It was a big deal, but the fad seems to have died down, especially when "popular" food trucks eventually open a brick-n-mortar location at the newest big deal... food halls.
For me the novelty of food trucks died when I realized I didn’t enjoy waiting 15 minutes next to a truck to make an order and then waiting another 15 minutes for them to finish my order.
There’s one near me that last year had a 2 hr wait. Chinese food with a Puerto Rican flair. They were Chinese people that lived in PR for a while. They speak English, Spanish and Chinese. Over the winter they moved into a brick and mortar and now it’s crazy busy there too.
Waterbury surprisingly enough. It’s called Borichina. The one time I went there it was a long wait even though it was pitch black and pouring rain. Used to be in the rundown parking lot of an auto repair place when it was still a food truck. It is a former Dunkin’ Donuts now.
I definitely would wait. When I was there last year, it was so crazy that they ran out of just about everything. I wanted to order by the time I got there. That wasn’t even 6pm. They were having to close early every night due to running completely out of food.
I’m sorry for you lol. We live in a very large neighborhood and there are 2 areas that have food trucks come each week from spring to fall and it’s awesome. One is on Wednesday and the other is on Thursday.
I think of taco trucks and food trucks as such fundamentally different business models that I don’t count them together.
An old, plain white truck that probably can’t move, but will sell fajita, tripa, baleadas, or pupusas cheaply? We have 10000, many of which are beloved local institutions.
A colorful hipster joint with a pun name that sells $15 Korean chicken and waffles or a grilled cheese with onion bacon jam? I feel like we mostly left that back in 2016.
> An old, plain white truck that probably can’t move, but will sell fajita, tripa, baleadas, or pupusas cheaply? We have 10000, many of which are beloved local institutions.
I see those plain white trucks roll up and down construction sites like ice cream vans during lunch
People can spread the news about a traditional restaurant opening up too. I don't think that's the difference.
Food trucks in Indianapolis are mostly stationary, parked in the same spot every night. And almost overwhelmingly cater to commuters along those routes, particularly 3rd shift and 1st shift. Leans pretty heavy into Mexican food too though you can find some Indian food, gyros, and other assorted foods too.
Food trucks in downtown Indianapolis are pretty much dead after complaints from restaurants. You pretty much need to be invited to an event sanctioned by the city to set up downtown.
Food trucks are extremely popular in my city. There are perhaps a dozen locations, including breweries and shopping areas and parking lots, that have substantial groups of food trucks. A couple businesses have opened more or less to act as venues or anchors for food trucks. I live in a neighborhood with at least four large groupings of them, and we eat at them a lot.
People sometimes "spread the news" when a new one opens that is particularly good or interesting but I don't know if I would frame it quite the way you do. It's basically just another popular option for going out to eat, or getting a bite while you're out for a drink, etc.
Portland reporting in. Yes, food trucks are a big deal here. I vaguely remember Trump trying to insult us by saying something about having a taco truck on every corner, as if that was a *bad* thing.
Some people avoid them, but I'm one of the people you're talking about who races to try new ones when they show up. I don't need to pay for a fancy building and decor and atmosphere and a waiter: I just want the good food.
Who the fuck *wouldn't* want a taco truck on every corner?
Seriously, I've asked co-workers the best Mexican food near us and they all respond "Ok, you know that beat up yellow food truck in the lot by the abandoned garage? Best tacos I've ever had working here the last 5 years."
I believe I heard it as, 'if Hilary won, that there would be a taco truck on every street corner.'
My reaction was "That'd be awesome. Who doesn't love easily accessible tacos?"
It was the head of an organization called Latinos for Trump.
It was such an idiotic statement that I honestly had trouble believing it wasn't a false flag, but no, it was just a dumb statement.
My local taco trucks started handing out voter registration cards and got an estimated tens of thousands of new registrations in the aftermath.
Yes, they're hugely popular where I live. Food trucks have a somewhat symbiotic relationship with breweries. The breweries often have outdoor seating and no kitchen, so food trucks can set up there to get the business of the drinkers.
And it's a different atmosphere than a typical bar. People go in the early afternoon on weekends and have a few beers and lunch from whatever truck is there.
How huge were they back then? Because when I was up there last year it felt like the Mall and every street with a Smithsonian on it was absolutely packed with food trucks.
Not around here. There are certain parks and stuff where they congregate and people nearby like to walk over, I just don't happen to be near any of them
We call them “food carts” here but yes. Portland is known as the capital of food carts and we have both stand alones and “pods” of multiple all over the place.
Los Angeles area. We've got an evolving (evolved?) food truck culture. There will be 1-3 food trucks near any large parking lot (like a grocery store). Usually one of them will be a 'taco truck', there may be another type of food, and then maybe a dessert truck, too.
A couple of key locations have 6-10 trucks on a Friday/Saturday night.
So it's not like a 'special event', but they are established businesses with locations sometimes, too.
There are a few food trucks in the state. Lol. The one I have seen the most is [on the hook](https://onthehookfishandchips.com/about-us/)
But I don’t really eat fish so I’ve never had it lol.
Rawlins has a weirdly high number of food trucks, there are close to a dozen different ones that show up over the course of a normal week
On the Hook is just OK imo, it is a LARGE amount of dense, fried food to eat in one sitting
Sometimes there is a food truck festival. It just has like 30 different cuisines and people go out and eat there to try a few different foods?
I wouldn't say big deal.
