Food trucks aren't better than gourmet restaurants, but they are substantially better than the status quo in many areas. In downtown San Francisco, where I use

Food trucks aren't better than gourmet restaurants, but they are substantially better than the status quo in many areas. In downtown San Francisco, where I used to work, food trucks are a huge hit because they are remarkably better than the bad delis, greasy spoons, and franchised soup-n-sandwich joints that litter the downtown core, all of which serve strictly mediocre and uninspired food. People want good, gourmet food even while at work, but the market in many areas has failed to provide this. The extremely sizable real estate capital requirements (as well as the fact that your revenue is strictly limited to lunch-only) prevents a lot of competition from entering. Food trucks on the other hand neatly sidestep a lot of the real estate capital requirements, as well as open the businesses up for dinner-time revenue. Most trucks head off to more residential neighborhoods once they're done the lunch rush. Food trucks also offer an opportunity to change things up often. Off The Grid in SF is a gathering of food trucks at fixed locations, with a rotating lineup (and some perennial faces), which helps lend variety without a bajillion more restaurants opening up.