For street vendors and food truck festivals, the lockdown is not over yet . In fact, although public operators have returned to a semblance of normality , the restrictions to limit the spread of the coronavirus still have a strong impact on the street food offer. Summer is the most popular time of year for these activities, but with a little foresight it is possible to look beyond the seasonality .
Handbrake on at food truck festivals
"After the restrictive measures implemented by the Government to contain the contagion from the coronavirus, direct intervention is needed to support itinerant businesses and trade associations such as ours."
So declares Massimiliano Ricciarini, president and founder of the Streetfood Italia Association who took part in the protest of street vendors against government inaction on 22 June in Montecitorio. A category of almost 25,000 merchants who have seen their turnover zero with loss of revenue and unsold goods given in many cases to charity .
In most of Italy village festivals and food truck festivals are paused, but a slow recovery is perceived with obviously a series of limitations in line with the pandemic containment rules.
“Social distance is not a friend of events – Ricciarini said on 22 May in a Facebook live broadcast – just as further costs for compliance with anti-Covid regulations are not, in addition to the already known expense items for safety and security. If before on social media the public complained about the high cost of food, now there is a risk that an arancino will cost as much as a risotto with white truffle and champagne".
The question arises spontaneously: how to marginalize the summer gap for the food truck festival sector? We try to give you an answer.
Street food beyond the summer seasonality
As for ice cream shops, strongly affected by lockdowns and delivery policies in the first months of the season , street food businesses should no longer be limited to a seasonal offer linked to a single moment of the year. Many trucks have been stopped since October 2019, but a forward-looking strategy is the right fuel to move forward. Here are two suggestions:
Truck burgers
They are a must for itinerant sales that attract a large audience. However, to comply with the anti-Covid19 regulations, it is necessary to speed up the preparations, so as to dispose of the queue and reduce the gatherings. For this there is Combi Wave Smart , which with its small size can be easily installed in a food truck and does not require a chimney . It cooks a hamburger in 120 seconds - as confirmed by chef Simone Rugiati - and is also suitable for preparing crispy oil-free fries, even pasta with regional ingredients served in 4 minutes .
How does Combi Wave Smart help you go beyond the summer sale? First of all, the cooking versatility allows you to offer burgers and sandwiches with ingredients from various seasons and not limit it to a single moment of the year. Combi Wave Smart is also the ideal tool for creating a Dark Kitchen , a form of closed catering that offers only a home delivery service with drastic reductions in the costs of traditional catering.
Truck with walking sweets
If your truck, on the other hand, offers desserts for walking, aim for the savory proposal to conquer everyone. Bubble Waffle , for example, is the perfect plate for preparing scenic sweet and savory waffles. The food cost does not exceed €0.40 per piece and you can offer it both as a dessert and as an original lunch.
Why Bubble Waffle Helps You Go Beyond the Summer Sale? Because it is a versatile product, which easily adapts to customer tastes and can be filled both with typically winter creams and ingredients and with ice cream or fresh cheeses for the summer. Furthermore, if your itinerant activity is supported by a fixed public establishment, you can place the plate on the counter and use it after the food truck festival season .
Do you want to study together a strategy to improve the performance of your street food business? Contact us to find a solution together .