The Food Truck History & Evolution

The history of the food truck is ingrained in the history of our county the same as it is now ingrained in popular food culture.

It all started during the country’s expansion westward, wherein people were on the road for days or even months.  This was also the case during cattle drives in Texas.  Cattlemen herded cattle to parts of the country where railroads were unavailable and in order to keep these men supplied and fed, the chuckwagon was born.  The idea came from the father of the Texas panhandle and cattle herder, Charles Goodnight, when he realized how hard it was to prepare meals on the road for long periods of time.  He converted a US Army wagon and stocked it with cooking equipment, utensils, tableware, spices, food provisions such as coffee, cornmeal, beans, and it even carried medical supplies for the trip.  In order to keep, the meats were mostly dried, salted, or smoked.  The chuckwagon also carried a water barrel and a sling to kindle wood. Thus, the template for the modern food truck was born.

The rise of our cities was also a contributing factor to the mobile food culture.  In the early 1900’s there were nighttime wagons called night owls that catered to those who worked during nights since other eating establishments were already closed.  There were also versions of these mobile canteens that operated on stateside army bases.

In more recent history, loncheras or lunch trucks have been serving construction sites and other places where a nearby brick and mortar eatery cannot be found.  In LA, mobile taquerias have also been part of the cultural landscape since the 60’s.

But the resurgence and the current wave of food trucks that we have now may be attributed to the recession.  Since construction slowed down and food professionals were also losing their jobs there was suddenly an oversupply of both food trucks and cooks.  At the same time, Americans were also on the pinch and looking for cheaper places to eat at.  But nobody imagined it would grow to become a multi-billion dollar industry.  Brought about also by the emergence of social media, these food trucks now serve gourmet style food.  There are now different ethnic and fusion food trucks that have elevated the industry to a whole new level.  These trucks also now cater to private, outdoor parties or events and can now be seen in food truck hubs and festivals all over the country.

Mobile food has made its mark and is already ingrained in our food culture.  Expect to find more innovative food concepts and high quality food at affordable prices for years to come.
A great outlet for used food trucks is www.USEDvending.com

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_truck

http://www.culinaryschools.com/history-of-food-trucks#sthash.CB3Bbog6.dpuf