Food Bikes and Carts Expand the Mobile Food Trend

When it comes to the mobile food trend, most of the attention goes to food trucks. A show on Jack in the Box jumping on the bandwagon has pushed the once fringe movement into the mainstream, which is great news for would-be restauranteurs who can't afford a retail space (or like the flexibility of a mobile operation).

Food bikes and carts take the trend one step further, cutting down the start-up cost even more and allowing anyone with a few great recipes and a set of wheels to make their mark on the culinary landscape of their city. 

Photo: compujeramey, Creative Commons 2.0 on Flickr

green initiatives. Now, if only they could figure out a way to attach an umbrella to the top, so that the bike could fly, Mary Poppins-style, anywhere it's needed.

Photo: Kevin Clover

I have to admit, I have a soft spot for the Townshend's Tea Company. Biscuit options include sweet and savory options like the "Blue Biscuit" (a "bacon" biscuit with blue "cheeze") and the Chocoliscuit, a biscuit with chocolate sauce. Best of all, everything is $5 or less, with the exception of the Big Wheel Meal (any biscuit with any gravy or sauce plus Kombucha) which is $7. 

Photo: Toronto Burrito Bike

Another emerging trend is independent enterpreneurs creating food in their home (or catering) kitchens and delivering it to the masses via bicycle. Without a retail space or a marketing budget, these crafty merchants rely on word-of-mouth, natural curiosity and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to get the word out about their goods and communicate their menu for the day. One example is Toronto Burrito Bike, a vegan/vegetarian burrito start-up by Sari Lightman and Sammie Rising that delivers homemade burritos in the west end of the city by bike on Friday nights, between 6pm-1am. Burritos are filled with pinto beans, brown rice, homemade tomato corn salsa, greens, purple cabbage, cheese, and chipotle sour cream and can be wrapped in a corn or flour tortilla. Large burritos are $6-7 including delivery.

Photo: NatalieHG, Creative Commons 2.0 on Flickr

In Seattle and San Francisco, Max Kraushaar and  Natalie Galatzer of Bike Basket Pies (respectively) deliver fresh, homemade pies by bike. Pies from The Piecycle change weekly, and include everything from  Vegan Chocolate Strawberry to Georgia Sweet Potato (plus more traditional fruit flavors). Delivery is available Friday and Saturday evenings until 3 a.m. (and sometimes on Sunday as well). Individual slices are just $3, with whole pies going for $20.

Bike Basket Pies offers cupcake-sized and full-sized pies on Tuesday (and sometimes Wednesday) afternoons. Flavors switch up each week and typically incude three options (savory and sweet) like Apple Walnut, Shaker Lemon and various quiches. Many of the pies can also be veganized including the quiches (which are made with tofu instead of eggs). Individual-sized pies are $5 (with delivery) or $25 for a whole pie. 

Photo: The Creme Brulee Cart, San Francisco by Gary Soup on Flickr, Creative Commons 2.0

In San Francisco, brothers Curtis and Brian Kimball operate two mobile food operations that have cult followings. At Curtis' Crème Brûlée Cart, diners can satisfy their sweet tooth with a freshly torched pot of  crème brûlée in unique flavors like Dark Chocolate Grand Marnier, Vanilla Bean, S'mores, or Frosted Flakes--all for $4 each. The best place to score a pot of sweet, creamy goodness is at the Fort Mason Off the Grid event where dozens of food vendors gather to sell their wares.

Photo: Magic Curry Kart in San Francisco by Jeffrey McManus on Flickr, Creative Commons 2.0

For a savory fix, look no further than Brian Kimball's Twitter. If you can't hunt it down and are really craving a curry fix, head to a Whole Foods (in San Francisco) and you can pick up a jar of Magic Curry Kart curry paste or sauce (red and green varieties). 

Food carts and food delivery by bike are great ways to try something new and support local, independent businesses. Plus, since the price of just about everything sold on two (or three) wheels is typically a lot less than an entree in a proper restaurant, you'll also save yourself  a couple of bucks in the process.