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Food truck

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A food truck is a large motorized vehicle (such as a van or multi-stop truck ) or trailer equipped to store, transport, cook , prepare , serve and/or sell food .

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54-419: Some food trucks, such as ice cream trucks , sell frozen or prepackaged food, but many have on-board kitchens and prepare food from scratch, or they reheat food that was previously prepared in a brick and mortar commercial kitchen. Sandwiches , hamburgers , hot dogs , chicken , tacos , pizza , french fries and other typical fast food and finger food staples are common food truck fare, though since

108-524: A career. Though food trucks primarily developed in the United States , United Kingdom , and France , they have become increasingly popular and more available in other parts of Europe and the Americas , as well as Asia and Oceania . Food trucks, along with food booths and food carts , are major components of the street food industry that serves an estimated 2.5 billion people daily. In

162-410: A chance to experience food they otherwise may not. Finding a niche seems to be a path to success for most trucks. While one truck may specialize in outlandish burgers, another may serve only lobster rolls. Gourmet food trucks can also offer a unique dining experience. With the rise of millennial diners, experiential dining has become more mainstream, driving restaurant and food truck owners to create

216-516: A college education, whether or not they work in a blue-collar job. Some people who find themselves in academic jobs who were raised by parents or belong to families that are predominately blue-collar may take on some of the habits, processes, and philosophies utilized by laborers and workers. Some of these students, staff, and faculty refer to themselves as blue-collar scholars . With the Information Age , Western nations have moved towards

270-414: A high school diploma is required, and many of the skills required for blue-collar jobs are learned by the employee while working . In higher level blue collar jobs, such as becoming an electrician or plumber , vocational training or apprenticeships are required and state-certification is also necessary. For this reason, it is common to apply the label "blue collar" or "working class" to people without

324-399: A mobile retail outlet for pre-packaged ice cream , usually during the spring and summer. Ice cream vans are often seen parked at public events, or near parks, beaches, or other areas where people congregate. Ice cream vans often travel near where children play – outside schools, in residential areas, or in other locations. They usually stop briefly before moving on to the next street. Along

378-727: A popular trend in the media. An Australian national online directory, Where The Truck , listed around 5,000 food trucks in 2020. In Hong Kong , food trucks started to hit the streets in February 2017. In Japan , there are bento (box lunch), ramen , fried chicken , fried bread , pizza, crêpe , and ice cream "kitchen cars" (キッチンカー, kichinkā ). The national government legalized food trucks in South Korea in September 2014 and numbers have continued to climb steadily since then. Many young people are trying to create food trucks, and

432-568: A service and white-collar economy. Many manufacturing jobs have been offshored to developing nations which pay their workers lower wages. This offshoring has pushed formerly agrarian nations to industrialized economies and concurrently decreased the number of blue-collar jobs in developed countries. In the U.S., blue collar and service occupations generally refer to jobs in precision production, craft, and repair occupations; machine operators and inspectors; transportation and moving occupations; handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers. In

486-506: A sign, in the shape of a stop sign, that warns other drivers of children crossing the street to buy food or ice cream. They also play music to attract consumers to their trucks. With the advent of social media networking, many ice cream truck operators are redefining the traditional business model. Not satisfied with the traditional approach of cruising for customers, some operators such as gourmet ice cream sandwich maker Coolhaus are developing followings on social media sites and "announcing"

540-600: A single truck in 2009 to 11 trucks and carts, two storefronts, and over 2,500 retail store partners by September 2014. The libertarian Reason magazine states that in US, cities, food trucks are subject to protectionist regulations designed to prevent them from competing with brick and mortar restaurants. For example, in Chicago, a regulation prevents food trucks "...from selling food within 200 feet of brick-and-mortar restaurants and, hence, prohibit them from operating throughout

594-526: A unique experience for their customers. As food trucks are mobile, this provides an advantage to gourmet trucks to take their experience anywhere they may please. Food truck rallies and food truck parks are also growing in popularity in the United States, wherein multiple food trucks gather in one location, usually in cooperation with each other, with the goal of attracting business through the variety offered. On August 31, 2013, Tampa , Florida hosted

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648-536: A wider range of products is becoming available. However, it is not possible to operate food trucks everywhere. In the case of Korea, there is only a limited number of places designated by each local government. Chip trucks have long been a staple of the Belgian countryside. The Belgian Food Truck Association is lobbying to legalize food trucks on the street. Brussels was the first European city to propose locations for food trucks at football matches. Belgium also holds

