App gets food trucks back in business

Australian Mobile Food Vendors Group (AMFVG) has developed new features for its “Where The Truck” app to allow food trucks across the country to service customers safely during the COVID-19 lockdown, reigniting the industry.

Where The Truck makes finding gourmet food trucks serving fresh street food easy, with all of Australia’s gourmet food trucks on the one map. While there are more than 200 trucks listed across Australia, the app’s main focus is on the thriving Melbourne scene.

Changing the game

The Where The Truck platform has undergone a major redevelopment of its interface. The updated capabilities of version 2 have extended to include a flawless mapping system and a personally tailored user profile page. There’s also a secure ordering system and the ability to view food trucks’ catering availability before making a booking.

The usual food truck locations – campuses and business districts – are no longer viable. So the focus turns to serving gourmet street fare to the workplaces of essential workers and to suburbs that fall outside the delivery radius of restaurants and delivery services.

“Across Australia, we’ve seen hospitality businesses pivot to survive,” says Frank Rusitovski, AMFVG Director. “We wanted to enable our members to do the same. Food truck operators have been hard hit. Up until now, the business model was entirely reliant on walk-in custom. Our new Where The Truck features change that.

“There are an estimated 5000 food truck businesses across the country. Businesses that, up until now, have had limited means to support themselves and their families. We’re proud to have developed a solution for them. But it’s also a solution for communities that have been cut off from being able to enjoy a takeaway meal.”

Where The Truck app updates will allow customers to:

1. Locate their nearest food truck.

2. Place and pay orders via the app with food trucks directly.

3. Arrange for either pick-up (using a convenient mobile drive through service) or a drop-off delivery, with social distancing measures kept in place.

4. Arrange a “Food truck in my street”. With this, a food truck can be booked to cook fresh food for you and your household and deliver direct to your door. And while they’re there, your neighbours can place orders for their households, too.

It will allow food trucks to:

• Get back to business while also abiding by social distancing rules.

• Services areas that traditional restaurants and delivery services are unable to reach.

A chance to celebrate

In addition to the features that will support food truck operators during the current lockdown restrictions, the app will also allow customers to book food trucks for events when the social distancing measures have been relaxed.

“We anticipate that when small gatherings are allowed once more, people will want to bring their friends and family together to celebrate missed milestones and postponed events,” says Rustovski. “We believe food trucks can provide a fun and tasty solution for catering at these events; be it a backyard wedding or a belated birthday party.”

The Where The Truck app is available for both Android and iOS users.