Custom Taco Trailers
A griddle-forward concession trailer built around carne asada, al pastor, and a full salsa bar - certified to California Title 25 and delivered road-legal across the state.
A taco trailer lives or dies by the griddle, and 916 Concession builds the whole unit around it. The flat-top runs all day for carne asada, al pastor, and fresh tortillas, with a fryer, range, and prep line backing it up so one cook can keep a line moving. Search traffic still leans toward 'taco truck,' but a trailer wins on cost and usable square footage - more room behind the line, less money tied up in a chassis you also have to insure and maintain. 916 Concession builds these from the frame up in Sacramento, sets the California HCD insignia on the finished unit, and hands you county-ready blueprints for your health permit. Custom any size, with the 7x14 the most-ordered shell. Serving operators statewide.
A taco-trailer line from 916 Concession is built around a 48-inch flat-top griddle - the heart of the unit for carne asada, al pastor, and tortillas - backed by a two-burner range and a 40-pound double-basket fryer. Operators running grilled meats can add a charbroiler, and a single-well steam table holds braised fillings at serving temp. The cold side pairs an undercounter fridge and freezer with a sandwich and salad prep top, giving your salsas and toppings dedicated chilled storage right at the line. Stainless prep tables and overhead shelving complete the work area. Cooking heat is captured by roughly seven feet of Type 1 exhaust hood with a roof-mounted fan and fire suppression. Sanitation runs through a three-compartment sink for wares plus a separate handwash sink, both required for the HCD insignia and your county health permit.
Power on a taco trailer is sized for the cook line. 916 Concession typically sets a 100-amp panel with 110V outlets throughout and a 50-amp transfer switch, so the unit runs off a generator or shore power without rewiring. The griddle, range, fryer, and charbroiler run on propane: a 3/4-inch black gas line with a regulator and shutoff, fed from an exterior cage carrying two 100-pound bottles. Water is a balanced fresh-and-grey system - roughly 42 gallons fresh and about 60 gallons grey, since California code requires the grey tank to exceed the fresh tank so you can never dump more than you stored clean. An electric pump moves the water, and an NSF-listed water heater feeds the three-compartment and handwash sinks. Every line, tank, and connection is built to the Title 25 standard the HCD insignia certifies.
Who buys a taco trailer
Most of the people ordering taco trailers from 916 Concession are doing it for the first time. Some are family operations turning a backyard recipe into a weekend stand at swap meets and soccer fields. Others are building toward an event and catering business - quinceaneras, festivals, corporate lots - where the trailer parks, plugs in, and serves a crowd. A few are seasoned street vendors finally putting a county-legal unit under their name. The common thread is a griddle-forward menu: tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and tortas, cooked to order. A taco truck draws more searches, but the trailer is the smarter first purchase. You spend the money on the kitchen instead of the engine, and you get more counter space to run a real prep line. When the season ends, a trailer parks without burning fuel or registration on a vehicle you are not using.
Building to your menu and your size
The build starts with what you sell. A griddle-forward taco menu drives a 48-inch flat-top, a two-burner range for beans and braises, and a 40-pound double-basket fryer for taquitos and chips. Add a charbroiler if you are running grilled meats, and a single-well steam table to hold al pastor and carnitas at temp. The cold side carries the flavor: an undercounter fridge and freezer plus a sandwich and salad prep top, so your salsas, onions, cilantro, and crema sit chilled and within reach. Stainless prep tables and overhead shelving keep the work flow tight. Common builds run 14 to 20 feet, and the 7x14 is the shell 916 Concession sells most. But the size is yours to set. 916 Concession builds any footprint - longer if you want a dedicated salsa bar and more cold storage, shorter if you are working tight event lots. The layout follows the menu, not a catalog template.
Two approvals, and who owns each one
There are two separate sign-offs on a California taco trailer, and it matters which is which. The first is the California HCD insignia under Title 25 - that certifies the UNIT itself: construction, plumbing, gas, electrical, and the food-contact surfaces. 916 Concession builds to that standard and sets the HCD insignia on the finished trailer. That part is on us. The second is your county HEALTH PERMIT, which is the operator's step - it covers you running the business in a specific county. 916 Concession does not pull that permit for you, but you are not walking in empty-handed. The unit ships with county-ready blueprints and the HCD insignia already in place, which is what a plan checker wants to see. You bring the menu and the application; the unit is already built to back you up.
Timeline, registration, and getting it to you
A typical taco trailer takes about six weeks to build, and that window moves with inspection scheduling - HCD and final checks set the pace, not us. While the unit is being built, 916 Concession handles the California DMV side so you never stand in line. The trailer leaves the yard road-legal on California temporary tags, with the title filed and permanent metal plates arriving by mail a few weeks later. No out-of-state transfers, no DMV trip on your end. When it is ready, 916 Concession arranges in-house transport to get the trailer to you anywhere in California - the same crew that runs every delivery, not a load-board hauler. For buyers who need to spread the cost, 916 Concession connects you with third-party lenders. Terms come from the lender, so we make no promises on rates - we just get you in front of the people who finance these builds.
Build your Taco Trailer
Tell us your menu and timeline. 916 Concession builds the unit, sets the California HCD insignia, and provides the county-ready blueprints.
Prefer to talk? Call 7758951064.