Based on an analysis of breweries and bars per capita, average price per pint and overwhelmingly positive marks for the town’s suds on the social review platform Yelp, data-driven financial website SmartAsset.com announced in late December that Wilmington rates as the seventh best city for beer drinkers in the U.S. So it should come as no surprise that another locally booming industry has rolled in to help drive that growth. No fewer than 14 food trucks operate in New Hanover County, with many finding a regular spot outside the numerous breweries and bottle shops that have opened in the past year.

With the exception of the long-running Front Street Brewery, which also operates as a restaurant, no new beer businesses have kitchens on site. Some have added a cooler filled with a few packaged noshes; others sell nibbles like pretzels, brownies and cupcakes made by area bakers. But none can provide a complete meal the way a food truck can.

And because area regulations say trucks can’t simply pick a curb and hang out a shingle — they must operate on private property — the trucks get a place to park. More importantly, the captive audience makes the effort worthwhile.

Find the entire article at starnewsonline.com [here]