FOOD TRUCKS 'ARE NO LONGER' A NOVELTY,' BUT THEY ARE ADAPTING

Captain Cookie & the Milkman — a mobile bakery, physical bakeries & a catering service

via The New York Times

“Kirk Francis, co-owner of Captain Cookie & the Milkman, a mobile bakery in Washington, echoed that sentiment. Mr. Francis and his wife, Juliann, started in 2012 with one truck; they added a second one a year later and two more the next year. During the first year of operation, business grew fivefold. The cart experienced 20 percent to 30 percent growth every year after that until last year, when sales were mostly flat.

“Food trucks aren’t dying, but we are no longer a novelty,” Mr. Francis said. The trend for curbside lunch vending is down 50 percent from its peak three years ago, he said, and to stay afloat, many carts — there are around 450 in the Washington area — have diversified into catering and events.

In addition to the trucks and a catering operation, Mr. Francis operates two brick-and-mortar bakeries in Washington and is about to open another in Raleigh, N.C.”

Read the entire article in NY Times here.