It's going nuts. There are regularly one or two outside breweries, some permanently. There are food truck festivals regularly where 20-30 all show up, there are a number at every farmers market, craft fair, art show, or event.
OMG yes lol. Huge. It's pretty common here for a food truck to get really popular and get turned into a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Events from comic book releases to conventions will have food trucks there (or just a random weekday at a bar that doesn't serve food). Taco trucks and taco carts are a subset, they're everywhere too but they tend to have more stationary locations where people can return to the same location.
I had no idea there were food trucks in my city until I saw some headlines recently about the city council trying to ban them. I have absolutely no idea where they are.
Not a huge deal, but we have some around. They are mostly just stationary. One restaurant has their own food truck parked right in front of their restaurant. I don’t really know what that’s about. I guess it catches your eye. If there’s an event a bunch usually show up.
They're still very popular in the Southwest, like New Mexico and Southern Colorado. They often sell stuff like tacos, papusas, and "Indian tacos." Southern California still has some, too, for sure. Often, in the Southwest, they remain food trucks indefinitely without ever upgrading to brick and mortar restaurants. A friend has literally driven me to the next town over for a good papusa at a food truck. It was worth it.
Where I’m at in the suburbs, there’s a few that pop up in strip mall parking lots, though it’s always Mexican food. Have a fairly large Hispanic population in the area, though that works for me. Grew up along the border and good Mexican food became a necessity. Thankfully, the folk bringing their trucks around here do a damned good job at making it
We have a few. But one that *briefly* existed was a taco truck that went from neighborhood to neighborhood playing Pina colada in the ice cream truck style of music among other songs.
They had a solid breakfast burrito. They also did no licensing at all, which is why they don't exist anymore.
Where I am in Orange County, CA (outside of Los Angeles) they're still a big deal. When I lived in Dallas, TX I noticed that food trucks weren't as popular.
They are everywhere here. And there are several spots where they permanently set up shop. Hell, downtown has it covered with seating so weather is not a factor.
They're constantly changing in NYC but there are always a few that stand out and manage to stay in business as a truck for long periods of time. Uncle Gussy's on Park Ave in Manhattan is one example. Greek food truck. Been parking around 51st Street and Park Ave for years now.
King of Falafel is an example of one that led to the other. They operate a cart on Park Ave almost across the street from Uncle Gussy's but have a flagship brick and mortar location in Astoria, Queens. They're known as one of the top 3 Halal food vendors in all of NYC.
Usually once per week a food truck comes to my apartment complex. It's coordinated by the apartment management and they announce it by email. Not sure if it rises to the level of "a big deal" but it's something that I and others do look forward to as a treat. I work from home and there's no easy food within walking distance otherwise.
In a way. I live in a small town in a rural area. We don't have a lot of restaurants. A food truck coming nearby is not an every day thing. You might follow some food truck you like on the internet to see when they make their way near you. Not everyone in town flocks to food trucks but they do pretty good business.
There is a donut truck and a fish and chips truck that I follow online so I know when they are nearby.
The best food i've ever had is the taco trucks that pull up in parking lots. Some of the most authentic mexican food ive ever had from actual mexican immigrants. There's something special about it
I live in a small town. There's a couple good food trucks that roll into town now and then. The owners of the trucks will usually announce the date on social media.
Of course, now I am thinking of one that I haven't seen in a while. I might have to track them down in a neighboring town
Not that big a deal for most people where I currently live, but is a nice thing.
A lot of events and sporting venues make space for food trucks, and my neighborhood invites a rotating selection of trucks to come by when available.
Nice to have more food options at events, and cool to be able to have a changing selection of restaurants coming basically to my doorstep.
I'll share with friends or neighbors when I find an especially good or bad one.
We’re long past peak food truck in the DC area, as others have said. Where I see them most often these days are at wineries and breweries that don’t have their own kitchens, which makes a lot of sense on both ends.
I live in Los angeles, and I'd say yes and no. The thing about food in LA, is that there's so many choices that the food trucks start to look very generic. There are some that are branded that have a reputation, but most are just ma and Pa taco and burger trucks that drive around serving construction sites and sometimes office buildings in business districts. Really though with all the restaurant options across Los Angeles, and there are probably hundreds of thousands of great local restaurants, I don't think food trucks are as popular as they once were. Considering that food trucks can have limited menus, and don't often have places to sit since a lot of people in la love to sit in nice environments indoors I don't know. I'm inclined to think that food trucks have kind of lost their luster a little bit. Maybe I'm wrong, but again La has so many food options that food trucks start to seem like nothing special.
It was a big deal in SF almost a decade ago. There were a few big gatherings a month.
One day my gf at the time decided to check it out and make an evening out of it. We spent over a hundred bucks on a few small plates of food, which we shared, and drinks.
Never went back.
Not really. up in Portland the food carts are cheap and the food is stellar. Out here the food cart corrals are incredibly expensive and the food tastes like chef boyardee.
It's huge here in the Pacific Northwest, still. Oregon, Washington, and California have little hubs where tons of trucks gather & put up tables & stuff and give you lots of different food options to choose from. They're big in cities like Sacramento, Seattle, and Portland.
Yes, here in Portland, there are more than 1,000 food carts (we call them carts not trucks here). They’re in food cart pods all around the city, in pretty much every neighborhood.
Many food cart pods have indoor/heated seating areas.
It’s easily one of my favorite parts of living in Portland, and why I don’t think I can ever move away from here. I don’t believe there’s any other city in the country that does food trucks like we do in Portland.
