Food Trucks: One Way to Eat Out During Pandemic

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Workers set up their food truck in a parking lot to service patrons.

Food Trucks: One Way to Eat Out During Pandemic

When businesses were ordered closed and social distancing requirements went into effect amid the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants were among the hardest hit. But not all food service businesses were affected equally: “Food trucks” or Mobile Food Services by their very nature have more flexibility to continue to operate.

Food truck businesses have been on the rise in recent years. The number of food truck establishments in 2018 was 5,970, nearly double the 3,281 in 2013.

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Mobile Food Services (North American Industry Classification System or NAICS 72233) businesses exist in every state and the District of Columbia.

California, the nation’s most populous state, had the most (753) in 2018 and South Dakota the least (11).

Continue reading about County Business Patterns program data showing the the geographic distribution of food trucks and sales data provided by the 2017 Economic Census.

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