Mobile catering is the business of selling prepared food from some sort ofvehicle. It is a feature ofurban culture in many countries.^[1] Mobile catering can be performed usingfood trucks, trailers,carts andfood stands with many types of foods that can be prepared. Mobile catering is also used to provide food to people during times of emergency.

A food cart is a motorlesstrailer that can be hauled byautomobile,bicycle, or hand to thepoint of sale, often a publicsidewalk orpark. Carts typically have an onboardheating and/orrefrigeration system to keep the food ready for consumption. Foods and beverages often served from carts include

• Hot dogs and othersausages in the United States (seehot dog stand)
• Tacos,burritos and other Mexican-style food that can be held in the hand, thus lending the nametaco truck or, in Spanish,"lonchera"
• Halal food such as lamb or chicken over rice, or in a gyro
• Ice cream and other frozen treats
• Coffee,bagels,donuts,egg sandwiches,e.g., bacon, egg, and cheese, and other breakfast items
• Pig roast is often served in a bread bun or baguette with apple sauce or sage & onion stuffing.
• BBQ popular food items include burgers, sausages and chicken.

A catering truck enables a vendor to sell a larger volume than a cart and to reach a larger market. The service is similar; the truck carries a stock of prepared foods that customers can buy.Ice cream vans are a familiar example of a catering truck in Canada, the United States and theUnited Kingdom.

Afood truck or mobile kitchen is a modifiedvan with a built-inbarbecue grill,deep fryer, or other cooking equipment. It offers more flexibility in the menu since the vendor can prepare food to order as well as fresh foods in advance. A vendor can choose to park the van in one place, as with a cart, or to broaden the business's reach by driving the van to several customer locations. Examples of mobile kitchens include taco trucks on thewest coast of the United States, especially inSouthern California, andfish and chips vans in theUnited Kingdom. These vehicles are sometimesdysphemistically called "roach coaches" or "ptomaine wagons".

Aconcession trailer has preparation equipment like a mobile kitchen, but it cannot move on its own. As such it is suited for events lasting several days, such astravelling funfairs.

In addition to being operated as private businesses, mobile catering vehicles are also used afternatural disasters to feed people in areas with damagedinfrastructure. TheSalvation Army has several mobile kitchens that it uses for this purpose.

Mobile catering vehicles have also provided a niche for advertisers to target the working population and general audience. With a wide variety of display options, lunch truck advertising has exploded into a successful marketing venture for many companies, including Outdoor Ad Systems, LLC andRoaming Hunger.^[2]

Mobile catering is popular throughoutNew York City, though sometimes can be unprofitable.^[3]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMobile catering.

• Catering
• Restaurants by type
• Street culture
• Food trucks

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