‘Meals on Wheels’ goes far and wide in the city
Food trucks are not new to the food lovers residing in the city. But, in recent times, these trucks have come up with food options, which are on par with multi-cuisine restaurants at a cheaper price and a better taste. “The aim is to offer hygienic food at a reasonable price. When customers visit a food truck, they get to customise on what suits their taste buds, and the staff ensures that even minor customisations like adding or reducing spiciness in the dish and many other things,” says E Selvam, who runs the Pepino food truck at Besant Nagar, for past five years.
Nowadays, food trucks offer not only the stereotypical Chinese dishes, but have given Chennaiites several options to pick and choose, starting from idly, sambar, fried rice, briyani, and kebabs to tacos, burritos, pasta, momos, and ice creams, among others. According to a few food truck owners, this evolution in fast-food took place in the past five to six years. “The reason behind this is, people get to travel a lot and they know their food better. If a food truck can offer what people get in restaurants with good quality at a reasonable price, then the business is certainly sustainable,” Selvam adds. “Eating idlys, dosas and fried rice from trucks for dinner is a two-decade old thing in the city. However, in recent times, foodies are spoilt for choices and the best thing is that some are actually gourmet,” Dr. Wasim, a food writer, tells us.
The pandemic has given rise to the food truck business, spreading across different neighbourhoods in the city. “Yes, there is a rise in the number of food trucks. But, one has to also take into account that many food trucks are shutting down as well. One of the main reasons is, lack of passion. As there are a lot of difficulties.
This field is for the ones who are driven with passion and not for those who aim for money,” says Guru Karthikeyan, an MBA graduate and owner of INR food trucks that has three branches in prominent localities across Chennai. The range of food offered at INR food truck includes kebabs, south-Indian dishes, shawarma, Chinese etc.
Just like the two sides of a coin, even this business has its pros and cons. “Let’s talk about the cons. Getting manpower is the strenuous part of it. Staff will opt to work in air-conditioned restaurants instead of sweating it out in the scorching heat from a food truck’s stove. Many think that expenses are less in running a food truck when compared to restaurants, which is not true,” adds Guru Karthikeyan. He also said that potential owners must have a decent knowledge of the business, one must analyse the market trends, including the location among other factors, to be successful. “I would suggest newcomers to overcome issues and not get frustrated, forcing them to quit.
This field is for the ones who are driven with passion and not for those who aim for money — Guru Karthikeyan, owner of INR food truck
Once they learn from their failures, they should be able to sustain in the long run,” the Pepino food truck owner remarks.
There are differences of opinion, among many food truck owners on the increase of food trucks in Chennai. A few people are of the opinion that the trend will continue to grow, whereas, a few owners strongly believe that the trend will slow down. “Food trucks have lower risks, especially for new entrepreneurs, who would want to test the market. With the city willing to experiment, and no late-night curfew, I believe the food trucks are here to stay and have a good ‘run’,”
Dr. Wasim concludes.