Indie, gourmet food trucks have taken over Los Angeles, and now mainstream and chain restaurants want in on the action. The Los Angeles Times reports that several southern California chains either already have or will be opening trucks in the coming months, among them Sizzler, Sprinkles Cupcakes, and Fatburger. A Subway truck is also in the works in Arizona; Johnny Rockets already has one in DC.
Sizzler executive Kerry Kramp told the Times, "I became a food-truck-crazy maniac like everybody else because I couldn't figure out what in the world was making people stand in line for 45 minutes. I was thinking, 'These people should be going to Sizzler.'"
And soon they will be able to order fish and chips or tri-tip sandwiches (it hasn't been decided yet) at a Sizzler food truck; the company has ordered one and plans to order more.
People love to eat outside, especially in LA where the weather is lovely most of the time, and there is a convenience factor in play with food trucks. But they really took off with trucks like Roy Choi's Kogi because they were serving innovative, new dishes that people couldn't find in chains. The low start-up cost of the trucks was what allowed creative young chefs to bring these foods to the public. Are people really going to be excited about standing in line to eat Sizzler standing up? Time will tell.
· Food Trucks Are Rolling Into the Mainstream [LAT]
· All Food Trucks coverage on Eater [-E-]