Food trucks become the new gourmet haunts around Delhi

The food truck revolution in America started in the 1930s but it is yet to make major inroads into the Indian market. The concept of selling food on a mobile truck has been alien to us for quite some time. However, in recent past, a few entrepreneurs across Delhi-NCR have braved to venture into this untapped business and been doing very well, it seems. 

A food truck owner’s target audience is almost always that section of the society that not only comprises street food aficionados but also those who cannot afford food at fine dining places. Located in south Delhi’s posh Vasant Kunj area, right behind the happening restro-pub Monkey Bar, Hawkers food truck company dishes out Indo-Chinese street food for as cheap as Rs 50. Thronged mostly by students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, the food truck’s bestselling item is the crispy spring rolls offered here. And, on a chilly winter evening in Delhi, if you happen to hit Hawkers, you cannot miss out on their “Egg drop in cream of tomato soup” which comes for only Rs 60. Forkilicious food truck could be called the “northern” counterpart of Hawkers. Very close to the Vishwavidyalaya Metro station, this is a major hangout joint for Delhi University students. Serving continental dishes with an Indian twist, their “Jerk Chicken Burger”, “Bombay Sandwich” and churros are highly recommended. 

Foreseeing a strong future in this nascent business of food trucks, even high-end restaurant owners of Delhi have jumped onto the bandwagon. The Lalit Food Truck, started by the Lalit Hotel on Barakhamba Road is one such example.

“We are just two years into this business. It was a new concept for India. Mr Suri, the owner of the Lalit when he went to the West was pretty inspired by the food truck culture there and wanted to experiment in India. That’s how the Lalit Food Truck, a Mexican food joint, was born. Our tacos and tortilla wraps are pretty popular among street food lovers in Delhi,” Gaurav Agrahari, senior associate of the Lalit Food Truck tells Guardian 20.  

“Our target audience are those who cannot afford five-star restaurants. Prices of vegetarian dishes here start from Rs 150-200 and non-vegetarian dishes from Rs 200. We are getting a really good response. In fact, very recently we were invited for the Grub Fest in Delhi’s JLN stadium,” adds Agrahari. 

The neighbouring areas of Delhi are also today a new breeding ground for any kind of venture: be it real estate or food truck business. While Noida has only one food truck company called Oh Buoy, which specializes in Mexican and Lebanese fast food, Gurgaon on the other hand is witnessing a sudden influx of food trucks.

“Our target audience are those who cannot afford five-star restaurants. Prices of vegetarian dishes here start from Rs 150-200 and non-vegetarian dishes from Rs 200. We are getting a really good response.”

Here’s what Pallavi Kuchru, the owner of Frugurpop, a one-of-its-kind ice cream van in Gurgaon has to say:

“We started in October 2014. Our product is unique and we needed a unique way of promoting it. When we started, there were no vans in Gurgaon. Ours is the first and the only ice cream van in Gurgaon. We realised that there is a gap in the market for this product. We make gourmet popsicles, that’s our speciality. Our average daily sales on weekends range from 50-60. We also do a lot of events, like Diwali mela, private catering, birthday parties, weddings etc.”

Besides Frugurpop, there is the Eggjactly food truck company which is a heavenly place for all eggetarians. They dole out eggy delights almost all day long across sectors 14, 29 and 44 of Gurgaon. It is even GPS enabled and posts its whereabouts on their Facebook and Twitter pages so that one knows exactly where Eggjactly is to be found!

What the Truck in sector 32, Gurgaon is a must try for all hardcore carnivores, for they believe in serving 100% non-vegetarian patties. Super Sucker in Wellington estate, Gurgaon has a menu which is choc-a-block with meat dishes and boasts of a wide variety of wraps, burritos, burgers and sandwiches.

So all you startup enthusiasts, if you have a nose for food and are quite bored of a nine-to-five job, food truck is the real future of the hospitality industry.