As the hospitality industry emerges from lockdown in Australia, people remain wary of eating at crowded restaurants, but many are bored of home delivery. For foodies keen to get their street food fix in safe outdoor environments, the Where The Truck app is lending a helping hand. We explore the insights behind this and how Australian food culture hubs are tackling social distancing.
A strong food culture in Australia has been defined in the past decade by food trucks, and the hype around food trucks often means long lines and waiting times. But the Where the Truck app aims to solve this issue for Aussie foodies, keeping track of where the trucks are travelling to. The food truck locator app has launched new features that make it easier for Aussie communities to get access to their favourite street food. The app helps people locate their nearest food trucks, and they can also order and pay through the app and arrange pick-up or delivery.
App users can also book a food truck to come to their residential street, allowing neighbourhoods to host street parties and eat together while keeping a safe distance from one another. “Across Australia, we’ve seen hospitality businesses pivot to survive and we wanted to enable our members to do the same,” says Frank Rusitovski, director of the Australian Mobile Food Vendors Group. “Food truck operators have been hard hit, as up until now the business model was entirely reliant on walk-in custom.”
As lockdown laws ease in Australia, people are re-entering familiar spaces and adjusting to regulations around hospitality venues. Nevertheless, anxieties around exposure and virus transmission are still prevalent – in fact, as of early May 2020, only 40% of Australians say they'd go to a bar or a restaurant if they could. Where The Truck offers a happy compromise, demonstrating how technology can help connect Australians to eateries and creating opportunities for restaurants to explore food trucks as a pandemic-proof way of reaching people.
Deliveroo Australia is also looking to bring excitement and delight to Australians during lockdown, having partnered with Winning Moves to deliver board games to households alongside their food orders.
Luana Sambell is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8. She holds a master's degree in consumer behaviour and is passionate about cultural trends and the latest happenings in retail. Outside of work, you can find her exploring different cultures through food or catching live music whenever possible.
