Food Trucks on Demand

Move over, ride-hailing companies. Food trucks have been responding to demand in neighborhoods.

1 minute read

February 17, 2021, 8:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Kogi Los Angeles

vesperstock / Shutterstock

Neighborhood visits are offering food trucks in the D.C. region a "rare bright spot during a financially difficult time," according to an article by Nevin Martell.

The example of Kim Gandy, a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland illustrates the concept. Gandy, with the help of some collaborators, sent a survey to a neighborhood listserv to gauge interest in a regular appointment with a D.C. food truck. The interest has been profound on both sides of the equation—residents and food truck operators.

"Between last September and January, Money Muscle BBQ earned almost equal revenue from doing neighborhood visits with their food truck as they did from selling on Uber Eats," reports Martell. "They sell food on the delivery app five days a week, while only booking one or two food truck outings per week."

Arranging regular neighborhood visits by food trucks can be time consuming, however, so another local resident of Silver Spring, Kyley McGeeney, is coaching people who want to bring food trucks to their neighborhoods "by sharing a master vendor list and walking them through every step of the process," according to Martell. The article includes more advice on how to set up food truck events complaint with local regulations. 

Friday, February 12, 2021 in Washington City Paper

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

White Waymo autonomous car driving fast down city street with blurred background at night.

Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars

Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.

3 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Two small wooden one-story homes in Florida with floodwaters at their doors.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?

With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

5 hours ago - Governing

People riding bicycles on separated bike trail.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike

For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.

7 hours ago - UNM News