Food trucks in Netherlands more than doubled in 5 years

The number of food trucks in the Netherlands increased by 110 percent in the past five years, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) reported on Tuesday. There are now just under 2,500 food trucks active in the country, compared to about 1,200 in 2017. Most food trucks can be found in Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holand.

Onno van Gent, owner of supply and demand platform Foodtruckbooking.com, food trucks are increasingly becoming part of the events culture. "They contribute significantly to the atmosphere." And this applies to not only festivals and fairs but also private events like business functions or family gatherings.

In addition to the usual hamburgers, fries, and pizza trucks, more and more food trucks offer fresh, high-quality food. Van Gent attributes this development to the movie Chef, in which a chef of a fine-dining restaurant starts a food truck.

"A shift is taking place. Consumers not only find the quality of food important, they also demand innovation. Think sushi, vegetarian, or vegan food. Cooking with products from local entrepreneurs is also the trend," Van Gent said. "A good food truck distinguishes itself with fresh and healthy food, combined with an original concept."

Most food trucks, 45 percent, are located in Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland. Drenthe only has 51 food truck companies registered in the province. But the location doesn't really matter, Van Gent pointed out. "Food truck entrepreneurs are used to traveling far to attend festivals and events."

Van Gent expects that the number of food truck companies won't increase much further. But he does think that existing companies will expand to more food trucks. "Many food truck operators will now get to a point where they have to decide whether to expand to continue generating sufficient income," he said.