App Extends Mobile Food Trucks' Calls to Hungry Followers

In the past, food trucks relied mainly on word of mouth to get the word out about their location. However, with half of all Americans expected to own smartphones by the end of 2011, it is crucial for all businesses – especially those on the move – to maintain a mobile presence. Now, customers can find their favorite trucks just by going to their websites thanks to Mobile Meteor, which optimizes businesses' websites for smartphone users.

 

In addition, Twitter-savvy food trucks who already tweet their locations to regular customers can now reach new customers with a new Mobile Meteor application that works with a food truck's existing Twitter account: By sending a tweet with "#open" plus the truck's address, a map automatically appears on the business's mobile web site with a link to their location on Google maps.

 

In the first week of using the feature and their new mobile site, New York's Frites 'N' Meats truck got more than 300 hits. "We move our truck all over Manhattan, and we've been using Twitter (@FritesNMeats) for a while to let customers know where we are," says Frites 'N' Meats owner Moe Beydoun. "Now, people can go right to our own site and see our location. This makes it easier for customers, especially those who aren't on Twitter, to find us."

 

"Thanks to Mobile Meteor, we can Tweet about things other than just our location, like specials, food news and other bits of information that will help build our brand," says Frites 'N' Meats co-owner Ali Beydoun.

 

This service is a web application that works on iPhones, Android devices, BlackBerry, Palm and more. There's nothing to download - it's activated from a business's existing website.