Food trucks had faded from the spotlight in the last few years. But the prolonged global pandemic has provided the right environment for their comeback.
Restaurant chains around the world are launching new food trucks to feed customers’ demand for meals to-go, according to Technomic’s Global Foodservice Navigator Program. These mobile kitchens fit today’s foodservice needs: They encourage social distancing, specialize in foods that travel well and can easily transition to delivery vehicles.
Two of Yum Brands global concepts are moving into food trucks. Pizza Hut Indonesia launched its first truck in late 2020 to conform with tightening COVID-19 restrictions and expects to keep it going even when things get back to normal. And KFC Thailand is currently testing the truck format. A food truck offers the flexibility of changing locations so KFC can take its chicken directly to customers’ neighborhoods.
Doggis, sometimes referred to as the “McDonald’s of Chile,”debuted a truck that offers a downsized menu of its iconic hot dogs and other core items at a fixed location. It’s the first of several the chain is planning, Technomic reports. Another South American chain, Juan Valdez, is expanding in Colombia. The coffee cafe is adding a fleet of trucks to the two it currently has in Bogota so it can cover more metro areas.
Casual dining is riding the mobile trend in Germany. Full-service Sausalitos rolled out a truck outfitted as a bar and grill during Germany’s second lockdown.
Like others in the industry, Sausalitos sees this brand extension as a viable growth platform once restrictions are lifted. A new survey by BlueDot, a provider of mobile app geolocation technology, found that consumers expect takeout to remain a habit post-pandemic.
