As anyone who has been paying attention to the food industry for the past several years has surely realized, food trucks and food truck culture have been becoming a more and more popular alternative to the traditional “sit-down” restaurant. While far from taking over the foodservice industry as some articles seem to claim, food trucks offer a quick and easy dining alternative – often with a unique theme or concept – for people eating on the go, and they can be found thriving amid the hustle and bustle of busy metropolitan areas around the world. But what of more relaxed environments? What of a summer trip to a nearby lake or a vacation to an island locale? Are these spots out of the question for establishing a profitable mobile foodservice business model?
Apparently, the answer to this last question is no. Much like the food truck before them, food boats have recently begun to creep (or cruise, if you will) onto the scene, offering a new way for seafaring hobbyists to get their snacks and meals during a day out on the water. Food boats work in much the same way as a food truck, the primary and obvious difference being that instead of simply walking up to the window, you are maneuvering an entire boat. But with a little bit of skill and some careful exchanging of money and food items, you can be on your way to a tasty maritime meal in no time.
The Burger Buoy, which operates out of Freeport, New York, is one of the first food boats of its kind to reach public notoriety. Converted from an old houseboat into a fully functional deli and grill, The Burger Buoy serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner to customers in the West End Boat Basin area. Patrons simply hail the Burger Bouy (or call in by phone) to place their order. The customer then pulls up and docks his or her boat using the Burger Buoy’s unique floating dock system so that the staff can safely hand off the food. According to the owners, the Burger Buoy was created in an effort to cut down on the time and inconvenience involved in docking one’s boat and waiting in line at a nearby deli just to get a bite to eat. But the low overhead costs and freedom of location have allowed the Burger Buoy to take advantage of a niche market that otherwise would have been left up to dock-side food stands and restaurants.
Since many food boats also require you to have a boat to take full advantage of dining via food boat, word is not spreading in quite the same way as it has with the food truck phenomenon. But regardless, more and more food boats are beginning to pop up all over the world, with particularly strong food boat cultures developing in the seaside, open-air markets of many European and Middle-Eastern cities. In Turkey, for example, Istambuli food boats line up alongside market pavilions to cook and sell their stocks of fresh fish to eagerly awaiting customers. Although the inherent environmental limitations (needing to be located on the water) may keep food boats from reaching the same level of wide-spread popularity that food trucks have started to gain over the past few years, the foodservice industry is almost sure to see a much stronger – and increasingly interesting – food and concession boat presence in the years to come.
