Top Street Food Trends

Quick Links In this article:

• What is Street Food?
• Types of Street Food Vendors
• Top Street Food Trends
• Vegan Street Food Options
• To-go Friendly, Biodegradable Packaging
• Marketing and Advertising
• Trends in Food Truck Operations
• Food Truck Trends and How Street Food is Served to Customers

What is Street Food?

When asked, “What is street food?” often, the answer is vaguer than expected. Street food is prepared in a mobile kitchen and sold by vendors on the street or in other public locations. Patrons wait while the food is cooked (or assembled) in front of them, ready for immediate consumption. Some Food Halls or other venues provide seating, but the expectation is that the food is eaten on the go – usually while walking. And while eating that hot dog, taco, or another delectable treat on the sidewalk, nobody asks, “What is street food?”

Types of Street Food Vendors

When you think of street food, you may picture a single truck offering culturally specific food items as it moves throughout various neighborhoods. While this is still common, the growing prevalence of Food Halls and Pop-Up shops has contributed to the growth of mobile vendors and changed how street food is served to customers.

As part of the food truck trends, temporary food halls, food festivals, and pop-up vendors have emerged. What was once only an annual scene at the local summer fair now happens frequently. Food vendors gather as patrons line up for a smorgasbord of delights.

Top Street Food Trends

Global food truck trends see repeating patterns fueling this growth and changes in how street food is served to customers. These trends include:

• Vegan Street Food Options
• Street Food at Food Halls
• To-Go Friendly, Biodegradable Packaging
• Marketing and Advertising
• Food Truck Operations

Vegan Street Food Options

As veganism grows, so do vegan street food options. In the US, people identifying as vegan increased by 600% over the last 4 years. Plus, people are reducing their meat consumption for health and ethical reasons. So, the vegan meat alternative market is set to grow by 25%.

This vegan trend moves into the street food industry as more vendors cater to the growing demand. Vegan food trucks and stalls pop up selling vegan burgers, pizza, humus, jackfruit burritos and more. All so delicious that even meat-lovers can’t resist.

Street Food at Food Halls

Food Halls featuring food trucks, stands and pop-up shops gather in one place to draw customers together for an event that is so much more than a meal. Some public events have names like Street Feasts and Street Eats.

Corporate events throw off the stuffy neckties and fancy sit-down catering to welcome several food trucks. Employees indulge in more food choices and mingle. Private events open new horizons in food truck trends for open-air celebrations.

The responsible disposal of cooking oil becomes more challenging in Food Halls. A fully automated storage tank for oil recycling eliminates manually lugging used cooking oil. A pump connected directly to the fryer transfers spent oil into the centralized shared tank with a tap of a button. Space saving, safer, and money saving, this current food hall trend is exceptionally popular with owners and staff.

This growing trend of gathering street food vendors together is worth watching as these events become more popular.

To-Go Friendly, Biodegradable Packaging

Consumers are far more eco-conscious, so they have begun to demand green packaging options. The appeal of street food is the ability to eat on the go, so mobile-friendly packaging makes sense.

Fortunately, Vegware, manufactured in the UK, offers a wide range of eco-friendly, compostable, disposable products.

Single-use packaging harms the environment, including plastic straws and cups. So, expect that soon enough, biodegradable packaging becomes compulsory. Often biodegradable packaging is already a mandatory requirement for vendors at public events.

Marketing and Advertising

Marketing and advertising are key elements of success for any restaurant. But for a mobile kitchen, customers must have up-to-the-minute location information.

Mobile Advertising

Mobile advertising uses food truck and cart signage as a mobile billboard. As the truck drives around, customers start recognizing the truck, building brand recognition.

Digital Platforms

Street food vendors, food truck businesses, and mobile caterers are all now more likely to have their own websites. An online presence is particularly important for vendors marketing to agencies booking groups of trucks and private or corporate events.

Also, consumers use food truck apps to find their favorite vendors, so owners register with as many as possible.

Social Media

Social media is an increasingly popular tool for vendors, particularly mobile kitchens. Pick your target audience and send out a Tweet, TikTok, Instagram or Facebook post to let them know where the truck is or where it’ll be. Announcements in advance of food markets and festivals are a quick, easy way to communicate.

Food truck vendors also find eco-conscious consumers like recycling and sustainable packaging posts.

Engaging with consumers encourages them to take pictures of their food and invite their friends! Word of mouth spreads far and wide, instantaneously, over social media.

Trends in Food Truck Operations

A commercial kitchen is a commercial kitchen, right? Well, not so much once you put it in a truck! Many of the same kitchen efficiency principles apply, but with limited space. Food truck owners prefer to purchase space-saving multi-functional kitchen equipment and automated options.

Food Truck Trends and How Street Food is Served to Customers

Vendors find significant opportunities as food truck trends expand and how street food is served to customers changes. Food Hall style pop-ups and organized events with several mobile caterers bring a fair-like air to venues. A growing digital presence with websites, apps, and social media means consumers always have access to their favorite food truck brands. Biodegradable and compostable packaging becomes compulsory to bring vegan and cultural food options to all. This is an exciting time to be part of the food truck industry!