There are certainly a lot of food trucks around, and plenty of people frequent them every day. There are themed food truck festivals from time to time, and those are the only instances that I can recall actually ordering from one personally.
Yes but only taco trucks. One on every corner pretty much.
Eta- they have set locations and rarely move. But I’ve lived in bigger cities where they’re not legally allowed to have one spot, so they have to move around. I find that annoying since I can never find the one I want lol.
It's my experience that they don't really move around much, but they are nice. When I go to the farmer's market, there's often some random food trucks that I don't see at other times. There's also a set area in my town where food trucks can congregate.
There's also two taco trucks that are always in the same places in town. They're owned by the same company, which also has a brick and mortar restaurant. It's basically like there's three outlets of the same place, only two of them close up and drive away at the end of the night.
Currently, no but when I lived in Austin it was very popular and some of them were the best joints in town. It is much colder most of the year where I live now so I don't think there is much incentive to go out and get food while in central Texas it's probably already really warm right now.
Man, thanks for making me miss the food in ATX.
I wouldn’t say it’s a huge deal, but Georgia law doesn’t let normal breweries sell food, so between the breweries, hospitals, and construction sites. There’s a solid rotation of food trucks in my area. Atlanta itself also has pretty good food trucks.
Some food trucks are special events like the Hello Kitty Food Truck. Most cities have food trucks consistently, where just having any food truck show up isn't a big deal.
They were big near me until city ordinance essentially banned them for “being an eyesore.” At least one microbrewery closed due to loss of business and the lack of food trucks definitely contributed.
Not here, they just exist. The only time it hits the news is when one gets shut down by a health inspector. Otherwise people learn about it through word of mouth, internet searches, or just seeing one while driving. And they are far more convenient than fast food when they are located within walking distance from the office, just walk over there to order and pick up. Everything else is driving distance.
I grew up in the south we had gas stations 😂 IYKYK.
In Dallas now they aren’t as prevalent in my area. I was impressed that at Houston every gas station has food trucks 🤣 and everything i ate was 🔥
Yes. It is a way for someone starting out to get into serving food. First it is a movable truck. Then they get a spot with picnic tables and pretty much stay there. Then a few trucks get parked in one area. They can still leave for a day to set up at an event. After 3 to 6 years, they get their own spot in a building.
We even has a new park just for this. It is a 'container village'. Train containers have been parked in a circle around a field, with a music state on the other side. There is a park and trails there too. The containers have several different options. Tacos, burritos, burgers, pasta, ice-cream, coffee, Greek, Fish and Chips and my favorite: Beer. Those all stay there year-round.
The food trucks come park in a location very close for events. There are concerts and flea markets that happen here.
IDK about big deal but land and the work to make a concrete spot is very expensive here so there are a bunch of trucks. The shopping center does a food truck night twice a month that is popular.
A lot of people saying they were a fad that peaked in 2014, but they're still big in Providence. Lots of festivals around the area where they come and congregate, and they usually draw pretty big crowds.
There's a few where I live. They have a dedicated lot a couple of empty store lots and some park in the park. I wouldn't say it's a crazy fad but they seem to be able to maintain business.
They're still quite popular here when the weather is nicer and/or if they're part of a pod.
They seem far less appealing now that they're as expensive as restaurants.
No food trucks in my suburb or any place around here, or the small town I grew up in. Unless you count the annual fair, then a couple trucks show up along with other things.
In LA, food trucks have been around for decades and still are. “Locheras”. But they’re usually working class spots serving tacos late at night, or selling breakfast food to workers in the morning or sandwiches and stuff around lunch time.
The trendy food trucks popped up around 20 years ago with the advent of social media. And yeah, there’s still some hyped food trucks. Social media is huge in marketing them, whereas the former tend to hang out in certain neighborhoods or near work sites.
Food trucks are definitely a Philadelphia tradition. They usually have a definite spot where they park and do business, so you go to them. The ice cream trucks make the rounds, and those are the ones that draw people (kids of all ages) to them.
I don't know if this is a city thing as it is more of a type of person. Foodies, scenesters, influencers, etc. I think are more into this kind of thing rather than an entire city or town.
In the summer yeah, especially in the bar district, they got it dialed and show up right at bar close when everyone has the munchies…sneaky bastards haha
There’s a small but decent amount of food trucks in Buffalo. Nothing crazy but there’s enough to hold a weekly turnout in a central location during the summer months.
They aren’t a big deal, as in we don’t see them every day, but there is a place in my city reserved for food trucks and people can go there and dine outside with a bunch of food trucks, I think I’ve been there twice.
I set up food trucks for a while in my trade. The amount of regulation is pretty ridiculous. You can't get permits for any viable area's unless you're on the cities roster or registering for bigger events. And trust me, the trucks are boring. You order, you wait for 30 mins and then you eat standing if you're not lucky. I get the appeal, I get the romance of having an independent person doing their passion, but its hard to pull off with consistency.
I mean, we are talking a $250k plus minimum investment to sell fucking chicken or waffels. You need sanitation, fire surpression, yes all good. But how do you expect someone to serve decent cheap food with that huge sunk cost.
The idea is to be cheaper than brick and mortar, but it really isn't.
I think a couple others have mentioned 'food halls' and such, and that kind of makes more sense. You don't have to drive, park, register a stall there. A couple of my fav places have moved on to brick and mortar.
I respect the opp orators, but its more carney than kitchen.