702-412: A year; its products have been exported to over 60 countries. The company has also been developing a fully electric on-board battery system to power the soft-scoop machines it fits; the first all-electric van was expected to be delivered in the summer of 2019. Apart from ice cream, ice cream trucks may also sell snow cones , Italian ice or water ice , snacks, soft drinks, and candy. Many trucks carry

756-543: Is potential demand for regular meals or snacks. In Canada, food trucks, also known as cantines (French for cafeteria) in Quebec , are present across the country, serving a wide variety of cuisines. Although street food in Mexico is unregulated, food trucks are becoming increasingly popular as of 2013 and owners have created an association to pursue the professionalization and expansion of this commercial sector. In addition to

810-409: Is their melodic chimes, and often these take the form of a famous and recognizable tune. Ice cream truck songs in the United States and Canada include Brahms' "Lullaby" , " Camptown Races ", " The Entertainer ", " La Cucaracha ", " Little Brown Jug ", " The Mister Softee Jingle ", " Music Box Dancer ", " Picnic " (a Japanese children's song usually played with a voice saying, "hello" at the beginning of

864-476: The pop-up restaurant phenomenon of the 2010s, food trucks specializing in a wide variety of gourmet , specialty , global , regional , and fusion cuisines have seen growing popularity. Food trucks often also sell or fully specialize in beverages such as soft drink , juice , coffee , tea , and water , as well as treats such as ice cream , pastries , and fried dough . Historical predecessors of food trucks were horse-drawn chuckwagons and lunch wagons of

918-600: The working class . In contrast, the white-collar worker typically performs work in an office environment and may involve sitting at a computer or desk. A third type of work is a service worker ( pink collar ) whose labor is related to customer interaction, entertainment, sales or other service-oriented work. Particularly those service jobs that have historically been female dominated such as nurses, teachers, early childhood educators, florists, etc. Many occupations blend blue, white, or pink-collar work and are often paid hourly wage-labor , although some professionals may be paid by

972-529: The "Préfet" (chief of police) of the Seine region decided to develop and spread what they called then "friteries automobiles" (automobile French fries shop, which were then called "Auto-Morain"). This political measure took place in a context of economical crisis following First World War, which led people to lack essential products, including food. Most of the time, these shops sold 185 grams of French fries and fried fish for "1 franc 25" (1,26€ ,1,38$ in 2023). It also

1026-671: The 1880s, former lunch counter worker Thomas H. Buckley was manufacturing lunch wagons in Worcester, Massachusetts . He introduced various models, like the Owl and the White House Cafe, with features that included sinks, refrigerators, cooking stoves, colored windows, and other ornamentation. In 1936 the Food Code spread its regulatory umbrella to include food trucks as a result of their introduction to society. Later versions of

1080-503: The 1980s Glasgow ice cream wars , as front organizations to sell illicit drugs. Whitby Morrison , based in Crewe , Cheshire , was founded by Bryan Whitby who filed a UK patent in 1965 for mobile ice cream producing equipment through which soft serve units were powered off the van's drive mechanism. Today, the company is the UK's biggest ice cream van manufacturer, producing around 100 vans

1134-399: The 19th century. By the early-to-mid-20th century, trucks and vans were being used both as mobile canteens in the military and as "roach coaches" that traveled to worksites and primarily catered to blue-collar workers . Into the 21st century, economic and cultural shifts surrounding the foodservice industry led to a considerable rise in popularity among customers and food truck operation as

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1188-764: The Brussels Food Truck Festival, the largest of its kind in Europe, every year in May. While it is commonly admitted that the first French food trucks ("camions-restaurants" in French even though the word "foodtruck" is used more frequently) appeared in Marseille in the 1960's with trucks selling pizzas, it is proved that it actually appeared for the first time in Paris back in 1924. At the time, Alfred Morain,

1242-780: The Prefecture of Police. Most of the trucks offer tacos, hamburgers, pizza. Certain regions have specific specialities, such as galette-saucisse (sausage within a buckwheat crepe) in Brittany or fries in the north. Compared to other countries, food trucks in Ireland are a relatively new addition to the Irish food industry. All food trucks in Ireland must be registered with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and are inspected by Environmental Health Officers (EHO). With

