Skip to main content

Tales From The Truck: The Future of Food Trucks



A while back in my first blog post on the history of food trucks, I promised a follow-up post about what we see as the future for food trucks. Food trucks are far from hitting their peak. We are part of a market that is still developing and there are endless opportunities for prospective operators who want to open food trucks and sell the food they are passionate about, and think will fit a missing niche for consumers. Food trucks are great additions to any city around the world; they get customers out on the streets and in turn create a sense of community and interaction with your fellow city goers.

Follow NUDining on Instagram!
In July 2011, Technomic, a food industry consulting firm, reported 91 percent of customers believe that mobile food trucks are not a passing fad, but instead a trend with "staying power." At the same time, however, existing regulations on parking in public areas has made it difficult for food trucks to get permits. As local governments realize the value of food trucks in terms of utilizing public space, fostering entrepreneurship, job growth, and tourism, they are more likely to ease local laws that restrict parking permits and other regulation on food trucks.

One aspect of food trucks that is exciting from a local innovation standpoint is how they act as an incubator for entrepreneurs to start a viable cash flow business. These entrepreneurs then have the ability to turn a successful food truck into a brick-and-mortar establishment to become a more stable part of the community. Think of it as a test trial before operators invest all of their time and money into a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

The recent growth in food trucks is driven by two major forces: the growth of food truck culture in new cities and the enhanced access to food that trucks provide in areas where choices may be narrow. Mobile food truck patrons appreciate the value and quality of mobile food and will continue to embrace the industry as long as operators deliver clean, delicious, and exciting products at a reasonable price. In addition to the mobile food truck culture and business growing, there will also be a wide variety of opportunities in supporting industries that will develop as the food truck market matures. Operators will be looking for better ways to run their trucks such as more eco-friendly power supplies, quieter generators, marketing partners, and information technology resources.

This is an exciting time for mobile food in America and the industry is growing fast. For example, I had a great conversation with a student a couple months back who was curious about the operation of food trucks, what it took to start it up, make the menu, and operate day-to-day. He explained to me that he and his roommate were selling Belgian waffles out of their dorm room and had a notion of starting a food truck; these are the kind of minds that will be running the mobile food truck industry in the future and I’m looking forward to it. The weather is getting nicer, so I hope to see you all for lunch soon!

Until next time...

The Hungry Hungry Husky food truck serves lunch Monday through Friday from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to see where the truck will be parked each day
and head over to nudining.com to check out the H3's new spring menu!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SNOW DAY! And 4 Snowy Food Facts

Hello Huskies! Hope you've been staying safe and warm while enjoying your snow day. Changes to our hours of operation are being posted to our website as well as our Twitter and Facebook pages so be sure to check those out for updates throughout this snowy Tuesday. With the serious info out of the way, we're here to have some fun too. In between Netflix binge-watching sessions, how about some interesting snow-related food facts? 1. Hostess Sno Balls are actually upside-down Hostess CupCakes You know them as those pink or white shredded coconut and marshmallow delicacies, but since the 1950s, the inner cakes have been manufactured exactly the same way as their chocolate icing-covered CupCake counterparts. 1 2. Canada is much more than snow Our snowy neighbor to the north is actually the 5th largest agricultural exporter in the world. Canada also produces 85% of the world's maple syrup so whether you enjoy it on French toast at brunch or spaghetti during Christmas, there...
Post a Comment
Read more

Healthy Alternatives While Celebrating Culinary Diversity

with campus executive chef Tom Barton Our latest Menus of Change principle is "Celebrating Cultural Diversity and Discovery" and over the next few weeks our residential dining halls will be featuring menu items that celebrate the cultural diversity of our associates. As I was reviewing recipes in preparation for these events at both International Village and Stetson, it occurred to me that some of the ingredients in the traditional recipes could be swapped out for healthier alternatives while also remaining faithful to tradition. Here are some examples of ways to make recipes even a little bit healthier (which means you can enjoy them even more often!): Instead of using butter why not use a fat free margarine? Canola, safflower or olive oils could also be substituted Rather than using whole milk try a skim, evaporated skim or even plain nonfat yogurt can be used Instead of using whole milk cheeses, look for ones that are made with part skim Low fat or fat free sour cream can ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Calories on the menu

You may have noticed that restaurant menus have a new look. Along with price and description, you’ll now see calories listed on menus at restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters and bakeries, among others. Why put calories on menus? Most of us eat about a third of our meals away from home. With that in mind, legislation was passed as part of the Affordable Care Act requiring calorie-posting on restaurant menus. The goal of the legislation was to make it easier for us to make informed choices about what and how much we eat while we are out. Where you will and won’t see calories: In general, we can expect to see calories on food and drinks that are served regularly at 20 or more locations under the same brand. This includes just about anywhere that serves food ready to eat, such as sports stadiums, coffee shops and restaurants. Chefs’ specials, seasonal dishes or items offered only for a limited time, however, will not be required to have calories listed. Independent restaurants with on...
Post a Comment
Read more