The idea of using a mobile platform to distribute premium food is not a new one – Schwan’s made a name for themselves in the early ‘50s as a profitable ice cream delivery service and has since grown into a multi-billion dollar company.
Mobile food is more popular than ever. Instead of relying on the customer to come to them, more food establishments are hitting the road to bring the food to the customer. Even more established restaurants are jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak.
One reason for the resurgence is social media tools, such as Twitter. Food trucks are able to connect with their fans and tweet current locations, specials and where you can expect to see them next. The Los Angeles market has so many mobile mini-restaurants, a web directory has been created to help you keep track of them – complete with real-time tweets and GPS tracking, where applicable.
Milwaukee based Streetza Pizza’s mobile marketing has been so successful that they are making plans to expand their business to include 50-100 mobile pizzerias reaching all the way to Cleveland.
The marketing potential is huge. From hot and trendy Sprinkles Cupcakes to sushi, hot dogs and everything in between, going mobile helps premium food marketers reach a larger and different audience. Just like the excitement we all felt as kids when we heard the tinkling sound of the ice cream truck headed down the block, finding our favorite traveling eatery evokes the sense of partaking in something special – a treat that we might not have sought out due to time or location restrictions.
By combining the power of social media and thinking outside the restaurant walls, premium food marketers have harnessed the ability to reach larger audiences and offer potential new customers the opportunity to try their goods without committing to a sit-down restaurant experience.
Have you eaten at a mobile food cart? What was your experience like? What restaurant or type of food would you like to see adopt a mobile platform? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
