Pubs using food trucks

I went to a National Trust property recently and their cafe was closed. They had a truck selling pizzas they were to be fair quite good but that was all there was on offer. Not popular with everyone and slow service as each pizza was assembled individually.

In addition the cafe sells a good choice of food to suit most tastes. It usually sells alcoholic drinks wine cider beer in small bottles too. The truck only had soft drinks again not to everyone’s taste I imagine they are losing a lot of income because of it.

Our local had a truck through the winter selling coffee, tea, hot chocolate and various breakfast rolls (bacon etc). It was open earlier than the pub, 8-2pm.
It did well and we used it for coffee when our boiler was being replaced.
I’ve got no problem with similar set ups, sometimes used for special events in a wet pub that doesn’t usually supply food.

I was on holiday a couple of weeks ago, and the pub we used had a deal with the American diner opposite, you placed your order online and the diner delivered to your table in the pub. I thought it was a win, win situation for the two businesses, by doing this both reduced their overheads and it probably keeps both in business.

A pub in the next village has a fortnightly visiting burger van which we use a lot as the burgers are fabulous. The pub also serves it's own food 4 days a week.

I would never buy anything from a food truck, I would worry about hygiene.

I can't eat wheat - pizza X pie X anything in breadcrumb X burger (maybe but lots have wheat in the burger) - not the bun. The 'old fashioned' usually had something I could chew on.

Dempie55

I would never buy anything from a food truck, I would worry about hygiene.

Indeed.

Feel the same generally. I do know of a clean Pub, near to us. On rare occasion our daughters make us go there, and business Christmas dinner.

I dislike wasting money for food I can make at 1/10 the cost.

I wish our pub would get someone - anyone - else to do their food. Delightful staff, dreadful cooks.

There’s a nice micro-brewery fairly near us. They have no kitchen, so one evening a week they open as a taproom, with tables outside (it’s on an industrial estate), live music and a different food vans on rotation (often themed to match the music). It’s a great, if sometimes chilly, night out and very popular with a good mix of ages. The tables are generally full all evening, and there are often people sitting on kerbs, bringing their own chairs, or just standing up.

A (not quite as) local cidery does something similar on summer weekend afternoons into evening - also very busy, so much so that it’s now ticketed, as they have limited outside space.

We go to both fairly frequently; if the food any given week isn’t to my taste (rare, I’m not fussy, and hate cooking), I just buy drinks.

Dempie55

I would never buy anything from a food truck, I would worry about hygiene.

I don’t understand why, as they have food hygiene ratings exactly the same as restaurants and takeaways? In fact as you can see everything they are doing when they cook your food they are probably safer.

I would certainly give it a try once but confess to not being over enthusiastic at the prospect.

Casdon

Dempie55

I would never buy anything from a food truck, I would worry about hygiene.

I don’t understand why, as they have food hygiene ratings exactly the same as restaurants and takeaways? In fact as you can see everything they are doing when they cook your food they are probably safer.

I'm thinking the same, Casdon.

I can be ready to go out to eat in under five minutes, ten minutes if I have to change.

I enjoy eating out, trying different cuisines or just different restaurants. Some of the best food I have ever eaten in my life have been from street sellers and beach cooks in Thailand.

Wouldn’t bother me in the least to eat from a Food Truck

no way can our village support a pub kitchen - not enough punters and overheads would be crippling. We have a food truck at least once a fortnight - Gurkha Streetfood - Italian - Wood fired pizza -Indian - and the pub itself does brilliant Sunday roasts - win win

Food trucks have to conform to very high hygiene requirements.

I think there are some very old fashioned ideas of 'food trucks' on here.

As others have said, they have to have the same checks as any other ingredients catering establishment.

I am gluten intolerant and our burger van caters for that brilliantly. The chips are gf, some burgers (not all) are also gf and, it goes without saying, that mine comes in a gf bun. There is a choice of 5 or 6 different burgers which changes monthly.

DD2 had a pizza truck at her wedding in the evening which cooked delicious woodfired pizzas to order. I would eat from vans. When we lived in France we always ate sausage galettes from a van on market day. 😋

Casdon

Dempie55

I would never buy anything from a food truck, I would worry about hygiene.

I don’t understand why, as they have food hygiene ratings exactly the same as restaurants and takeaways? In fact as you can see everything they are doing when they cook your food they are probably safer.

Exactly. Most people have probably eaten at places with far lower standards of hygiene.

My son worked in a pub kitchen during the school holidays. As I suspected (from the speed of food being served) most meals were bought in and just microwave reheated. Only the daily 'specials' were actually cooked from scratch, with salads prepared on site and frozen chips fried to order.

A friend insists on having a good look at the kitchen of any restaurant he intends to visit. He rejects most of them - and says we all would, if we only knew!

I don’t really know what a ‘food truck’ is. Sound a bit American to me. Can anyone enlighten me ?

MrsKen33 a mobile van or trailer containing the means, oven/hob, fridge, washing up facilities etc, providing food. Commonly seen at outdoor events, pub car parks, by the roadside, festivals, sometimes weddings or private parties.
Could be any food, hog roast, jacket potatoes, pizza, to name a few.

One visits here selling grass-fed organic beef burgers

Callistemon21

One visits here selling grass-fed organic beef burgers

Oooh, there’s posh 😂

Ooh yes, we're very posh round here!!

😁