | Menuthere Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Basic: US$39 | US$17 |
| Pickup times, several spots | Zapiet Pickup + Delivery Advanced (1,000 orders, up to 10 locations): US$79.99 | Included (move your pin each day) |
| Priced extras | Globo Product Options Premium: US$9.90 | Included |
| Fee per order without Shopify Payments | 2% of sales on Basic | None |
| Monthly total before card fees | US$128.89 | US$17 |
Shopify Basic is US$29 a month billed yearly; Menuthere's yearly billing charges 10 months for 12. Card readers and card fees are extra on either side. Menuthere's counter POS is an add-on at US$10 a month, sold on request.
When Shopify is the better choice
Selling the brand, not the lunch
Bottled hot sauce, spice rubs and merch shipped to fans are store products, and Shopify is built for them. Menuthere doesn't ship parcels.
Card payments at the window with a reader and a till you already own may keep you on Shopify POS for walk-ups.
Use both: Shopify for sauces and T-shirts, Menuthere for lunch pre-orders. Put the Menuthere QR on the truck and the Order lunch link on your Shopify site.
How to start
Pre-orders live before tomorrow's lunch
- 1
Create the free page
Go to get started and add your truck by hand. No card on Free.
- 2
Upload the menu board
A photo of your board is enough. Then add extras with prices.
- 3
Set today's spot and hours
Drag the pin to where you'll park and set today's hours. On Lite, turn on 15-minute pickup slots.
- 4
Post the link
Share it in your Instagram story with today's location, and print the QR for the hatch.
Questions owners ask
Answered, plainly.
Sources (9) · checked 2026-10-20
- Shopify pricing (US dollars) · Shopify, read 20 October 2026
- Identify your POS needs · Shopify Help Center, read 20 October 2026
- Shopify POS tips · Shopify Help Center, read 20 October 2026
- Setting up pickup in store · Shopify Help Center, read 20 October 2026
- DeliveryLocalPickupTime · Shopify.dev, read 20 October 2026
- Zapiet ‑ Pickup + Delivery · Shopify App Store, read 20 October 2026
- Globo Product Options, Variant · Shopify App Store, read 20 October 2026
- Easify Custom Product Options · Shopify App Store, read 20 October 2026
- Mobile and temporary food vendors · NYC Health, read 20 October 2026
Pre-orders that follow the truck
Make your truck's order-ahead menu from a photo of the board. Free to start, 0% commission.
