Applebees, Taco Bell invade the world of food trucks

Chris Tutor — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising

As if to prove the inevitable evolution of all things cool to pedestrian commercialism, the hipster trend of high-end food trucks is being invaded by cookie cutter chain names.

As the headline says, Applebees and Taco Bell are two big names cashing in on the roving restaurant trend. But there are also now trucks from Sizzler, Jack in the Box and Red Robin. If those big fish weren't enough to have you wondering if food trucks had jumped the shark, consider that NBC (yes, that NBC) recently had a food truck at SXSW and several U.S. cities have reported seeing a food truck selling Gap-branded tacos.

Some of the big chains see their trucks as supplementary to their brick and mortar stores, while others use their vittle-vans as mobile test kitchens. Sizzler, for example, uses an electronic menu on its truck because its offerings changed so frequently. Some items proved so popular that the steak chain incorporated them into their regular menu.

So is this the beginning of road-going restaurants? Or the beginning of the end for what was for a bit a fun little trend? Adweek's story points out that some people theorize that food trucks will become as ubiquitous as mobile phones. When first introduced, mobiles were novelties, but soon evolved to replace land lines.

Applebees, Taco Bell invade the world of food trucks originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mind the Gap: VW planning another sedan to slot in between Passat CC and Phaeton

Noah Joseph — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:03:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Volkswagen

click above image to view more pics of the Passat CC in high-res

Remember when Volkswagen launched the Phaeton, and everyone was like, What the heck are they thinking? Yeah, that was awesome. But it left a huge gaping hole in Volkswagen's product line-up between the Passat and the Phaeton. Wolfsburg tried to bridge the gap a little with the previous-generation Passat W8 4Motion, but that didn't do so well and was quickly taken off the market. The Passat CC unveiled earlier this week in Detroit helps fill the void, and the next Phaeton is expected to go down-market, but the gap is still so wide between the sedans that Volkswagen is reportedly considering making another one to slot into the line-up. Since the Phaeton isn't sold in the U.S. anymore, we assume this gap-bridging car is destined for the European market only.

This isn't mere rumor, speculation or conjecture. It comes straight from the mouth of Volkswagen's design chief, Klaus Bischoff, who revealed at the Passat CC's unveiling "We are planning another model between the Passat CC and Phaeton." Well, there you have it.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via The German Car Blog]

Gallery: 2009 Volkswagen Passat CC

Mind the Gap: VW planning another sedan to slot in between Passat CC and Phaeton originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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