From Chuckwagons to Korean Tacos: The History of Food Trucks

From Chuckwagons to Korean Tacos: The History of Food Trucks

Food trucks aren’t just a hipster invention.

They rolled out with cowboys in the 1800s, fed city workers by wagon, and now serve gourmet lobster rolls with Instagram filters.

Food trucks feel modern, but the truth is they’ve been rolling for more than 150 years.

The very first version was the chuckwagon, invented in 1866 by Texas rancher Charles Goodnight.

He outfitted an Army surplus wagon with shelves, drawers, and a fold-out prep table, stocking it with beans, biscuits, coffee, and salted meat.

By the 1870s, the idea reached the city.

Walter Scott parked a horse-drawn wagon outside a Providence, Rhode Island, newspaper office and sold sandwiches, pie, and coffee to late-night reporters.

As cities grew, mobile food carts became part of daily life.

By the mid-20th century, “roach coaches” and hot dog wagons were everywhere from construction sites to ball games.

The real explosion came after the 2008 recession.

Chefs who couldn’t afford brick-and-mortar restaurants took to trucks instead.

Today, food trucks are global.

You can find them selling frites in Paris, bento boxes in Japan, and spicy noodles in Bangkok.

It is no longer “cheap street food”; it’s culture on wheels.

Food trucks started as survival grub for cowboys and working men, then reinvented themselves as some of the most creative restaurants in the world.

So when you order tacos from a truck in a brewery parking lot, remember: you’re not just eating, you’re biting into history.