New Poll from Saint Leo University Shows Nearly Half of Consumers Have Never Eaten at a Food Truck

Yet these rolling restaurants are on track to be nearly $3 billion industry by 2017

Some call it a trend. Many call it a fad. Others call it a business. Food trucks have become a hot item, especially in metropolitan areas. The National Restaurant Association, estimates that food trucks generate $650 million in annual revenue. By the year 2017, it’s expected to be a $2.7 billion national industry.

Despite food trucks’ popularity and a projected market share jump of 3 to 4 percent in the next five years (according to Intuit), a recent survey from the Saint Leo University Polling Institute indicated that nearly half of respondents both nationally and statewide have never purchased food from such trucks.

Purchasing Lunch or Dinner from a Food Truck

Of the 1,022 adult respondents in the nationwide poll, 48 percent said they had never had a meal food from a food truck. Another 24 percent only frequent a food truck once or twice a year, while 3 percent purchase food there once or twice a month. Only 11% buy lunch or dinner at a food truck from one to three times or more a week. The institute’s statewide poll of 535 adults yielded a similar result: 45 percent had never eaten food from a food truck.

How often to you get food from a food truck? Would you say …      

	National	Florida
4%	Three or more times a week	5%	Three or more times a week
7%	Once or twice a week	7%	Once or twice a week
13%	Once or twice a month	14%	Once or twice a month
24%	Once or twice a year	27%	Once or twice a year
48%	Never	45%	Never
3%	Don’t know / not sure	3%	Don’t know / not sure

  

Peter Marian, a Saint Leo University instructor of international hospitality and tourism, said he thinks Hollywood—movies, TV shows, and so on, have made food trucks in vogue and their offerings sexy. “Current TV shows such as ‘The Great Food Truck Race’ and the movie ‘Chef’ have increased awareness of food trucks,” said Marian. “Food trucks are very trendy right now, especially in downtown, metropolitan areas.”

Many local events now such as festivals and fairs have food trucks provide a portion of the customer demands. “Where there are crowds of people, there are hungry mouths to feed. It’s all about timing and location for the customer to connect with a food truck. Additionally, convenience and quality play key roles in someone choosing a food truck rather than another food option,” stated Marian.

The following two questions were put to respondents who said they get food from a truck at least once a year, and 501 people answered:

What is the most important reason why you get meals at food trucks?

	National		Florida
45%	Convenience	46%	Convenience
14%	Affordability	13%	Affordability
21%	Quality of the food	23%	Quality of food
6%	Healthy choices	4%	Healthy choices
12%	Something else	11%	Something else
1%	Don’t know / not sure	2%	Don’t know / not sure

What is the most important reason why you don’t get more meals at food trucks?

	National		Florida
22%	Lack of convenience	19%	Lack of convenience
15%	Too expensive	18%	Too expensive
10%	Lack of variety	9%	Lack of variety
8%	Quality of the food	11%	Quality of the food
10%	Not healthy enough	13%	Not healthy enough
17%	Concerns about food safety	14%	Concerns about food safety
13%	Something else	10%	Something else
4%	Don’t know / not sure	6%	Don’t know / not sure

The Saint Leo University Polling Institute survey results about Florida and national politics, public policy issues, Pope Francis’ popularity, and other topics, can be found here: http://polls.saintleo.edu. You can also follow the institute on Twitter @saintleopolls.