The number of food trucks in Limburg has almost tripled in the past five years. In 2017, 49 food trucks were registered in our province, now there are 143.
The Chamber of Commerce (KVK) reports this on Tuesday based on figures from the Chamber of Commerce Trade Register.
Contribute to events
The trucks are mainly used at festivals. According to Onno van Gent, owner of the supply and demand platform Foodtruckbooking.com, the increase can be explained by the fact that mobile kitchens are increasingly contributing to the events.
“They contribute significantly to the atmosphere. A shift is taking place. Consumers not only find the quality of the food important, they also demand innovation. Think of sushi, vegetarian or vegan food. Cooking with products from Local entrepreneurs are also the trend. A good food truck distinguishes itself with fresh and healthy food, combined with an original concept,” says Van Gent.
Figures other provinces
In 2017, the Netherlands had almost 1200 registered food trucks. This year there are almost 2500. This is an increase of 110 percent.
If we zoom in further, we can see that almost half of the food trucks (just under 45 percent) are located in North and South Holland. The two provinces together have 1113. With 51 registrations, the fewest food trucks can be found in Drenthe. In North Holland there are 21.1 trucks per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by 18.6 per 100,000 inhabitants in Flevoland and 17.6 in Zeeland. Only 8.1 food trucks are registered per 100,000 inhabitants in Overijssel.
The full-time food truck entrepreneur
According to Van Gent, the location does not say much about where the food trucks can be found. “It is common for food truck owners to travel greater distances to be at festivals and events.” He does see that the type of food truck entrepreneur is changing. “Whereas previously there were many part-timers who had a job or other business activity in addition to their food truck, the full-time food truck entrepreneurs are gaining the upper hand.”
Van Gent estimates the number of full-time food truck entrepreneurs at 65 percent of the total. “In addition to festivals, these entrepreneurs focus on providing complete catering for company and family parties.”