Location, Location, Location

       

        Local culture also has a large effect on where food trucks are successful. In Portland Oregon 51% of the cities food truck operators were born outside of the US. The immigrant friendly culture of some cities seems to encourage the ethnic fusion of culinary blends that food truck customers crave. Since many immigrants have traditionally initially settled on the coasts, there we find a great deal of food truck success.

Food trucks have proliferated in college towns and urban areas, feeding the young hungry masses of busy people, and now food trucks are being associated with this hip active culture. The symbol of the food truck has shifted away from that of a job site "roach coach," and has become more apart of the youth and young professional culture.

Additionally,  In many of the cities with very successful food truck cultures there has been an evolution of cultural norms that now support the idea of spending money at local businesses, and because of this, food trucks are quickly becoming an alternative to the large corporate fast-food chains. This is evident in the fact that “54 percent of food truck customers said they would have bought their meal at a quick service restaurant if food trucks were not an option.” From what we are able to gather, it seems that the food truck city trifecta is a city that is immigrant friendly, active, and emphasizes support of local businesses. Furthermore, now that the symbol of the food truck has evolved and the cultural norms surrounding these successful mobile establishments have shifted along with it, we should expect food trucks to continue to proliferate across the country.