They started as chuck wagons in 1866—Charles Goodnight modified a Civil War surplus wagon to feed cowboys on cattle drives from Texas to Colorado. For months at a time, "Cookie" would serve beans, salted meat, and coffee to hungry men moving thousands of longhorns across the frontier.

By the 1870s they became lunch wagons—Walter Scott cut windows in a covered wagon and parked it outside a Providence newspaper office, selling pie and coffee to journalists. These rolled into cities to feed factory workers, construction crews, and anyone who needed quick fuel during a shift.

By the mid-1900s they were called "roach coaches"—utilitarian trucks serving basic fare to blue-collar workers. Nothing fancy. Just food that kept people moving.

Then in 2008, everything changed. Chef Roy Choi—trained at the Culinary Institute of America, worked at Le Bernardin—got fired from the Beverly Hilton at 38 years old. Broke and scared, a friend called with an idea: Korean barbecue in a taco. They launched Kogi BBQ on Thanksgiving weekend. Within months, lines stretched down the block. Choi became Food & Wine's first food truck operator named Best New Chef. By 2017, his business model had sparked a $2.7 billion industry.

Today, there are over 35,000 food trucks in America. The average food truck generates $346,000 in annual revenue with profit margins of 6.2%—double what most restaurants earn. Between 2010 and 2025, the number of food trucks grew at 24% annually. 60% become profitable within their first year.

This isn't a trend. Chuck wagons fed the West for 20 years. Lunch wagons sustained America's industrial boom. Roach coaches kept construction sites running for decades. Mobile food has survived the Great Depression, two World Wars, and every economic crash since. We believe keeping the idea of speed and simplicity, but having this mobile food unit not be mobile, is the secret to success in today's competitive market.

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