Sunny skies, warm weather, family, and great food. There's not much else to ask for on a summer day in Uptown. Last Sunday, I attended the Food Truck Festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There were an estimated 50 trucks from around the area present. From gyros to frozen yogurt, barbecue to seafood, there were more than enough types of food to satisfy everyone in attendance.
Food trucks are an up-and coming-phenomenon. On Food Network, The Great Food Truck Wars aired for a total of six seasons through 2015. Even though the television show ended, food trucks are becoming more common. According to an article by Jessica Webster on the website M-Live, there are "more than 4,000 food trucks operating in U.S. cities that have a population of greater than 100,000 people."
At their simplest concept, food trucks are basically the adult version of the ice cream truck and the big brother of the hot dog stand. Because of their convenience, it's no wonder they are growing in popularity. Instead of driving out for food, the food drives to you. This is especially true for those lucky enough to work in a city. During the summer, food trucks can be seen parked on the side streets of the Minnesota State Capitol. They are out as early as 10:00am, competing with others for the best space to attract the lunchtime rush of state employees looking for something nearby and inexpensive.
Food trucks are also awesome because there are so many different types. There are trucks for people who like barbecue and people who like seafood. Gluten free? Vegetarian? Prefer locally grown food? There's a special truck for you too. At the Uptown Food Truck Festival, I even saw a 100% sustainable energy truck. The reason there is such a large variety is because the trucks are probably locally owned and operated (to my knowledge, there isn't a food truck that has become so successful it's turned into a chain). If you care about a certain kind of food, the odds are that someone else cares about it too.
One of the more unusual features of food trucks are their smaller menus. Unlike at a typical restaurant, don't expect to have too many options to choose from. The food truck I chose to eat at was R. A. Mac Sammy's, which specializes in mac and cheese. There were only three main dishes to choose from - mac and cheese with grilled chicken, mac and cheese with barbecue pork, and mac and cheese with beans. On their website, there are different choices, but it was still limited to three featured items with sides on the bottom.
However, the lack of variety isn't something to be worried about. There have been psychology studies that concluded that there is a certain threshold to having choices. If there are too many, you are more likely to walk away being disappointed over what you did not get, rather than being satisfied with what you did. This is a principle that the warehouse giant Costco capitalizes on (I'm not knowledgeable enough to vouch that this is what Sam's Club does, but I imagine it would be the same). Rather than focusing on variety, they try to perfect quality and quantity (don't we all love buying in bulk?).
In fact, this is one of the best parts about food trucks. Their ability to serve highly specialized food items is what makes them unique and is why you have to order from one asap. Due to limited space for supplies, owners are forced to make tough decisions about what to put on their menus and sell only the most popular items. For you, the customer, it means that no matter what you ultimately decide, you will be getting something worth buying.
