ScienceMathEngineering

Food-Truck Systems Challenge

Grades 6-875-90 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Students design a mock food-truck menu and the way the kitchen works. They balance ingredient science, how fast food gets made, how much stock to keep, and prices so the truck could make a profit on a busy night. It is a tasty crash course in running a small business.

Budget levels

Amazon prices checked Oct 9-10, 2026 and may change

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Quick Start

Digital downloads only.

$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.

Student time: one class period, one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one class period on a single day.

Scale back: Fit it into a shorter period, use fewer effects, or run a demo instead of a build.

Scale up: Add one extra effect, or spread the share-out across another day.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

stopwatchBorrow or school hasuse what you have
kitchen scaleBorrow or school hasuse what you have
decision matrix worksheetPrintinguse what you have

Full Experience

Required materials for the class.

$9.99 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one school day.

Scale back: Fit the build into one period with fewer effects.

Scale up: Spread the work across days, or add more effects.

Food thermometerRequired1 x 1 thermometer1 thermometer$9.99Amazon

Total Transformation

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

$9.99 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day (one session, one-day event).

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one session, a one-day event.

Scale back: Shorten the event, or run a demo for a smaller audience.

Scale up: Spread the build and the event across days, or invite a bigger audience.

Materials

Ingredients for three sample dishes (teacher-approved, food-safe); Timer; Scale or measuring tools; Calculator; Food thermometer; stopwatch; kitchen scale; decision matrix worksheet

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients for three sample dishes
Ingredients for three sample dishes (teacher-approved, food-safe)
No link
Stopwatch timer
Timer
Shop
Classroom scale
Scale or measuring tools
No link
Basic calculator
Calculator
Shop
Stopwatch
stopwatch
Shop
Kitchen scale
kitchen scale
Shop

Steps

Design a 3-item menu and predict which dish will slow things down when orders come in fast.
Set criteria and constraints: each order out in under 3 minutes, cold items kept at 40 degrees F or below and hot items at 140 degrees F or above (checked with a food thermometer), ingredient cost under a set amount per dish, and only two workers on the line.
Make a sample batch of each dish, time every step, and calculate the cost of the exact ingredients used.
Design two or three competing prep-line layouts or menu versions (for example, pre-portioned toppings versus made to order).
Run the same 10-order mock rush with each design. Record average order time, temperature checks, ingredient waste in grams, and cost.
Score every design in a weighted decision matrix against each criterion and constraint and choose the winner.
Fix the winner's slowest step and rerun a short rush to check.

Standards mapped

NGSS · MS-ETS1-2
Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.