The food-truck market - France (2023)

1.2 The global market dominated by the United States

The first food trucks appeared in the United States, which remains the world's leading food truck market to this day. In fact, this sector is estimated at $*** million in ****, and $*.* billion in ****, representing an impressive CAGR of +**% over this period. [***]

Among the biggest companies present on the market, on the manufacturer side, we find brands such as Prestige Food Trucks, M&R Trailers & Trucks and Custom Concessions, all American. On the restaurant side, there aren't really any food truck franchises, as this market is particularly fragmented, with each operator and therefore each brand owning just one or a few trucks.

More generally, food trucks are part of the street food market, estimated to be worth some $* billion in ****, with over **,*** businesses listed in the country. [***].

In Europe, a competition bringing together the best street foods has been held every year since ****, entitled European Street Food, testifying to the craze for this flourishing industry. A number of local specialties lend themselves well to street food, such as Souvlaki in Greece, Käsekrainer in Austria and Churros in Spain. Last but not least, Europe's leading food truck manufacturers include the food truck company in the Netherlands.

According to Straitsresearch data, the international food ...

1.3 The French market

Estimating the number of food-trucks in France in **** is extremely complex. According to Bernard Boutboul, Chairman of Gira Conseil, "after the boom years of ****-****, the number has dropped from *** nationwide in **** to between *** and *** today".

As for The Food Truck Agency, this start-up has over *,*** food truck partners, operating not only in France but also in bordering countries. The company specializes in the promotion of fast food, and develops databases containing information on food trucks that could potentially become partners.

Propulsebyca by crédit agricole estimates the number of food trucks at ***.

It is estimated that the average annual turnover of a food truck in France is between **K and ***K. [***]

Estimating market size

The market size of food trucks in France can be estimated using the following formula:

Average sales of a food truck x Nb food trucks

Average sales : *** ***€

Average number of food trucks: ***

The size of the food truck market in **** is roughly estimated at €*** million, but care should be taken when interpreting this figure. Average sales can vary considerably, and the average number of food trucks is also subject to estimation.

Considering an average sales figure of €***,***, linked to factors such as the rise in the ...

2.1 Restaurant consumption in France

Data on actual final household consumption in restaurants and mobile catering services for the year **** are not yet available. We will opt for a less detailed analysis, in order to gain a better understanding of trends in the sector.

In ****, actual final household consumption in restaurants and hotels recorded a significant increase of **% to reach *** billion euros in ****, after years **** and **** marked by a significant drop due to the crisis linked to the COVID-** pandemic.

Actual final household consumption Restaurants and Hotels at current prices France, ****-

Actual household spending on restaurants and mobile catering services recorded an increase of **% in ****, reaching a total of **.* billion euros. Similarly, household consumption in restaurants and hotels saw an increase of just **% in ****, largely due to the late return of tourists to France, impacting the hotel industry. Extrapolating a similar increase of almost **% in **** compared to ****, we could anticipate household spending on restaurants and mobile catering services reaching almost ** billion euros in ****.

Actual household consumption by function at current prices (***) France, ****-****, billions of euros Source: ****

Household consumption has a direct and substantial effect on revenues in the foodservice sector, in particular on food-truck revenues.

2.2 A demand for quality and diversity

Two consumer trends may explain the new demand for food variety among the French:

The search for new consumption occasions : consumers are looking for pleasure and discovery, and they are also looking for new places to eat, which may explain the craze for food trucks, which promote diversification of the offer and thus meet consumer expectations. New experiences linked to globalization: another trend observed is linked to a strong demand for culinary diversity and innovative concepts. The phenomenon of globalization in the restaurant business is reflected in the rise of fast food and food trucks.

Quality is another important criterion for the French: according to a study by CREDOC (***). What's more, **% of French people were in favor of the creation of a charter to distinguish between the units involved in street food, so as to know which offer the best quality products. The CERVIA organization therefore took on the task of creating this first street food charter.

Food trucks are a direct response to this criterion, since they offer quality street food, particularly in comparison with fast-food establishments. Consumers therefore have confidence in the products offered by food trucks, since their activity is closely monitored by the DGCCRF for compliance with ...

2.3 The French, atypical fast food consumers

The French fast-food market is considered to be a special one, due to the importance attached to catering, gastronomy and culinary traditions in the country. Fast-food chains, such as McDonald's, have had to adapt their offerings to appeal to French consumers, and their menus include many ingredients typical of French gastronomy (***). For example, many trucks offer American-inspired cuisine using local French produce, with lunch formulas in line with French dining traditions and typically French appellations.

On average, the French visit *.* different types of establishment each year. In addition to the seven types of establishment most frequented by the French, the following graph shows that food trucks account for **% of the population.