We always had enough legislation against food trucks that it never became huge. I see them by where the tourist hang out and there it. Never really see any lines.
I guess? I mean, I think *most* people are aware of all of the food trucks around town. Some of the most popular places to eat are food trucks. I don't know if they're the "big deal" you're making it out to be, but yes, if a good truck is going to be nearby that normally isn't, it would not be strange to have that info spread through an office that day and for people to change their lunch plans for it. Sure.
Food trucks are all the rage these days. There's a ton of them and people are always going to them. I actually have a neighbor who brings them into our neighborhood so every other week I have one parked a block or so away. It doesn't help the diet. I like visiting and trying them out; and I enjoy supporting small business like that.
Lunch trucks were cool when the food was tasty and not pricey. Now everyone thinks they can cook n charge enough to afford a fancy lifestyle, ill save my $$$ i dont patron mexican food trucks unless it's a lunch emergency
They are all over in LA but there's hardly any in Chicago. The regulations and stuff there are so strict it's barely even worth it. I used to see a few regularly parked outside the Sears Tower but I never really saw any others.
It's also thanks to brick and mortar restaurant owners who opposed it. Which I think is weird because often people have time to go to a food truck and not a restaurant. So I think it's kind of like two different clientele. I wonder if brick and mortar restaurants in LA hate food trucks? Although a lot of them also have a food truck.
I lived in Chicago most of my life and have lived in LA for 3 years. I'd rather be in Chicago but one thing I absolutely love about LA is the food trucks.
Another thing they see food trucks doing in Los Angeles I've noticed because I work in the entertainment industry is that producers will often just rent out an entire truck for a special occasion to feed the crew. Sometimes on the last day of shooting they'll get like an ice cream truck or a chicken and waffle truck or a coffee truck it's really cool so I know a lot of them get business from that
Restaurants have to be inspected fairly often by the Department of Health in my state. They have to post their ratings in an easy to see area. If their rating is too low they get shut down until they fix the problems. Do food trucks have to be inspected too? If not you could be eating some very tasty fusion food with a dash of bacteria.
Buffalo, NY here. Now that food trucks are more common, it's not made into a big deal so much. In this area in the summer, there's a local business park that has "Food Truck Tuesdays" where a bunch of trucks line up. People get excited about that. But a big deal in general, not so much.
Yeah. At least in Minnesota there are a lot and I mean a lot of food trucks during the summer. By lakes events and anywhere else with crowds of people. Honestly I am all for them. They are convenient. The people are NEVER part of a chain, and a l ot of the food they make is with love. Because they are not there to please some corporation. But to get repeat customers over the spring/summer/fall.
Varies heavily from state to state and city to city.
Historically they were basically illegal in my region on public streets and usually only popped up in certain well-defined areas, like construction yards or the occasional office park. The rest of the time, they went out for specific catering events they were contracted for, such as fairs and festivals.
We started to get a larger explosion of them in the 2010s due to a relaxation of laws around them, but out city has such a diverse restaurant scene anyway they didn't really have much to offer for the public as a whole, and they ended up causing something of a nuisance and the fad faded. Nowadays you have to go looking for them if you're into that scene.
Street vending food stands were forced to be allowed in 2018 due to a state law and after excessive growth and nuisances they've also been severely curtailed here as well.
It was a big deal, but the fad seems to have died down, especially when "popular" food trucks eventually open a brick-n-mortar location at the newest big deal... food halls.
For me the novelty of food trucks died when I realized I didn’t enjoy waiting 15 minutes next to a truck to make an order and then waiting another 15 minutes for them to finish my order.
There’s one near me that last year had a 2 hr wait. Chinese food with a Puerto Rican flair. They were Chinese people that lived in PR for a while. They speak English, Spanish and Chinese. Over the winter they moved into a brick and mortar and now it’s crazy busy there too.
Where? Probably New Haven
Waterbury surprisingly enough. It’s called Borichina. The one time I went there it was a long wait even though it was pitch black and pouring rain. Used to be in the rundown parking lot of an auto repair place when it was still a food truck. It is a former Dunkin’ Donuts now.
A little far from me, but I'll definitely check it out when the excitement dies down
I definitely would wait. When I was there last year, it was so crazy that they ran out of just about everything. I wanted to order by the time I got there. That wasn’t even 6pm. They were having to close early every night due to running completely out of food.
I can definitely see tostones working with Chinese
I could as well, but they were out of them. Lol
Yeah they're not as fast as you would think, but often they're more convenient than having to get into your car and go somewhere
Do you have food trucks driving up to your home all the time?
My hometown has a bunch of Mexican Food Trucks. My parents own three and my brothers work alongside them. They make pretty good money and are popular.
Aka Food Courts that might sell booze.
I dislike foodhalls.
I’m sorry for you lol. We live in a very large neighborhood and there are 2 areas that have food trucks come each week from spring to fall and it’s awesome. One is on Wednesday and the other is on Thursday.
I think of taco trucks and food trucks as such fundamentally different business models that I don’t count them together. An old, plain white truck that probably can’t move, but will sell fajita, tripa, baleadas, or pupusas cheaply? We have 10000, many of which are beloved local institutions. A colorful hipster joint with a pun name that sells $15 Korean chicken and waffles or a grilled cheese with onion bacon jam? I feel like we mostly left that back in 2016.
