I think we need to define what are intrinsic benefits. Not challenging, but just trying to align our understanding.
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See “cucina povera.”
Also noting that “cheap” cuts and ingredients that are made delicious by those who cook them tend to gain widespread popularity and become more expensive and sometimes inaccessible to those of limited means. See: cabeza, lengua, oxtail, oysters, quinoa, etc.
Let’s be careful about generalizing about common folk, eh?
Edit: changed “poor” to “common” to match the term chemicalkinetics used.
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And I’d add social media presence and marketing to that list.
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I shall miss BBB for basics in the kitchen at very reasonable prices. An angel food cake pan, a mixing bowl scraper, a cooling rack, a few SS bowls. Going to BBB rather than W-S was a no brainer. Even though I love restaurant supply stores, sometimes BBB was just the better call. But it probably matters less in a DoorDash world.
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Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table are great, but limiting to a smaller population, and definitely not helpful for most college students or early career people. In addition, not all tools need to be expensive. For example, one can get a $400-500 Le Creuset Made in France enameled Dutch Oven from Williams Sonoma and still get a $3-5 wooden spoon from Bed Bath and Beyond (as oppose to a $20-40 WS spoon).
DoorDash world is interesting indeed. I haven’t tried it yet.
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Therein lies the proof that there is no intrinsic benefit. Needle, meet haystack. And the universe of patrons wasting their money actually reduces the number of patrons the needle needs.
At least with FF chains, the offerings are uniformly worthy (good or bad). Personally, I think that gives chain FF a dependability advantage, in a known “fills your guts” way.
A small number will break out, differentiate themselves, and succeed. Those few successes will now be found as brick and mortar restaurants. Had the market been less competitive, I fear they could have slipped into comfortable mediocrity and limped along and survived. Simply put, we disagree, but I think outcomes vary market to market.
…and a substantial share of those will flounder and drown in the wakes of those who follow. No matter how good their food is.
At the end of the day, food industry (like food trucks) is a business, not art. So the most profitable food trucks will survive, but that is not necessary those with the highest quality foods or most innovative.
Sure, the truly successful trucks who want growth will transition to a different model ASAP. This is a simple matter of self-preservation.
Or they have a way to make it cheaper… My view is that it depends on the “push” for the the numerous food trucks. Are people shifting from restaurants to food trucks because they want more interesting foods or cheaper foods? So the battle can be just who can sell their taco 50s cent cheaper. Innovative won’t matter at that point.
This is also similar to our discussion about Bed Bath Beyond. Cookware consumer priority changes – which caused the downfall for brick and mortar cookware stores. I don’t have a conclusion, just pondering.
A lot of taco trucks in your area?
Here, Austin, the reason most of the people I know who go to food trucks go for quality, innovation, and variety. The size limitation forces the owner to limit their menu. They concentrate on a very small menu. They usually do only one or two items but do them extremely well. They are a relatively low cost way to see if the Austin market is ready for a new cuisine like food from the Philippines or thinks that the trailer cranks out high enough quality to merit ongoing support. The testing aspect has helped improve the likelihood of success with bricks and mortar. Sure, there have been plenty of failures. That is the nature of restaurants. But we have had our food scene greatly enriched along the way. We have greatly improved tacos, amazing fusion like Chilantro, classics done well like Franklin and Valentina’s barbecue, and niche foods like the lobster rolls at Garbo’s to create a local awareness and following. We have also learned a lot of regional variances of foods we thought we already knew inside out like pizza and burgers. For example I have learned about Detroit style burgers and pizza and love both.
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No, that’s not my meaning. I think nearly everyone recognizes good food when they taste it.
Sound good. Some of the food trucks here are about that (and not even cheaper than restaurants), but many are simply offer quick, fast, and inexpensive meal.
Yes, quite a few. There is a large Hispanic population here and, per capita, many “Mexican” restaurants, too.
Even at the B&M places, tacos are very inexpensive, e.g., $2.50, and two would fatten most eaters. So I haven’t seen any drive toward rock bottom pricing to lure pennypinchers.
I love the tacos at a place called Taqueria el Caminante Charrito in NoVA. I told a Latino i liked the lengua and cabrito tacos there and he said something like, “Ah, but those are SALVADORAN tacos!”
How was i supposed to respond to that? 
Me, if i had had 15 minutes to think of a response: “True, I prefer a Tortas Ahogada de Jalisco, myself!”
LOL!
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Got it. I meant to bring this up earlier. During the COVID pandemic (the height of it), when restaurant business have dropped. Many restaurants did not survive. Some failed restaurants were poor quality restaurants with little business, but some are good quality restaurants but probably with a decent customer base. I think that get back to your earlier points about too many food trucks. When the economy squeeze, the best business model survive, but that is not necessary the best quality model.
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Yeah, it’s always fraught to think you’re maintaining the optimal cultural sensitivity. I was recently upbraided here for using the term “Chinese restaurant”.
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You know, I actually like many food trucks. I represent some. They’re actually a good model for incubation and easy(er) market entry. Most everyone thinks they can cook, and with the ante for truckdom being as little as nothing, and up to $70-$100K, more cooks can try their luck.
Compare that with what it costs to spin up a new B&M restaurant–usually with bank financing. That’s a real barrier, and if/when the failure happens, it’s usually devastating financially.
Unfortunately for everyone, though, the model is not much different than the one for espresso stands.
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