Type of establishment frequented by all French out-of-home consumers France, ****, in Source: ****

According to data from CHD Expert - Datassential, the length of the lunch break has almost doubled in the space of six years, approaching the one-hour mark by ****.

French lunch break time France, ****-****, in minutes Source: ****

**% of French people visit a fast-food outlet at least once a month, while **% do so at least once a week.

Distribution of frequency of visits to fast-food outlets France, ****, in Source: ****

3.1 The structure of the fast-food business

Fast food activity in France

We're interested here in the data provided by Ursaff on NAF code **.**C "Fast-food restaurants", which therefore includes food-truck activity.

Between **** and ****, the fast-food sector recorded a significant increase in the number of establishments, with average annual growth of *.**%. This equates to an average increase of *,*** establishments per year over this period. By ****, the number of establishments had risen by *.*%.

Growth in the number of establishments in the fast-food sector (***) France, ****-****, Number of establishments Source: ****

The number of employees rose dramatically between **** and ****, reaching ***,*** in ****. This corresponds to average annual growth of *.*% over this period, which equates to an average increase of**,*** employees per year. By ****, the number of employees has risen by *.**%.

number of employees in the fast-food sector (***) France, ****-****, Number of employees Source: ****

the overwhelming majority of fast-food establishments are located in the Île-de-France region, accounting for over **% of all establishments and **% of employees in the sector. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions rank second and third respectively in terms of the number of fast-food outlets, constituting major concentrations of restaurants of this type.

Paris will hold the record for the number of fast-food outlets in ****, with ***, followed by Lyon ...

3.2 Location strategies: a distribution challenge

According to Echosin ****, Paris City Hall accepted only ** out of *** applications for food truck locations: this figure reveals the difficulty of accessing a site, and therefore the central issue of the location chosen.

In ****, a call for applications was launched by the town of Fresnes in the Val-de-Marne, with the aim of enlivening neighborhoods and enriching the restaurant offer. Nine specific locations are available.

The manager of the "Le Bus Thai" food truck highlights the importance of this location strategy in his interview explaining that this is the major difficulty that food truckers face before launching their business. Indeed, he explains that the hardest part is setting up the food truck and its location. This location must be found even before submitting the application for the food truck project, to avoid waiting too long, which can even lead to "giving up", according to him.

Entrepreneurs who want to embark on the food truck adventure must also be keen enough to respond to calls for tender from the town hall, which offers locations. It's an opportunity for these entrepreneurs to put all the odds on their side, as the town council grants a fairly limited number of locations, as seen previously. The ...

3.3 Festivals and temporary events: opportunities for food trucks

The great advantage of food trucks is undeniably their mobility. This makes them the ideal solution for any temporary event requiring catering services. Present near the entrances and exits of festivals, cultural gatherings or sporting events, they also have the advantage of generally producing fast, easy-to-prepare cuisine, simple to consume without tables or crockery. Finally, they can also easily keep track of a tour, summer festival or concert schedule. [***]

On a different note, but still linked to the events scene, the town of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés has been hosting the food truck festival for the past three years. [***] Launched by the association Street Food en Mouvement, this event brings together some ** food trucks to showcase their products and diversity. Each edition of the festival has a patron, such as chef Cyril Prévost for the **** version. That year, **,*** people were expected to attend, providing an opportunity for this type of catering to gain greater visibility. In ****, the festival attracted **,*** visitors, including ** food truck owners.

The biggest street food festival is Buxerolles, which welcomed *** food trucks during its **** edition.

Last but not least, food trucks can be rented by event organizers in a variety of ways. These can be private events such as ...

4.1 A wide range of products

A wide range of menu options

Food-truck formulas include fast-casual dishes such as sandwiches, pizzas, hamburgers, bagels, kebabs, salads, Breton or Oriental pancakes, salads and more. Innovative concepts also include mozzarella bars with vegetables, sushi, foreign cuisine or fresh produce cooked and served in jars. Some food-trucks also offer snacks such as doughnuts, churros, ice creams, pancakes and more.

Food-trucks therefore offer a wide range of cuisines. Here are just a few examples of products on offer:

Chicken Empanadas; Jalapenos ; Grilled Cheese Sandwich (***); Pulled Pork Burger ; Fish and Chips (***); Vietnamese Sandwich ; Fried noodles (***).

Affordable prices

Food truck prices are generally between ** and ** euros for a menu. According to Le Figaroto eat at Le Camion qui Fume, you'll pay €* for a burger and €** for a burger and fries menu. At Cantine California, it's €** for the same menu, and at Le Réfectoire, it's just €* for fish & chips. This price range places food-trucks in the entry-level segment, but at prices higher than those charged for lunch in a bakery or supermarket. Finally, these prices are higher than the average value of restaurant coupons, which averaged €* in ****.[***].

Price range by type of restaurant location

Source: ****

Food trucks can also be hired out for events ...