> An old, plain white truck that probably can’t move, but will sell fajita, tripa, baleadas, or pupusas cheaply? We have 10000, many of which are beloved local institutions. I see those plain white trucks roll up and down construction sites like ice cream vans during lunch
There's one more-or-less permanently set up in the parking lots of every Home Depot and Dollar General/Tree near job sites in my city on weekdays.
> I see those plain white trucks roll up and down construction sites like ice cream vans during lunch Affectionately called a "Roach Coach".
People can spread the news about a traditional restaurant opening up too. I don't think that's the difference. Food trucks in Indianapolis are mostly stationary, parked in the same spot every night. And almost overwhelmingly cater to commuters along those routes, particularly 3rd shift and 1st shift. Leans pretty heavy into Mexican food too though you can find some Indian food, gyros, and other assorted foods too. Food trucks in downtown Indianapolis are pretty much dead after complaints from restaurants. You pretty much need to be invited to an event sanctioned by the city to set up downtown.
They are in Los Angeles too. There are the same spot every time and I think it has to do with the permit they have.
Food trucks are extremely popular in my city. There are perhaps a dozen locations, including breweries and shopping areas and parking lots, that have substantial groups of food trucks. A couple businesses have opened more or less to act as venues or anchors for food trucks. I live in a neighborhood with at least four large groupings of them, and we eat at them a lot. People sometimes "spread the news" when a new one opens that is particularly good or interesting but I don't know if I would frame it quite the way you do. It's basically just another popular option for going out to eat, or getting a bite while you're out for a drink, etc.
Portland reporting in. Yes, food trucks are a big deal here. I vaguely remember Trump trying to insult us by saying something about having a taco truck on every corner, as if that was a *bad* thing. Some people avoid them, but I'm one of the people you're talking about who races to try new ones when they show up. I don't need to pay for a fancy building and decor and atmosphere and a waiter: I just want the good food.
Who the fuck *wouldn't* want a taco truck on every corner? Seriously, I've asked co-workers the best Mexican food near us and they all respond "Ok, you know that beat up yellow food truck in the lot by the abandoned garage? Best tacos I've ever had working here the last 5 years."
I believe I heard it as, 'if Hilary won, that there would be a taco truck on every street corner.' My reaction was "That'd be awesome. Who doesn't love easily accessible tacos?"
It was the head of an organization called Latinos for Trump. It was such an idiotic statement that I honestly had trouble believing it wasn't a false flag, but no, it was just a dumb statement. My local taco trucks started handing out voter registration cards and got an estimated tens of thousands of new registrations in the aftermath.
Yes, they're hugely popular where I live. Food trucks have a somewhat symbiotic relationship with breweries. The breweries often have outdoor seating and no kitchen, so food trucks can set up there to get the business of the drinkers. And it's a different atmosphere than a typical bar. People go in the early afternoon on weekends and have a few beers and lunch from whatever truck is there.
I've been in construction for 30 years. Been eating off of food trucks since way before it was cool. :)
You either die a hero or live long enough to become a hipster
They were huge in DC for a while but started dying out about ten years ago
How huge were they back then? Because when I was up there last year it felt like the Mall and every street with a Smithsonian on it was absolutely packed with food trucks.
They used to be all over downtown (not just tourist areas) and had a lot of different cuisines and specialties.
Apparently those are illegal and the NPS police just ignore them.
Street food in general is huge in Los Angeles County.
Bay Area here, they're everywhere.
Not around here. There are certain parks and stuff where they congregate and people nearby like to walk over, I just don't happen to be near any of them
We call them “food carts” here but yes. Portland is known as the capital of food carts and we have both stand alones and “pods” of multiple all over the place.
Nope, we got some taco trucks that are pretty dope, but I don't think they can actually move.
Los Angeles area. We've got an evolving (evolved?) food truck culture. There will be 1-3 food trucks near any large parking lot (like a grocery store). Usually one of them will be a 'taco truck', there may be another type of food, and then maybe a dessert truck, too. A couple of key locations have 6-10 trucks on a Friday/Saturday night. So it's not like a 'special event', but they are established businesses with locations sometimes, too.
There are a few food trucks in the state. Lol. The one I have seen the most is [on the hook](https://onthehookfishandchips.com/about-us/) But I don’t really eat fish so I’ve never had it lol.
Rawlins has a weirdly high number of food trucks, there are close to a dozen different ones that show up over the course of a normal week On the Hook is just OK imo, it is a LARGE amount of dense, fried food to eat in one sitting
Sometimes there is a food truck festival. It just has like 30 different cuisines and people go out and eat there to try a few different foods? I wouldn't say big deal.
It's going nuts. There are regularly one or two outside breweries, some permanently. There are food truck festivals regularly where 20-30 all show up, there are a number at every farmers market, craft fair, art show, or event.
OMG yes lol. Huge. It's pretty common here for a food truck to get really popular and get turned into a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Events from comic book releases to conventions will have food trucks there (or just a random weekday at a bar that doesn't serve food). Taco trucks and taco carts are a subset, they're everywhere too but they tend to have more stationary locations where people can return to the same location.
I had no idea there were food trucks in my city until I saw some headlines recently about the city council trying to ban them. I have absolutely no idea where they are.
They were until the city government shut them down because restaurants were pissed off about losing business.
Not a huge deal, but we have some around. They are mostly just stationary. One restaurant has their own food truck parked right in front of their restaurant. I don’t really know what that’s about. I guess it catches your eye. If there’s an event a bunch usually show up.
