‘Lack Of Support From Local Authorities Makes Food Truck Market difficult’

Food trucks are a flourishing business these days. Food truck festivals are being organized that generate a lot of positive word of mouth for the event organizer as well for the food trucks.

To start off with a food truck business, one has to be able to choose the right sort of vehicle. According to one’s requirements or needs, the vehicle should be chosen. These trucks could be new or even second hand that could be customized to convert it into a food truck with a base kitchen and other equipment needed. Otherwise recently, there are also readymade food trucks available in the market by ‘Amigos’ which is based in Meerut.

Apart from the vehicle, one has to invest in other equipment required for the business. The raw material needed, staff, licenses and permits require a lot of initial investment to set up the business. The initial investment can differ between Rs 15-20 lakh depending on the size of the food truck and basic necessities required.

Having spoken to Taneesha from ‘Star Food Trucks’, parked at Sector-29, Leisure Valley Grounds, Gurugram, she points out that there is no law concerning food trucks in India. “There needs to be some support or backing from the local authorities for this business to operate successfully in India. Due to all this, it often results in a hassle for these food trucks.”

Meanwhile, it was also pointed out that food trucks witnessed a buzz around last year but recently, many food trucks have been closing their business due to various reasons. “More than 15 food trucks have closed down in the past 2 months.”

Since these food trucks can only operate in the evening, somewhere between 6 or 7 pm to around 11 pm, they still have to appoint staff for an entire day and pay a substantial amount for the particular spot that the truck is parked in, every day. Moreover, sometimes these trucks can be confiscated by the local authorities because of lack of information of the respective and concerned authorities.

“Even though the market has huge potential but there needs to be some support from the local authorities” said Taneesha from Star Food Trucks which was the 11th food truck that opened in Gurugram.