The major social changes coming out of COVID-19, particularly to foodservice, have elevated the role and opportunity around the humble food truck as an additional solution.
Increased awareness of hygiene induced by the pandemic signals the end of some traditional foodservice options, such as buffets and smorgasbords, and the modern widespread adoption of share plates for groups, while social distancing requirements and crowd-phobia are meaning fewer people in existing dining spaces.
These pressures are seeing the old concept of the food truck come further back into vogue, and companies such as F&B Truck Co (F&BT) report venues post-COVID are enquiring more about options to leverage under-utilised space on their properties.
“F&B trucks are fast emerging as a staple of the hospitality industry, following established trends already set in Europe, Asia and America,” says F&BT’s Shaun Dunleavy.
“Serving up high quality F&B that rivals some of the best restaurants, they also have the benefit of doubling as unique bar and kitchen facilities.”
Australia’s largest publican, ALH, recently had a custom food truck placed at its Mermaid Waters Hotel. The truck was designed as a service bar, turning the redundant drive-through area into a bar and beer garden.
The trucks and vans by F&BT are customised from shells manufactured in Asia, several models in the style of vintage ‘Airstream’ caravans. The shells are fitted with equipment and checked for safety and compliance in Australia, coming with a 12-month warranty. Tailored graphic design wraps and decals can also be provided.
The custom build process typically takes 10-16 weeks, making them a far quicker and cheaper solution than constructing new additions to a venue. They also don’t require Development Approvals, nor major plumbing or infrastructure, meaning they can be relocated as required.
Dunleavy says there are plenty of advantages in this kind of solution for pubs looking to make the most of extra square metreage, particularly without outlaying large amounts of capital.
“They are a custom-designed, plug & play solution designed to add new profit centres to a business, with their application only limited by the imagination of the operator.”
