The rise and rise of Australia's Food Truck Scene

Posted by JP on August 6th, 2019

You might have noticed a new phenomena on the streets of your town. Brightly coloured trucks, with big logos dishing out food to hordes of people. Maybe you've walked past one and wondered what the fuss was about. Maybe you've been following a few trucks on Instagram but haven't yet been in the right place at the right time. Maybe you're a dedicated food truck fanatic who knows the schedules of all your favourites. Wherever you are on the scale, there's no denying it: Food trucks in Australian cities are here to stay.    

Although initially more of a novelty, there has been a sustained and organic growth in the food truck market over the last decade. In Melbourne, for example, there are now a number of places which are specifically designed for food trucks. Ten years ago food trucks in Melbourne were posting their locations on Facebook hoping people would come. Now they are having to organise spaces specifically to cater for the growth in the market!

Part of the appeal of eating at a food truck is that it melds street food and traditional meal preparation. It's not exactly like the hawker halls you might see in Malaysia, but it's also not a fine dining restaurant in Paris. A food truck straddles the line between informal and formal dining, enabling Australians to access some of the fun of street food, but in a controlled way. It fits in perfectly with our favourite type of dining. Great food in a relaxed environment. We've never really been big on the starched white napkins and overly formal table layouts, so of course it makes sense we'd be into the food truck scene as well.  

The beauty of a food truck is that it's mobile. That's a captain obvious statement, but it bears repeating. Unlike your traditional brick and mortar establishments, a food truck has the ability to go to where the people are. If you know it's going to be a hot day, go to the beach and post it on your Instagram page. A coffee cart for hire at a suburban railway station makes the early morning commute much more bearable but then on the weekends you can find it at your local park. What's better than a morning latte during the week AND finishing your Saturday morning stroll and having a barista-made flat white, right there in the park? 

Perhaps one part of the growth in food trucks which has been underplayed is the human factor. Food trucks, by their nature, encourage conversation. There's no hidden kitchen. The people serving and making your food are all there, right in front of your eyes. As a customer you end up knowing who owns and works at the food truck, and this can be a nice bit of human connection in an increasingly digital world. 

There's no slowing down this new way of consuming food. It offers consumers an experience; one day you might be eating your favourite food by the beach and then the next, in the park next to your house. Australians are embracing food trucks as an ideal way to get restaurant worthy meals, conveniently located, at a fraction of the cost.

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JP

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JP
Joined: August 6th, 2019
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