ven·dri·fi·ca·tion

ven·dri·fi·ca·tion (noun): The process by which an influx of fancy food trucks selling gourmet treats threatens to displace established, traditional street vendors.

Kogi BBQ Taco Truck (Shiho Nakaza) Katie Robbins coined the term in a September 25, 2009 article in BlackBook reporting on rising tensions in New York neighborhoods between existing kebab and hot dog vendors and their new competition: social-media savvy entrepreneurs serving up cupcakes, schnitzel sandwiches, and Tahitian vanilla panna cotta (among other treats) from their high-end food trucks:

"In a city accustomed to gentrification, perhaps this new phenomenon could be described as “vendrification,” with more expensive, higher-tech carts and trucks sweeping in and shaking up the culinary terrain of the streets. Predictably, this shift has led to some tensions between the “traditional” vendors and the newer-style sellers, who often use heavily decorated trucks, rotating seasonal offerings, and regular Twitter tweets advertising their current whereabouts to draw in customers. For the kebab and hot dog vendors, who often stay in the same city-assigned location day after day, it becomes a question of market infringement."

Illustration: Kogi BBQ Taco Truck, by Shiho Nakaza.




 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Sep 29, 2009 in Business, Dictionary of Modern Gastronomy, What's Fresh | Link | | Print this page | Share This



 

Comments

Sep 30, 2009 2:17:12 PM
Posted By: Christine

There is a whole section in Gourmet this month on street vendors and the foodies they attract.

 

Sep 30, 2009 10:39:26 PM
Posted By: Carrie

In Washington, there's a company working with the traditional street vendors to sell them food - and more options for their customers. Visit www.metrocurean.com for more information - i was just reading about tonight!

 

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In Washington, there's a company working with the traditional street vendors to sell them food - and more options for their customers. Visit www.metrocurean.com for more information - i was just reading about tonight!

 

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