1296-957: The U.S., an area known as the Rust Belt , comprising the Northeast and Midwest , including Western New York and Western Pennsylvania , has seen its once large manufacturing base shrink significantly. With the deindustrialization of these areas beginning in the mid-1960s and accelerating throughout the late 20th century, cities like Allentown , Bethlehem , Erie , and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania ; Cleveland , Toledo , and Youngstown in Ohio ; Detroit in Michigan ; Buffalo and Rochester in New York ; and St. Louis in Missouri experienced

1350-518: The US, specialized food truck outfitters offer comprehensive start-up services that can include concept development, training, and business support, in addition to outfitted trucks. Often, however, it makes more sense for a new operator to lease a truck. In the US, food trucks are a $ 1.2 billion industry. By 2017, the US food truck industry had surpassed $ 2.7 billion. Expansion from a single truck to fleets and retail outlets has proven possible. Los Angeles-based gourmet ice cream maker Coolhaus grew from

1404-467: The United States, contrary to a common perception that food trucks are typically run-down and found at construction sites. In 2009, New York magazine noted that the food truck had "largely transcended its roach-coach classification and is now a respectable venue for aspiring chefs to launch careers." These gourmet trucks' menus run the gamut of ethnic and fusion cuisine. Often focusing on limited but creative dishes at reasonable prices, they offer customers

1458-904: The United States, the Texas chuckwagon is a precursor to the American food truck. In the later 19th century, herding cattle from the Southwest to markets in the North and East kept cowhands on the trail for months at a time. In 1866, the "father of the Texas Panhandle", cattle rancher Charles Goodnight , fitted a sturdy old United States Army wagon with interior shelving and drawers, and stocked it with kitchenware, food, and medical supplies. Food consisted of dried beans, coffee, cornmeal , greasy cloth-wrapped bacon , salt pork , dried or salted beef , and other easy-to-preserve foodstuffs. The wagon

1512-673: The advent of motorised transport during World War II , food trucks came into common use. Mobile canteens were used in almost all theatres of war to boost morale and provide food as a result of the successful tea lady experiment. Food trucks today are sometimes known as snack vans or burger vans. They can be found on many major trunk roads at the side of the road or in areas that have a large pedestrian population, such as town centres and events such as village fêtes. These vans can specialise in many different food types, such as doughnuts, hamburgers, chili and chips, as well as ethnic food. Some people prefer to stop at snack vans when travelling, due to

1566-687: The city's downtown area", which critics have called an "anti-competitive" rule for food truck operators. The popularity of food trucks lead to the creation of associations that protect and support their business rights, such as the Philadelphia Mobile Food Association . Tracking food trucks has been made easy with social media like Facebook and Twitter , where a favorite gourmet truck can be located at any moment, with updates on specials, new menu items and location changes. Food trucks have unique health risks compared to regular restaurants when it comes to food safety and

1620-451: The course of their work. Navy and light blue colors conceal potential dirt or grease on the worker's clothing, helping them to appear cleaner. For the same reason, blue is a popular color for boilersuits which protect workers' clothing. Some blue collar workers have uniforms with the name of the business or the individual's name embroidered or printed on it. Historically, the popularity of the colour blue among manual labourers contrasts with

1674-505: The current London Local Authorities Bill would allow only 15 minutes trading per vehicle per street each day. There also exists a nationwide code of practice for the use of chimes, which limits the volume to 80 dB and the duration to twelve seconds, but these are rarely observed nor enforced. Chimes must not be played more often than every three minutes, near hospitals, schools and churches when they are in use. In Scotland, ice cream vans have been used to sell smuggled cigarettes and, in

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1728-674: The distinction of being the only city in the United States that did not allow food trucks to cook on board, which required trucks to prepare food in a commercial kitchen, then wrap and label the food and load it into a food warmer. In 2012, under pressure from food truck owners and supporters, including the University of Chicago Law School, regulations were changed to allow on-board cooking, however, controversially, food trucks are required to park 200 feet away from any restaurant, which virtually eliminates busy downtown locations (an example of pushback, restaurant owners lobbying city government). In

1782-696: The fierce rivalry between ice cream vans in coterminous areas, with the main disputes being over who is entitled to sell ice cream in a particular 'patch'. This has also led to some ice cream van vendors diversifying and selling other products such as crisps , chips , burgers or hot dogs from their vehicles at other times of the year. In a number of Local Authority areas, particularly in London Boroughs with existing street markets, street trading regulations prohibit ice cream vans from remaining in one static location. The legislation also contains powers to ban ice-cream vans from specific streets. Proposals in

