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Andromeda321 · 05-21-2019, 01:33 PM

Food trucks as a new concept? Ah, New Hampshire, never change.

Ok seriously now, food trucks/carts are highly dependent on the local regulations by town. They have to have a permit, which dictates what locations they can be in and what kind of food they can prep (typically things that don't need to be actively cooked, like ice cream and hot dogs, get much more leeway). Typically however it is very difficult to make a profit out of a food truck unless you are in a very high traffic area like a university- I haven't been to a campus in North America for decades that didn't have a fleet of food trucks to serve hungry students for example- which the lake doesn't have. Instead, in the majority of the country most food trucks rely on special events like weekend festivals or an invitation to set up somewhere (like a brewery or a pumpkin patch), and only operate those events. Sort of like freelance caterers.

So while I could imagine the Lakes Region getting a few of these, I'm not sure it would be more than a part time/ seasonal business for someone who has space to store the truck when it's not used. The population density is just not really there.

That said, I did eat many a hot dog from the cart by Center Harbor's public beach over the years, so not like they're a completely new thing in the area. I suspect the key is the cooked food vs not designation I mentioned above.

05-21-2019, 01:33 PM	#16
Andromeda321 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2019 Posts: 80 Thanks: 17 Thanked 32 Times in 19 Posts	Food trucks as a new concept? Ah, New Hampshire, never change. Ok seriously now, food trucks/carts are highly dependent on the local regulations by town. They have to have a permit, which dictates what locations they can be in and what kind of food they can prep (typically things that don't need to be actively cooked, like ice cream and hot dogs, get much more leeway). Typically however it is very difficult to make a profit out of a food truck unless you are in a very high traffic area like a university- I haven't been to a campus in North America for decades that didn't have a fleet of food trucks to serve hungry students for example- which the lake doesn't have. Instead, in the majority of the country most food trucks rely on special events like weekend festivals or an invitation to set up somewhere (like a brewery or a pumpkin patch), and only operate those events. Sort of like freelance caterers. So while I could imagine the Lakes Region getting a few of these, I'm not sure it would be more than a part time/ seasonal business for someone who has space to store the truck when it's not used. The population density is just not really there. That said, I did eat many a hot dog from the cart by Center Harbor's public beach over the years, so not like they're a completely new thing in the area. I suspect the key is the cooked food vs not designation I mentioned above.