Food truck parks thanks to a boom in food truck culture

Food trucks have been around for many years, but during the pandemic the popularity and prevalence of them seemed to have exponentially multiply. There was a time when the main time I would see food trucks is at a very big festival, now I see them everywhere, regularly! Moreover, in recent years, there are now food truck 'parks' / 'stations'. 

In the last five years several food truck 'parks' or 'stations' have opened in Japan. They are places where food trucks have a semi-permanent home. In both Tsurugashima and Sakado cities (Saitama), for example, in recent years popular food truck 'parks' have opened. At these 'parks' there are several of the same food trucks available every day of the week, except for the days when they go off to an event. 

These types of food truck parks are popular because they are like an open-air food court, where you or a group of people have a choice of different food options in the one place. Some of the parks (also called stations) have a seating area too, so you can eat at the site while the food is still hot / cold. Also, if you have a favorite food truck it means you don't have to chase it around festivals / events and have access to it more frequently if it is stationed at a food park / station.

It also has a practical marketing advantage for the food trucks too as they can quite literally and figuratively put themselves on the map. Before these parks / stations emerged, if a food truck was not tied to a particular restaurant or shop, they had no way to put themselves on maps. But now, if they are a regular at a food truck park, they have. Moreover, their customers can find them easily. I for one am glad I can visit one of my favorites more frequently as they have secured a regular spot at a local food truck park.