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I might not be the target audience because I don’t know under what circumstances one would search for a food truck rather than food in general. If I want, say,

I might not be the target audience because I don’t know under what circumstances one would search for a food truck rather than food in general. If I want, say, a burrito, I don’t care if it comes from a truck or a takeout window or traditional restaurant, etc. I just want a good burrito! I’m curious - do food trucks have (real or perceived) association with quality or speed or cost or something else that makes people think “I’m not sure what I want to eat, let me see what food trucks are nearby”?

nate_rw 4y ago
That's an interesting point. There are many people who feel more inclined to eat at food trucks than traditional restaurants, and here are a few reasons why: - Price: Food trucks are cheaper (startup costs are much cheaper than for B&M). - Convenience: Food trucks are often faster. In areas where there are fewer restaurants, and in food deserts, mobile businesses are sometimes the only good ones around. - Pop Culture: In the past few years, food trucks have become more and more ingrained in our culture, and they have developed dedicated followings of repeat customers. It's cool to eat at food trucks, especially in areas where there are many! There are people who have specific food trucks they love - it's the same idea as having a favorite restaurant - except they want to know where their favorite trucks will be next. There are people who prefer specific food trucks over local restaurants. So yes, there are a lot of perceived benefits. This article has more reasons: https://prestigefoodtrucks.com/2016/01/8-reasons-why-food-trucks-are-better-than-a-sit-down-restaurant-january-2016-blog-post/ https://prestigefoodtrucks.com/2016/01/8-reasons-why-food-tr...
- HWR_14 4y ago
  I don't feel that food trucks are often cheaper than B&M. In fact, my biggest reason for not going to them is that are often as expensive, but without the ability to sit down at table. And the food is frequently worse. I mean, yeah it's better than Burger King.
coastflow 4y ago
Food trucks can plausibly provide healthier options for food than in convenience stores, which often only sell junk food, according to a research paper that is a literature review [0]. This is especially true for low-income areas where there are fewer supermarkets (which sell fruits and vegetables) as due to the "risk of crime and theft, and [lack of] land for parking." However, the author writes that this hypothesis is not yet conclusive due to a lack of published studies. Anecdotally, on university campuses, food trucks were the main option for food due to a lack of supermarkets and restaurants nearby. An app specialized for food trucks could also fix the problem where the availability and opening hours of food trucks are less known, especially for certain trucks that occasionally switch locations, are absent on certain days, or change their hours (making them hard to track via an entry on Google Maps). In short, food trucks could plausibly be seen as a step up for finding fresh food instead of defaulting to a convenience store that may typically just serve junk food, in areas where there are no restaurants or supermarkets. [0] Journal of Public Health Policy, 2021: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7874560/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7874560/

nate_rw 4y ago

That's an interesting point. There are many people who feel more inclined to eat at food trucks than traditional restaurants, and here are a few reasons why: - Price: Food trucks are cheaper (startup costs are much cheaper than for B&M). - Convenience: Food trucks are often faster. In areas where there are fewer restaurants, and in food deserts, mobile businesses are sometimes the only good ones around. - Pop Culture: In the past few years, food trucks have become more and more ingrained in our culture, and they have developed dedicated followings of repeat customers. It's cool to eat at food trucks, especially in areas where there are many! There are people who have specific food trucks they love - it's the same idea as having a favorite restaurant - except they want to know where their favorite trucks will be next. There are people who prefer specific food trucks over local restaurants. So yes, there are a lot of perceived benefits. This article has more reasons: https://prestigefoodtrucks.com/2016/01/8-reasons-why-food-trucks-are-better-than-a-sit-down-restaurant-january-2016-blog-post/ https://prestigefoodtrucks.com/2016/01/8-reasons-why-food-tr...

HWR_14 4y ago
I don't feel that food trucks are often cheaper than B&M. In fact, my biggest reason for not going to them is that are often as expensive, but without the ability to sit down at table. And the food is frequently worse. I mean, yeah it's better than Burger King.

coastflow 4y ago

Food trucks can plausibly provide healthier options for food than in convenience stores, which often only sell junk food, according to a research paper that is a literature review [0]. This is especially true for low-income areas where there are fewer supermarkets (which sell fruits and vegetables) as due to the "risk of crime and theft, and [lack of] land for parking." However, the author writes that this hypothesis is not yet conclusive due to a lack of published studies. Anecdotally, on university campuses, food trucks were the main option for food due to a lack of supermarkets and restaurants nearby. An app specialized for food trucks could also fix the problem where the availability and opening hours of food trucks are less known, especially for certain trucks that occasionally switch locations, are absent on certain days, or change their hours (making them hard to track via an entry on Google Maps). In short, food trucks could plausibly be seen as a step up for finding fresh food instead of defaulting to a convenience store that may typically just serve junk food, in areas where there are no restaurants or supermarkets. [0] Journal of Public Health Policy, 2021: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7874560/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7874560/