When technology leads social business: Food truck innovation

Jessica Lichy; Vincent Dutot; Maher Kachour

doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121775

When technology leads social business: Food truck innovation

Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2022 Aug:181:121775. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121775. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

Authors

Jessica Lichy¹, Vincent Dutot², Maher Kachour³

Affiliations

¹ IDRAC Lyon, 45-47, Rue Sergent Michel Berthet CP 607, 69258 Lyon Cedex 9, FRANCE.
² IPAG Business School, 184 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris, FRANCE.
³ ESCCA School of Management, 4 Pont Pasteur, 69007 Lyon, FRANCE.

Abstract

As restaurants and other non-essential businesses shut down to halt the spread of COVID-19, food-trucks adapted their business model, taking advantage of lower overheads and the ability to be mobile, to provide a response to the spike in demand for ready-made food. Set in France, this study identifies how food-trucks harnessed technology to support sustainable social business. We use triangulation to collect and analyse data from consumers and food-truck owners/managers on their perceptions of the value proposition and its limitations. Framed by the lockdown, we unpack the challenges faced by society and investigate ways in which food-trucks provide a sustainable alternative for eating out. We contribute to theory on social business and social innovation by acknowledging the socio-technical synergy existing in the specific context of food-trucks. The study acknowledges social equation as a key success element and validates the principles of social business in a new context.

Keywords: Food-trucks; Innovation; Social business model; Social media; Technology.