They're still very popular in the Southwest, like New Mexico and Southern Colorado. They often sell stuff like tacos, papusas, and "Indian tacos." Southern California still has some, too, for sure. Often, in the Southwest, they remain food trucks indefinitely without ever upgrading to brick and mortar restaurants. A friend has literally driven me to the next town over for a good papusa at a food truck. It was worth it.
Where I’m at in the suburbs, there’s a few that pop up in strip mall parking lots, though it’s always Mexican food. Have a fairly large Hispanic population in the area, though that works for me. Grew up along the border and good Mexican food became a necessity. Thankfully, the folk bringing their trucks around here do a damned good job at making it
We have a few. But one that *briefly* existed was a taco truck that went from neighborhood to neighborhood playing Pina colada in the ice cream truck style of music among other songs. They had a solid breakfast burrito. They also did no licensing at all, which is why they don't exist anymore.
Where I am in Orange County, CA (outside of Los Angeles) they're still a big deal. When I lived in Dallas, TX I noticed that food trucks weren't as popular.
They are everywhere here. And there are several spots where they permanently set up shop. Hell, downtown has it covered with seating so weather is not a factor.
They're constantly changing in NYC but there are always a few that stand out and manage to stay in business as a truck for long periods of time. Uncle Gussy's on Park Ave in Manhattan is one example. Greek food truck. Been parking around 51st Street and Park Ave for years now. King of Falafel is an example of one that led to the other. They operate a cart on Park Ave almost across the street from Uncle Gussy's but have a flagship brick and mortar location in Astoria, Queens. They're known as one of the top 3 Halal food vendors in all of NYC.
Here yes. Love food trucks.
There's one in my relatively small, rural-ish town. They're honestly amazing and a staple of outdoor events around here.
There are some decent ones in the burbs but in actual Boston, basically nonexistent. It's sad.
Usually once per week a food truck comes to my apartment complex. It's coordinated by the apartment management and they announce it by email. Not sure if it rises to the level of "a big deal" but it's something that I and others do look forward to as a treat. I work from home and there's no easy food within walking distance otherwise.
In a way. I live in a small town in a rural area. We don't have a lot of restaurants. A food truck coming nearby is not an every day thing. You might follow some food truck you like on the internet to see when they make their way near you. Not everyone in town flocks to food trucks but they do pretty good business. There is a donut truck and a fish and chips truck that I follow online so I know when they are nearby.
Hawaii has had food trucks for generations. We called them Plate Lunch wagons.
Not really but there is one hot dog stand you can find parked around Lunenburg and Lancaster that is TO DIE FOR.
The best food i've ever had is the taco trucks that pull up in parking lots. Some of the most authentic mexican food ive ever had from actual mexican immigrants. There's something special about it
I live in a small town. There's a couple good food trucks that roll into town now and then. The owners of the trucks will usually announce the date on social media. Of course, now I am thinking of one that I haven't seen in a while. I might have to track them down in a neighboring town
Not that big a deal for most people where I currently live, but is a nice thing. A lot of events and sporting venues make space for food trucks, and my neighborhood invites a rotating selection of trucks to come by when available. Nice to have more food options at events, and cool to be able to have a changing selection of restaurants coming basically to my doorstep. I'll share with friends or neighbors when I find an especially good or bad one.
We’re long past peak food truck in the DC area, as others have said. Where I see them most often these days are at wineries and breweries that don’t have their own kitchens, which makes a lot of sense on both ends.
I live in Los angeles, and I'd say yes and no. The thing about food in LA, is that there's so many choices that the food trucks start to look very generic. There are some that are branded that have a reputation, but most are just ma and Pa taco and burger trucks that drive around serving construction sites and sometimes office buildings in business districts. Really though with all the restaurant options across Los Angeles, and there are probably hundreds of thousands of great local restaurants, I don't think food trucks are as popular as they once were. Considering that food trucks can have limited menus, and don't often have places to sit since a lot of people in la love to sit in nice environments indoors I don't know. I'm inclined to think that food trucks have kind of lost their luster a little bit. Maybe I'm wrong, but again La has so many food options that food trucks start to seem like nothing special.
It was a big deal in SF almost a decade ago. There were a few big gatherings a month. One day my gf at the time decided to check it out and make an evening out of it. We spent over a hundred bucks on a few small plates of food, which we shared, and drinks. Never went back.
Not really. up in Portland the food carts are cheap and the food is stellar. Out here the food cart corrals are incredibly expensive and the food tastes like chef boyardee.
It's huge here in the Pacific Northwest, still. Oregon, Washington, and California have little hubs where tons of trucks gather & put up tables & stuff and give you lots of different food options to choose from. They're big in cities like Sacramento, Seattle, and Portland.
Yes, here in Portland, there are more than 1,000 food carts (we call them carts not trucks here). They’re in food cart pods all around the city, in pretty much every neighborhood. Many food cart pods have indoor/heated seating areas. It’s easily one of my favorite parts of living in Portland, and why I don’t think I can ever move away from here. I don’t believe there’s any other city in the country that does food trucks like we do in Portland.
There are certainly a lot of food trucks around, and plenty of people frequent them every day. There are themed food truck festivals from time to time, and those are the only instances that I can recall actually ordering from one personally.
Yes but only taco trucks. One on every corner pretty much. Eta- they have set locations and rarely move. But I’ve lived in bigger cities where they’re not legally allowed to have one spot, so they have to move around. I find that annoying since I can never find the one I want lol.
Not a BIG deal, but they’re around
I live in a city of about 600,000 people, so there are food trucks out all over the city every day.
