We did a survey of food truck operators while researching features for an on-line web application which will serve that industry. We found some interesting things.

We asked if they needed an application to let their customers know where they are. All responded in the negative. The next question was if their customers needed an online menu. All responded in the negative. Intuitively, one would think these two questions are the two most important to that industry. They are not as you will see.

The next question was if their customers would like to place and order before the truck arrives. Most responded with a strong affirmative. This one really has a lot of meaning. We think this may be one of the strongest indicators of what drives the mobile food vending industry. Workers no longer have time for anything but to eat and run.

Continuing with the questions, the next one was if customers needed an easy way to get to the vendors information. All responded in the negative. In general it seems that customers are not interested in established daily routines. They have no expectations of a truck showing up, so when it does they are more than ready to eat.

The responses to this next question surprised us. Asked if they would like a web portal for food truck operators to share knowledge, they all responded with a strong affirmative. Why? Perhaps permits requirements and government regulation changes are driving this response. It makes sense in that when a vendor renews their license, they may come across a regulation change and want to let other vendors know. We really have no idea why this questions got a strong affirmative.

This next question we thought would be a strong affirmative, but it was not. The question was if customers want to pay for their food online. The response was a strong negative.  This again would seem to be another key indicator of what is driving the industry. Workers have less time and are limiting their budgets for lunch expenses.

Finally, we asked if they could have an web application designed specifically for their business, what sort of application would it be. All responded that it would be a mobile app. Makes total sense.