1836-542: The food truck seemed to be a clear choice and a smaller financial investment than a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Once more commonplace in American coastal big cities like New York City and Los Angeles, gourmet food trucks are now to be found as well in suburbs and small towns. Food trucks are also hired for special events, like weddings, movie shoots, and corporate gatherings, and also to carry advertising promoting companies and brands. In 2011, USA Today noted that food trucks selling pricier food were gaining popularity across

1890-401: The food truck were mobile canteens , which were created in the late 1950s. These mobile canteens were authorized by the U.S. Army and operated on stateside Army bases. Mobile food trucks, nicknamed "roach coaches" or "gut trucks", have been around for years, serving construction sites, factories, and other blue-collar locations. In big cities, the food truck traditionally provided a means for

1944-512: The food trucks catering on the streets, there are regular bazaars organized to introduce their products to the consumers. In response to this popularity, the local authorities have issued a series of special regulations to incorporate them into legal schemes that would help to regulate this form of commerce. As a new food truck business model emerged, some local bodybuilders begin to make food trucks from new vehicles from major car-makers. Food trucks are available across Australia, and are covered as

1998-556: The ice cream truck community (most trucks are independently owned and run), some do exist. In some locations, ice cream van operators have diversified to fill gaps in the market for soft drinks, using their capacity for refrigerated storage to sell chilled cans and bottles. Early ice cream vans carried simple ice cream, during a time when most families did not own a freezer. As freezers became more commonplace, ice cream vans moved towards selling novelty ice cream items, such as bars and ice pops. A distinctive feature of ice cream vans

2052-752: The location of their trucks. Professionally-built ice cream trucks that sell prepackaged foods are called "novelty trucks". They use commercial cold plate freezers that plug in overnight and when unplugged maintain their temperature for at least 12 hours. Music systems are mechanical, such as melody IC, or more commonly digital soundchips that have no tape or other moving parts. Each "music box" may be able to play one or multiple tunes. Norway has two leading ice-cream van companies; Isbilen (lit. ice-car) by Fråst, and Diplom-isbilen by Diplom-Is . Diplom-Isbilen sell ice cream made by Diplom-Is, and isbilen sell ice cream made by Isbjørn-Is, they also sell fish . The ice cream vans can be heard from afar, and attract customers to

2106-488: The low price, rather than stopping at a motorway service station where prices can be extremely high. With the British street food industry growing 20% year-on-year, the increase in popularity of having a mobile food van at events has been substantial. Ice cream van An ice cream van ( British ) or ice cream truck ( American ) is a commercial vehicle that serves as a cold-food specialty food truck or

2160-570: The on-the-go person to grab a quick bite at a low cost. Food trucks are still sought out for nostalgia from this era. During the 2010s the economic changes caused by the Great Recession , technological factors, and street food being "hip" or "chic" have combined to increase the number of food trucks in the United States. The construction business was drying up, leading to a surplus of food trucks, and chefs from high-end restaurants were being laid off. For experienced cooks suddenly without work,

2214-691: The other half being serious violations. When compared to fixed location restaurants, the city closed nine of the 96 licensed food trucks in 2016 and closed only two out of 100 restaurants. A majority of the serious violations were related to the lack of water and hand washing. In Brazil, food trucks started with trucks that served food during carnival time and after soccer games, sporting events, and concerts. However, when trucks began to serve gourmet food (with higher prices), food trucks were no longer associated with popular food, and it became trendy to eat street food from food trucks. Nowadays they are all commonly found across Brazil, at practically any place where there

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2268-485: The popularity of white dress shirts worn by people in office environments. The blue collar/white collar colour scheme has socio-economic class connotations. However, this distinction has become blurred with the increasing importance of skilled labor , and the relative increase in low-paying white-collar jobs. Since many blue-collar jobs consist of mainly manual labor, educational requirements for workers are typically lower than those of white-collar workers. Often, not even

2322-406: The prevention of foodborne illness . Most food trucks do not have access to adequate clean and hot water necessary to wash hands or to rinse off vegetables, as required by most health codes or regulations. In June 2017, The Boston Globe reviewed the 2016 city health records and found that food trucks had been cited for violations 200 times, with half of the violations being minor in nature and

