I recently came across an insightful case study (attached) titled "From Niche to Movement to Mainstream" about the rise of the food truck movement (and hip hop).
Reading it, I couldn't help but see the parallels with our work (and think about a similar discussion Can we copy the craft beer movement?)...here are some of the interesting nuggets I gleaned from the food truck PDF (attached):
The catalyst for the food truck explosion was the Great Recession: restauranteurs (and others reinventing their careers) had less resources, needed to get scrappy, and well, necessity is the mother of invention.
The food truck industry grew up alongside social media platforms, which gave niches a bigger voice...in fact many food trucks counted on social media as part of their business model (to let people know where they'd be parked).
Food trucks (with their low overhead and flexibility) aren't admired in the brick-and-mortar restaurant world: but food truckers focused on their niche say "we don't steal restaurant customers, we earn them."
Products that food trucks sell tend to come from higher quality, often healthier ingredients designated to fill that all-too-important niche. Food trucks, very early on, realized that clear communications – and two-way dialogue through social media – were critical to establishing and growing their consumer base.
Tools and infrastructure that food trucks need to collaborate in a 21st century economy are evolving. New types of businesses (you can have keys cut, get shoes or bicycles repaired or any number of ancillary services from mobile vendors), training and finance components for people in the neighborhood, too, business coaches, microloan program...etc.
I especially found this quote interesting...
Reading it, I couldn't help but see the parallels with our work (and think about a similar discussion Can we copy the craft beer movement?)...here are some of the interesting nuggets I gleaned from the food truck PDF (attached):
The catalyst for the food truck explosion was the Great Recession: restauranteurs (and others reinventing their careers) had less resources, needed to get scrappy, and well, necessity is the mother of invention.
The food truck industry grew up alongside social media platforms, which gave niches a bigger voice...in fact many food trucks counted on social media as part of their business model (to let people know where they'd be parked).
Food trucks (with their low overhead and flexibility) aren't admired in the brick-and-mortar restaurant world: but food truckers focused on their niche say "we don't steal restaurant customers, we earn them."
If your restaurant with climate control, bathrooms, tables and sometimes alcohol can’t compete with a food truck that has none of that, well, maybe it’s time to go knit or do something else.
Products that food trucks sell tend to come from higher quality, often healthier ingredients designated to fill that all-too-important niche. Food trucks, very early on, realized that clear communications – and two-way dialogue through social media – were critical to establishing and growing their consumer base.
Tools and infrastructure that food trucks need to collaborate in a 21st century economy are evolving. New types of businesses (you can have keys cut, get shoes or bicycles repaired or any number of ancillary services from mobile vendors), training and finance components for people in the neighborhood, too, business coaches, microloan program...etc.
I especially found this quote interesting...
"A lot of food trucks are not necessarily getting into the food truck business with the intention of staying there for the next 10-20 years,’ notes Stensson. ‘It’s often a short-term project. And some do it with the intention of opening a brick and mortar as an outgrowth of that food truck. There’s a lot going on there. But I don’t think it’s going to go away—I think it’s just going to keep evolving and maturing.’