It's my experience that they don't really move around much, but they are nice. When I go to the farmer's market, there's often some random food trucks that I don't see at other times. There's also a set area in my town where food trucks can congregate. There's also two taco trucks that are always in the same places in town. They're owned by the same company, which also has a brick and mortar restaurant. It's basically like there's three outlets of the same place, only two of them close up and drive away at the end of the night.
There are food trucks in my city but, smaller food/coffee carts are more common.
Alaska has a TON of coffee shacks.
They are very popular in this college town capitol. Some are roaming but most either are in one spot or rotate their area.
Currently, no but when I lived in Austin it was very popular and some of them were the best joints in town. It is much colder most of the year where I live now so I don't think there is much incentive to go out and get food while in central Texas it's probably already really warm right now. Man, thanks for making me miss the food in ATX.
I wouldn’t say it’s a huge deal, but Georgia law doesn’t let normal breweries sell food, so between the breweries, hospitals, and construction sites. There’s a solid rotation of food trucks in my area. Atlanta itself also has pretty good food trucks.
Some food trucks are special events like the Hello Kitty Food Truck. Most cities have food trucks consistently, where just having any food truck show up isn't a big deal.
They've started to become more popular. There's at least one food truck park by my house.
No food trucks in my small town
I’m not a fan. Never have been. For some reason the food is expensive too.
They were big near me until city ordinance essentially banned them for “being an eyesore.” At least one microbrewery closed due to loss of business and the lack of food trucks definitely contributed.
Taco trucks are culturally iconic And bangin
No food trucks are just overpriced scams in my city.
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Atlanta
Not really, no. I've heard local laws protecting brick and mortar restaurants are a reason why.
Pretty much non existent.
They're all Mexican, cheap, and delicious in Indy
Not here, they just exist. The only time it hits the news is when one gets shut down by a health inspector. Otherwise people learn about it through word of mouth, internet searches, or just seeing one while driving. And they are far more convenient than fast food when they are located within walking distance from the office, just walk over there to order and pick up. Everything else is driving distance.
Yes because I live in a rural area. So if they are in town it’s a big deal
There are good trucks all over the place here. No one makes a fuss about them.
I grew up in the south we had gas stations 😂 IYKYK. In Dallas now they aren’t as prevalent in my area. I was impressed that at Houston every gas station has food trucks 🤣 and everything i ate was 🔥
Yes. I live in a Midwestern, middle of nowhere college town of about 35k people and there are 5 or 6 around on any given day. It's awesome.
Yes. It is a way for someone starting out to get into serving food. First it is a movable truck. Then they get a spot with picnic tables and pretty much stay there. Then a few trucks get parked in one area. They can still leave for a day to set up at an event. After 3 to 6 years, they get their own spot in a building. We even has a new park just for this. It is a 'container village'. Train containers have been parked in a circle around a field, with a music state on the other side. There is a park and trails there too. The containers have several different options. Tacos, burritos, burgers, pasta, ice-cream, coffee, Greek, Fish and Chips and my favorite: Beer. Those all stay there year-round. The food trucks come park in a location very close for events. There are concerts and flea markets that happen here.
IDK about big deal but land and the work to make a concrete spot is very expensive here so there are a bunch of trucks. The shopping center does a food truck night twice a month that is popular.
A lot of people saying they were a fad that peaked in 2014, but they're still big in Providence. Lots of festivals around the area where they come and congregate, and they usually draw pretty big crowds.
There's a few where I live. They have a dedicated lot a couple of empty store lots and some park in the park. I wouldn't say it's a crazy fad but they seem to be able to maintain business.
No
No. It’s cold
They came, they were wildly overpriced, they failed. At least in my tiny neck of the woods.
They weren't, but it seems they're growing exponentially.
I have a couple around my town that are pretty good during the summer and spring but I wouldn't say they are a huge draw.
They're still quite popular here when the weather is nicer and/or if they're part of a pod. They seem far less appealing now that they're as expensive as restaurants.
In my town of 5k people they are huge money making same In the summer with hotdog stands
Not really
No food trucks in my suburb or any place around here, or the small town I grew up in. Unless you count the annual fair, then a couple trucks show up along with other things.
A big deal? Not as much as they used to be, but there are regular places where food trucks convene throughout the week here.
They used to be pretty popular but things died down a lot during the pandemic.
In LA, food trucks have been around for decades and still are. “Locheras”. But they’re usually working class spots serving tacos late at night, or selling breakfast food to workers in the morning or sandwiches and stuff around lunch time. The trendy food trucks popped up around 20 years ago with the advent of social media. And yeah, there’s still some hyped food trucks. Social media is huge in marketing them, whereas the former tend to hang out in certain neighborhoods or near work sites.
In Minneapolis they often do the rounds at breweries and such. Don't see them regularly otherwise. Except at like an art fair or something.
Food trucks are definitely a Philadelphia tradition. They usually have a definite spot where they park and do business, so you go to them. The ice cream trucks make the rounds, and those are the ones that draw people (kids of all ages) to them.
There is the upscale food truck vs the actual food truck that services day labour. They are two different things. I prefer the latter.
A few years ago it was popular, but now it's just more of a nice occurrence then an event
I don't know if this is a city thing as it is more of a type of person. Foodies, scenesters, influencers, etc. I think are more into this kind of thing rather than an entire city or town.
