We’ve been following the food truck revolution for a few years now, starting with the delectable hot dog carts and moving on to taco wagons and finally, an all-out gourmet brawl led by the followers you see today. There is an endless array of food truck options, ranging from fusion to ethnic cuisine, as well as cupcakes, ice cream, and everything in between.
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Over 2.5 billion people eat street cuisine from food trucks every day, according to a source!
Have you ever wondered how and from where the food truck phenomenon gained such popularity? To discover out, we made the decision to perform some historical research. We’ll trace the history of the American food truck industry in this blog article. It’s going to be a crazy journey, so grab a coffee and hang on.
A modest start in Rhode Island
The New York Times claims that the origins of the food truck sector date back to 1872, when a seller named Walter Scott in Providence, Rhode Island, parked his covered wagon in front of a local newspaper office. He sat on the inner box of the wagon, which had pre-cut windows, and offered coffee, pies, and sandwiches to the newspaper’s diligent pressmen and journalists.
The nighttime lunch truck was born when word got out. Thomas H. Buckley, a young lunch counter lad from Massachusetts, created the Owl, his own lunch truck, in 1888. This wordplay alluded to the late hours that diners maintained. After supervising its construction, Buckley went on to produce a number of popular lunch cart designs. The White House Café was his most well-known model.
Buckley’s wagons were in 275 American communities in less than ten years. He wandered around in search of communities big enough to accommodate one of his wagons. In the event that no one expressed interest in buying one, he established himself as the manager of a competent, well chosen team. There are rumors that he may have founded the first national chain. We all love to call him the “Original Lunch Wagon King.”
Colorful windows, ornamentation, mahogany woodwork, sinks, freezers, and cooking stoves were common features of Buckley’s wagons. In addition, he sent ornate carts adorned with brass and silver accents, mirrors made of plate glass, and exquisite mosaics.
Following his premature demise in 1903 at the age of 35, the Worcester Lunch Car Company was established. Later, in the early 1900s, their lunch cart evolved into the first stationary dining vehicle and eventually became the diner of today.
Additional Suggested Starts
Another example of an early form of the food truck is the Texas chuck wagon. Cattlemen traveled for months at a time as the beef market grew following the American Civil War. The necessity to feed these soldiers gave rise to the chuck wagon. The chuck wagon “food truck” was invented by cattle herder Charles Goodnight. He erected shelves and drawers inside an old army wagon in 1866. He filled it with pots and pans, plates, spices, and foods that were simple to preserve. He fed the guys from this chuck wagon.
In order to supply meals for the soldiers stationed at army facilities, the U.S. Army approved the operation of mobile canteens in the 1950s. For many years thereafter, construction sites and other blue-collar industries were catered to by roving food trucks known as roach coaches.
Whatever the origin, the desire to feed the needy in a non-stationary way led to the evolution of the current food truck. The food trucks’ looks improved and their offerings increased in diversity as they developed.