JUPITER, Fla . — When the coronavirus pandemic shutdown hit, Sal Accardi saw business drop drastically for his food truck The Waffle Wagon, featuring a variety of chicken and waffle dishes.
"We were doing a lot of corporate lunches and food truck invasion expo," he said.
Then, suddenly, sales started picking up in the subdivisions and neighborhoods he would sometimes visit.
"It definitely got a lot busier," Accardi said. "Families are really liking this a lot better. They can just take it home."
Now, he said, his food truck is booked into neighborhoods into December.
The trend is sweeping other food trucks, which are finding new customers anxious to try new take out closer to home.
"It's been fantastic. They saved us," Lara Walsh Vento, of the Krazy Cuban food truck, said. "We had a couple of real loyal communities that have us out every couple of weeks and it's been wonderful."
Vento and her husband Manny were cooking in the Heights of Jupiter neighborhood, which has been booking food trucks since April.
"Tuesday through Sunday, basically, if the trucks want to come, they come," resident Caroline Kennedy said. "We're booked out through November."
Residents lined up on this particular Friday night to try the variety of items on the menu.
"We appreciate having them here," resident Lynn McCullough said. "It gives my wife a break and we get a chance to do something different without having to go out to a restaurant."