Food Truck Trend in High Gear

CHICAGOGourmet street food has been a growing trend in some of the major hip" cities like Seattle, Los Angeles and New York for the past couple of years, with slide-thru" trucks serving fancy burgers, wraps, burritos, sliders, hot dogs, desserts and more, cooked by professional chefs.

Technomics new Food Trucks Innovation Report reveals 91% of consumers polled who are familiar with food trucks view the trend as having staying power and not a passing fad. Only 7% of consumers who use mobile food vehicles (MFV) expect their frequency of visits to food trucks to decrease over the next year.

The biggest growth challenge facing the sector is getting consumers to try the MFV experience. According to Technomic's research, 70% of non-users are still hesitant to purchase food from mobile vehicles.

"The key for long-term success is getting the non-user to come on board," said Technomic Director Kevin Higar. "One in five individuals is not aware of or has not seen a food truck, and one-third of individuals who are aware of them still haven't purchased from one."

Getting the word out also is crucial to the MFV revolution. Although social media is an integral part of food truck marketing and patronage, 61 percent of consumers find out about mobile food trucks by "just happening upon them." Of the consumers who do follow food trucks on social media, 84% do so at least once a week.

According to the report, quick-service restaurants seem to be impacted by mobile food vehicle success more than other traditional restaurants, with 54% of respondents saying if they had not bought from a food truck, a quick-service restaurant would have been their most likely destination.