As American consumerism moves towards becoming more efficient, rapid, and diverse, the food industry within the United States has been adapting to reflect this cultural shift with the introduction of street food trucks in many major cities all across the United States.
With the food truck industry being valued at $856.7 million dollars in 2015 and expecting to grow to $985.3 million by 2019, this on-the-go restaurant is a unique invention to the United States.
This new trend is changing the American dining scene as we know it by redefining the traditional atmosphere of a stationed restaurant and allowing for a larger market of diverse and ethnic foods.
As an affordable start up business averaging annual profits of around $290,556 a year with only $85,000 in expenses, food truck restaurants are popping up all over the states. With increasing popularity, it begs the question: how do people in the western United States perceive the growing trend of food trucks?
We will be traveling the western United States to research consumers’ opinions and perceptions regarding food trucks and to document their stories as start up companies.
We are visiting 3 food trucks in each of the following 5 cities:
Seattle
Portland
San Francisco
Los Angeles
San Diego
At the food trucks we will...
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observe customer behaviors and speak with local vendors about their food truck startups
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conduct surveys and interviews
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document our analysis through google forms and photography
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spend a minimum of one hour at each food truck, spending a total of 35 hours on-site at trucks
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Eat A LOT of food (naturally)
About Our Project
RESEARCH PROJECT
Our goal is to document the culture of American Food Trucks and the stories of entrepreneurs on the west coast through a series of photo essays
The Food Truck trend is changing the American dining scene as we know it by redefining the traditional atmosphere of a stationed restaurant and allowing for a larger market of diverse and ethnic foods.
Why are we going on this adventure?
Contessa and Christine are particularly interested and passionate about food trucks as present a unique cultural shift away from traditional meal preparation and have ultimately redefined the dining scene altogether. Not only that, but they have really good food.
It is important to examine this phenomena as it impacts the mannerisms of the American culture. Food trucks also allow for a platform for highlighting the cultural diversity we have here in the United States as a country of immigrants. Food is such an integral part of our lives; thus, it has the potential to impact people’s world perceptions and educate others regarding new cultures.
Ultimately, we are fascinated by the impact of food on cultural perceptions and the effects that these personal preferences have on society. Food trucks contribute a unique aspect to American culture as they encompass the array of global cultures with their ability to specialize in ethnic cuisines.
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We are looking forward to the challenge and are inspired to bring something new and unique to the table
We have chosen the format of a photo essay because we believe the best way to show perception is through visualization of the subject and question itself. The premise of photography is based off the ideas of representation and perception, which best support the central theme of our research.
Our project will be presented as a photo essay exhibited September 27th, 2017 to the public at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
For the exhibition, Christine and Contessa will display photos of every food truck we visited from each of the seven cities depicting the mannerisms of truck’s customers and employees.
In addition, we will hold a discussion about our discoveries and reflections of the research project.
Follow Along!
Final Presentation: Photo Essay
Background on Food Trucks
What We Will Be Doing