2376-452: The project or salaried. There are a wide range of payscales for such work depending upon field of specialty and experience. The term blue collar was first used in reference to trades jobs in 1924, in an Alden, Iowa newspaper. The phrase stems from the image of manual workers wearing blue denim or chambray shirts as part of their uniforms. Industrial and manual workers often wear durable canvas or cotton clothing that may be soiled during

2430-504: The rear cut away and replaced with a fibre glass body (to reduce the weight). Because of the British climate , running an ice cream van profitably is not only very difficult outside summer, but is also an unpredictable business. A summer heatwave can provoke a massive upturn in fortunes for a few days, but after the weather has cooled sales drop off dramatically. The need to take advantage of rare and short-lived opportunities can result in

2484-491: The same range of concerns as other foodservice businesses. There are a variety of permits to obtain, and a health code to observe. Equipment, labor and fuel costs are a significant part of the overhead. Legal definitions and requirements for food trucks vary widely by country and locality. For example, in Toronto, some of the requirements include business and liability insurance, a Commercial Vehicle Operator's Registration for

2538-473: The sides, a large sliding window acts as a serving hatch, and this often displays pictures of the available products and their prices. Most ice cream vans tend to sell both pre-manufactured ice pops in wrappers, and soft serve ice cream from a machine, served in a cone, and often with a chocolate flake (in Britain), a sugary syrup , or toppings such as sprinkles . While franchises or chains are rare within

2592-687: The song), " Pop Goes the Weasel ", " Red Wing ", " Sailing, Sailing ", and " Turkey in the Straw ". In Australia and New Zealand, ice cream vans traditionally play " Greensleeves ". There are mainly two types of ice cream vans in the United Kingdom: a hard van , which sells scoop ice cream and is only equipped with a freezer and a soft van , which has a freezer and also a soft serve " whippy " machine for serving ice cream cones and screwballs . They are usually converted from factory standard vans with

2646-892: The street by playing the iconic tune "Norge rundt", symbolizing their presence all over the country. Blue-collar A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labor or skilled trades . Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing , retail , warehousing , mining , excavation , carpentry , electricity generation and power plant operations , electrical construction and maintenance, custodial work , farming , commercial fishing , logging , landscaping , pest control , food processing , oil field work, waste collection and disposal , recycling , construction , maintenance , shipping , driving , trucking , and many other types of physical work. Blue-collar work often involves something being physically built or maintained. In social status, blue-collar workers generally belong to

2700-575: The truck, permits for each municipality being operated in (downtown, various suburbs), a food handler certificate, appropriate driver's licenses for drivers, assistant's licenses for assistants, and a health inspection. As the rising number and popularity of food trucks push them into the food mainstream, region by region, problems with local legislators and police reacting to new situations, and pushback from brick-and-mortar restaurants fearing competition, are amongst issues having to be worked through, creating significant business uncertainty. Chicago long held

2754-400: The world's largest food truck rally, with 99 trucks attending. The Tampa Rally broke its own record by bringing together 121 food trucks in 2014. The Chicago Food Truck Festival hosts over 40 trucks each year with 60,000 guests participating over two days in Chicago. Food truck parks, offering permanent locations, are found in urban and suburban areas across the US. Food trucks are subject to

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2808-551: Was also stocked with a water barrel and a sling to kindle wood to heat and cook food. Another early relative of the modern food truck is the "lunch wagon", horse-drawn street cars whose night version was known as the "night owl", as conceived by food vendor Walter Scott in 1872 as a "kitchen on wheels". Scott cut windows in a small covered wagon, parked it in front of a newspaper office in Providence, Rhode Island , and sold sandwiches, pies, and coffee to pressmen and journalists. By

2862-613: Was the State Under-Secretary dedicated to "public works, ports, merchant marine and fishing" (Sous-Secrétaire d’Etat aux travaux publics, chargé des ports, de la marine marchande et des pêches,), publicised his visit of a "rolling French fries shop" (friterie roulante), which was called "Friterie Auguste" and sold fries and fried fish in Paris. Nowadays, foodtrucks are very popular in France. Their owners need to obtain permission from four separate government agencies, including

2916-452: Was the first time that fish was sold along with fries in France but then again, this took place in a context of promotion of the French fishing business. The arrival of this kind of shops did not go unnoticed: many press articles and political staging took place. In 1925, "Le Petit Inventeur", a newspaper, commented on the success of the "operation" and on the "very interesting prices [of the products]", and, in 1926, Mario (Marius) Roustan , who

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