Mobile Communication and Food Trucks in an Urban Environment: A Case Study.

The purpose of this study is to discover the interactions between mobile food truck operators and their external/internal audiences via Twitter. Researchers examined the tweets (n=483) that emerged from patrons and owners of seven food trucks within a metropolitan food park within a onemonth period. A content analysis of Twitter feeds for multiple trucks provided a glimpse into one social media channel and that communication among mobile food truck operators and their external groups (loyal customers and potential customers). Results indicate tweets fell into three categories of basic Twitter-based communication, truck presence, and marketing and public relations. Tweets created social presence by linking the digital food truck to the physical truck. Messages were one-way in nature, and geared more toward marketing and less toward engaging customers and creating a community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]