On The Move's Marketing Director, CJ Stratte, and Specialty Vehicle Program Manager, Tim Moranz, see food trucks' fantastic potential to stand out in today’s restaurant landscape.

And, with the ongoing pandemic forcing many restaurants hampered, some permanently and others by reduced capacity, there is a need to find ways to increase revenue, think outside of the box and stay in business.

Food trucks can be more than just a lifeline for restaurants; they can open new doors and generate more customers.

Moranz said, even though the occupancy restrictions vary from state to state, most, if not all restaurants, face some form of limitations to the number of patrons they can serve inside their establishments. And, if that restaurant doesn’t have a drive-thru or limited outdoor space to accommodate customers, the options for making up lost revenue are few.

“Even at those occupancy levels, it is difficult to get customers to go through the doors,” Stratte said. “People are still nervous about being out and about.”

Some solutions Stratte sees restaurants moving toward are more family-style takeout meals, both for pickup and delivery. And Moranz noted some subdivisions are getting food trucks to come in so everyone in the neighborhood can get a meal for their family right from the truck.

Getting food to the customers is quickly becoming the new method for restaurants to stay afloat. Stratte said she’d seen an uptick in restaurants that previously did not have a delivery option adding a food truck to sell and deliver their food.

“Food trucks have always been around,” Stratte said, “But now, they’re really trending. It’s increasing year after year, and we see a lot of growth in the industry. Even fast-food restaurants are getting food trucks instead of having drive-thrus.”

While Stratte and Moranz know all the advantages that food trucks bring to the restaurant industry, the restaurant industry is beginning to see those advantages for themselves due to circumstances brought on by the pandemic.