Lobsters and cupcakes: food trucks reshaping US dining landscape

By Jenny Kallenbrunnen Oct 13, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Washington - A group of well dressed men in suits and ties are sitting on a roadside wall and flower tubs in the US capital Washington enjoying a fine meal. Napkins protect their ties and plastic plates rest on their laps. 'We usually go to the restaurant around the corner,' says Dave Summers between bites of food, 'but today we saw the lobster truck here.'

In Washington D.C. and across America food truck dining is gaining in popularity. The food truck phenomenon originated on the US West Coast. In the past they were modest operations that sold midday meals, such as Mexican tacos, at decent prices for the less well off. Today, many offer gourmet meals and can even be found on Wall Street serving well-heeled bankers. Food trucks are now a firm part of America's urban landscape from New York to LA.

Leland Morris, a lean man with dimples and a baseball cap, pokes his head out the window of his food truck. Morris is a trained cook who has specialised in selling buttered-lobster sandwiches. He went into business a year ago when dining from food trucks had not yet become a major trend. Twelve months later the website FoodTruckFiesta.com lists at least 80 food trucks in Washington DC alone.

Almost every culinary wish can be satisfied by food trucks: Mexican empanadas, tacos, barbequed food, fine crepes, burritos, cupcakes, seafood, sandwiches, salads and baked pies. Washington's food trucks are popular with a big swathe of the city's international population. They're also well organised with many using the social network Twitter to keep their customers informed of their location.

Loud speakers on Leland Morris' lobster truck play music to customers waiting in line to be served. It's not unusual to have to wait between 20 and 30 minutes. 'I waited for almost half an hour - but it was worth it,' says Ben Wilson who keeps track of his favourite food trucks online. 'Sometimes I would even take a metro ride a few stops to catch the truck I want to eat from.'

Stephan Boillon, owner of the El Floridano food truck, is well travelled and has come to one conclusion: 'Street food is the most creative and tastiest food everywhere.' Boillon serves tropical-themed sandwiches with pork cooked in a Cuban style.

Food trucks tend to be run by young chefs or the owners of well-known gourmet restaurants. 'The economy went down but people still wanted to start businesses. Now they're inventing delicious food for Washington. It's trendy!' says Boillon. And that trend is spreading. 'I see all kinds of people lining up in front of my truck, the stock broker next to the garbage collector,' says Leland Morris.

The food truck Curbside Cupcakes is painted a bright pink colour. Sam Whitfield opened his truck in November 2009. 'Everybody likes cupcakes but nobody would go across the town to get them. So what if the cupcakes came to the people?' he asks. His decision to go into business has paid off and he now owns three trucks that sell 1,800 cupcakes a day. Over 12,000 people follow Curbside Cupcakes on Twitter.

Kristi Whitfield is chairwoman of Washington's Food Truck Association and believes social networking has played a major role in their success. 'Social media is super important. All the trucks use it to interact with their customers.' Naturally many of the food trucks' customers are passers-by. 'But most customers do know our stops from the internet; when we arrive they are waiting for us already,' says Whitfield.

Leland Morris prepares his lobster sandwiches in a rented kitchen as well as in his truck. He sells about 800 a day between his two trucks and has over 21,800 followers on Twitter. He returns to his pitches every three weeks at the earliest. 'I don't want people saying 'Oh, I'll catch them next time' but 'Oh, I have to get out there now before they're gone!'.'