4.2 Start-up costs and expenses

There are a number of requirements for opening a foodtruck:

The truck : It must be equipped to meet thesafety standardslaid down in the French Construction and Housing Code for ERP (***). Training: A specific **-hour training course on " food hygiene rules " is required. Legal status: There are two possible forms of legal status: sole proprietorship or partnership. Thesole proprietorship is the most popular legal status among entrepreneurs. The business is merged with the entrepreneur's personal assets, and an individual can set up only one sole proprietorship. The entrepreneur does not need to bring in share capital, and no legal entity is created, so there are no articles of association to draw up.apartnership is a business operating under the legal form of a company, i.e. as an independent legal entity

The different costs of a food truck:

On average, the truck costs **,*** euros to buy + maintenance. But prices can vary from €**,*** to €***,***, depending on the model and condition of the food truck. The price of a new food truck, delivered by a food truck manufacturer, generally starts at around €**,***. Equipping the truck afterwards costs between €**,*** and €**,*** , including : Electrical installation; Gas installation; Furnishings, worktops, storage units, etc; Walls, credenzas, stainless steel, etc. The ...

4.3 The different types of food-trucks: Towards structural innovation

The website Hedimag proposes a typology of the different food trucks that a food-trucker can choose for his activity. Among them are four new trucks:

Faced with new government and municipal vehicle regulations, as well as the growing demand for customization from food truckers, food truck manufacturers are under constant pressure to innovate. They now offer solutions such as compressed natural gas (***) vehicles, electric vehicle options, and even fully customizable trucks, including large-scale models. By constantly expanding their range, food truck manufacturers are able to meet the varied needs of food truckers.

Some innovations

The following image illustrates "Le Bistrot du Lion", a new Peugeot food truck designed by the Peugeot Design Lab and presented on April *, **** at the Carreau du Temple in Paris. Once stationary, the vehicle transforms into a real food court.

Cathal Loughnane, head of the Peugeot Design Lab, explains: "Users are always at the heart of our creations. For the PEUGEOT Foodtruck, we thought as much about those who cook as those who will be served. There are no longer any boundaries between the inside and outside of the PEUGEOT Foodtruck, so everyone can see what the chef is preparing and how it's done. And the chef ...

5.1 Regulations for opening a food truck

According to LegalStartthe first step before opening a food truck is to apply for a " carte de commerçant", which is issued either by the CMA (***) if fresh produce is used, or by the CCI if the products are not processed in the food truck.

Once you've been issued with a "carte de commerçant ambulant", you need to apply for an AOT (***), which only applies to food trucks in the catering sector. According to the same source, there are * types of AOT:

Market installation permit; Parking permits; Road permits.

The table below shows the three types of AOT:

Source: ****

Here is a non-exhaustive list of the main laws governing the food truck business

Sapin Law (***): This law introduced measures to facilitate the installation and operation of food trucks in France. It simplified administrative procedures for obtaining the authorizations required to operate a food truck. The Sapin Act also encouraged food truck mobility by authorizing temporary locations, paving the way for a greater variety of operating locations. Decree no. ****-*** of April **, ****: This decree specified the terms of application of the Sapin Law, in particular with regard to health safety criteria. It established standards and procedures to ensure that food trucks ...

5.2 Hygiene and waste sorting regulations

Compliance with hygiene regulations

Food trucks must comply with the hygiene and safety regulations applicable to all conventional restaurants, including the following:

Regulation ***/**** : sets out all the hygiene rules governing food products, and to which catering establishments are therefore subject. Decree of December **, **** : "relating to sanitary rules applicable to the activities of retail trade, storage and transport of products of animal origin and foodstuffs containing them".

Food waste sorting management

The various fast-food chains in France have been asked to propose a waste-sorting compliance plan by March ****. Food trucks are also affected by these sorting measures.

According to Le Figaro, ***,*** tonnes of packaging waste and **,*** tonnes of food wasteare generated by fast-food chains every year. Yet this waste is all too often not sorted, exposing chains to fines of up to €***,*** as an administrative penalty, and a *-year sentence with a €**,*** fine as a criminal offence, in the event of a surprise inspection.

In addition to waste sorting, consumers are exerting increasing pressure to reduce the waste generated by catering chains. In response, regulators are implementing new restrictive laws, as is the case with single-use plastics. The fast-food segment is particularly exposed, especially to plastic straws, plates and cups. The European ...

6. Segmentation

• Le camion qui fume (CQF development)
• Cantine California
• Eat the road
• French Yorker Food Truck
• Pit’s BBQ
• Cheesers Food Truck
• Le Réfectoire
• Aklé
• Seasons
• Food Trucks Gourmets
• Le Daddy’s wok
• Le panier à salade
• AGVM
• Aklé