This post is part of a series chronicling news coverage of rising prices in the United States. See more here.
Green Bay's Local 5 reports on gas prices causing food truck owners to raise prices and pick up second jobs
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From the May 11, 2026, video uploaded to the YouTube channel of WFRV Local 5
LAUREN AVENATTI (WFRV LOCAL 5 ANCHOR): As gas prices continue to hit record highs, food truck owners and operators here at home are feeling the financial pinch. And with the busy summer season approaching, some say the pressure is only growing. Our Blake Borths spoke with one owner who says it's no longer about profit, but simply putting food on the table.
BLAKE BORTHS (WFRV LOCAL 5 REPORTER): Would you say you're walking on eggshells kind of right now or -
PERSON 1: Well, you know, it's it's getting to that point. That's for sure. I mean, it's just kind of a day-to-day thing right now.
BORTHS: Food trucks like On the Fritz Concessions have already started making their rounds across the Fox Valley, but already early into the season are starting to feel the pinch in their pockets.
PERSON 1: Everybody's feeling the pinch. I mean, so not only is the price of food more expensive right now, but you know, the distributors and stuff have a fuel surcharge associated with their deliveries and stuff. And, you know, that fuel surcharge has went up for a lot of distributors.
BORTHS: Fritz says that members of the Fox Valley Food Truck Association are raising menu prices due to the higher costs of fuel and others. It's one way the owners are trying to offset the higher costs.
PERSON 1: We haven't done that yet, but we can't, you know, sustain much longer keeping the prices the same if, you know, fuel prices and food costs and stuff like that don't go down soon.
BORTHS: On top of attending public events, many food trucks take part in private events that get paid out by setting a service fee. But owners now worry if that fee goes up, event organizers will stop booking food trucks.
PERSON 1: A lot of the food trucks in the area are gonna have a minimum associated with their services. So that just means that, you know, hey, I'm happy to show up for, you know, ten people or two hundred people, but I need to make sure that I'm selling at least X amount of dollars to, you know, make sure that I'm profitable at the end of the day.
BORTHS: Owning and operating a food truck is a fast-growing business in the Fox Valley, with most owners committing to work full-time to provide for their families. But if the high prices continue, they may need to look elsewhere for work.
PERSON 1: I fully expect there to be some turnover, you know, throughout the season or at the end of the season for sure. I mean, I've even talked to some, you know, operators where, you know, this is all they did, and they were able to, you know, make a go at it. And this year, you. know, they've either had to secure a part-time or full-time job. And, you know, now the food truck is is kind of just extra spending cash for them
BORTHS: In Nina, Blake Borths, Local Five News.
AVENATTI: Fritz says that with more normal gas prices, he usually spends around eight hundred to one thousand dollars a week in fuel to move his truck and power his generator. But he says he's well on his way to going over that, and summer hasn't even begun.