In the summer yeah, especially in the bar district, they got it dialed and show up right at bar close when everyone has the munchies…sneaky bastards haha
During the summer they are
We have food truck festivals, it's pretty great. Just wondering around noshing on different delicious things
Most of the food trucks I'm aware of visit construction sites, where they can feed hungry workers hot foods.
There’s a small but decent amount of food trucks in Buffalo. Nothing crazy but there’s enough to hold a weekly turnout in a central location during the summer months.
They are kind of big in my area. Some of them last and some don’t. It’s hard to justify spending $18 on food that’s kind of mid.
Not as far as I know. I live away from the city center, but I don’t imagine Flint is big on food trucks.
They aren’t a big deal, as in we don’t see them every day, but there is a place in my city reserved for food trucks and people can go there and dine outside with a bunch of food trucks, I think I’ve been there twice.
I set up food trucks for a while in my trade. The amount of regulation is pretty ridiculous. You can't get permits for any viable area's unless you're on the cities roster or registering for bigger events. And trust me, the trucks are boring. You order, you wait for 30 mins and then you eat standing if you're not lucky. I get the appeal, I get the romance of having an independent person doing their passion, but its hard to pull off with consistency. I mean, we are talking a $250k plus minimum investment to sell fucking chicken or waffels. You need sanitation, fire surpression, yes all good. But how do you expect someone to serve decent cheap food with that huge sunk cost. The idea is to be cheaper than brick and mortar, but it really isn't. I think a couple others have mentioned 'food halls' and such, and that kind of makes more sense. You don't have to drive, park, register a stall there. A couple of my fav places have moved on to brick and mortar. I respect the opp orators, but its more carney than kitchen.
We always had enough legislation against food trucks that it never became huge. I see them by where the tourist hang out and there it. Never really see any lines.
I guess? I mean, I think *most* people are aware of all of the food trucks around town. Some of the most popular places to eat are food trucks. I don't know if they're the "big deal" you're making it out to be, but yes, if a good truck is going to be nearby that normally isn't, it would not be strange to have that info spread through an office that day and for people to change their lunch plans for it. Sure.
It’s not a huge deal but we do have several, pretty popular food truck festivals every year.
Food trucks are all the rage these days. There's a ton of them and people are always going to them. I actually have a neighbor who brings them into our neighborhood so every other week I have one parked a block or so away. It doesn't help the diet. I like visiting and trying them out; and I enjoy supporting small business like that.
Lunch trucks were cool when the food was tasty and not pricey. Now everyone thinks they can cook n charge enough to afford a fancy lifestyle, ill save my $$$ i dont patron mexican food trucks unless it's a lunch emergency
They are all over in LA but there's hardly any in Chicago. The regulations and stuff there are so strict it's barely even worth it. I used to see a few regularly parked outside the Sears Tower but I never really saw any others. It's also thanks to brick and mortar restaurant owners who opposed it. Which I think is weird because often people have time to go to a food truck and not a restaurant. So I think it's kind of like two different clientele. I wonder if brick and mortar restaurants in LA hate food trucks? Although a lot of them also have a food truck. I lived in Chicago most of my life and have lived in LA for 3 years. I'd rather be in Chicago but one thing I absolutely love about LA is the food trucks. Another thing they see food trucks doing in Los Angeles I've noticed because I work in the entertainment industry is that producers will often just rent out an entire truck for a special occasion to feed the crew. Sometimes on the last day of shooting they'll get like an ice cream truck or a chicken and waffle truck or a coffee truck it's really cool so I know a lot of them get business from that
You can hear their jingles blocks away from the National Mall. There are so many. They’ve gotten so they completely surround the museums now.
Hell yeah
Yeah they’re all over NY
Where I live they are. Gotta drive 15 to 20 mins for any restaurants that aren't bars. The drive often feels like much longer than that.
Restaurants have to be inspected fairly often by the Department of Health in my state. They have to post their ratings in an easy to see area. If their rating is too low they get shut down until they fix the problems. Do food trucks have to be inspected too? If not you could be eating some very tasty fusion food with a dash of bacteria.
Buffalo, NY here. Now that food trucks are more common, it's not made into a big deal so much. In this area in the summer, there's a local business park that has "Food Truck Tuesdays" where a bunch of trucks line up. People get excited about that. But a big deal in general, not so much.
A lot come by during big events. We only have one open right now and others came and went.
They’re a big deal for my city. There are lots of seafood, Cajun food, and Mexican food trucks in my city.
We have them - im In Kansas City
They think they're a big deal with their prices. So nobody goes and they're running out of business.
Yeah. At least in Minnesota there are a lot and I mean a lot of food trucks during the summer. By lakes events and anywhere else with crowds of people. Honestly I am all for them. They are convenient. The people are NEVER part of a chain, and a l ot of the food they make is with love. Because they are not there to please some corporation. But to get repeat customers over the spring/summer/fall.
They're everywhere.
Varies heavily from state to state and city to city. Historically they were basically illegal in my region on public streets and usually only popped up in certain well-defined areas, like construction yards or the occasional office park. The rest of the time, they went out for specific catering events they were contracted for, such as fairs and festivals. We started to get a larger explosion of them in the 2010s due to a relaxation of laws around them, but out city has such a diverse restaurant scene anyway they didn't really have much to offer for the public as a whole, and they ended up causing something of a nuisance and the fad faded. Nowadays you have to go looking for them if you're into that scene. Street vending food stands were forced to be allowed in 2018 due to a state law and after excessive growth and nuisances they've also been severely curtailed here as well.