Chef film will boost street van businesses, says NCASS
Just-released film Chef, starring Jon Favreau and Scarlett Johansson, will boost the number of start-up catering businesses in the UK, according to the Nationwide Caterers Association (NCASS).
This comes in light of NCASS's existing research, which found that new food truck vendor levels are at 15% above average in comparison to trends over the past five years.
NCASS said that the popularity of new food catering businesses was already high, and that the film would serve to "fuel the fire" and increase numbers further. It also stated that while many people who were made redundant during the economic downturn had turned to self-employment, the economy's continued improvement had only increased the numbers further.
Bob Fox, NCASS director, has said that the publicity for the film will help highlight the growing interest in the industry at the moment.
He said: "It is a really innovative and exciting time in the industry and we're really enjoying helping it to grow."
NCASS director Mark Laurie added: "The independent catering industry is a great outlet for people with a passion for food that are looking to be their own boss and work their own hours. We feel that with this film […] those already thinking about it may get the push they need. We're expecting to see even more new businesses in the coming months."
The statement also comes at the time when street food is a growing trend, with a separate Street Food Report 2014 from Santa Maria recently finding that consumers' taste for the food style is growing; that it helps to introduce them to new, global flavours; and that the majority is happy to spend more on it than on the usual lunchtime sandwiches.
It is also part of the general shift towards shared, casual eating, and has also spilled over into more permanent brands such as Wahaca, Pizza Pilgrims and MeatLiquor, and foodservice companies such as the Genuine Dining Co and Vacherin.
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