REDMOND — There is a good possibility that Redmond’s food truck share of the city’s total dining market exceeds that of the national market on average. Redmond has no fewer than 20 food trucks offering broad menus with diverse cuisines — BBQ, Asian, tacos, pizza, seafood, Italian being the most prevalent.

In Redmond, 11 are clustered — seven at General Duffy’s Waterhole and four at Wild Ride Brewing. The others are scattered about, such as Hock & Jowl who are parked outside Rimrock Taphouse on SW 17th and Highland Avenue.

Seems that food trucks and beer are married at the hip. When asked, all the food trucks we visited said that during lunch, food is ordered first followed by beer. It’s the reverse for dinner.

The lunch market is heavy on construction and blue collar workers while dinner patrons run the gamut of workers and families. That’s not to say that Redmond mom groups with little ones in strollers don’t take in the scene for mid-day meals.

There are as many food trucks in Redmond as national and regional franchised chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Pizza Hut. Google “burgers” in Redmond and you’ll get about the same number as the number of food trucks. In other words, street food is a big deal in Redmond.

Nationwide there were 24,602 food trucks in the U.S. as of January according to market analysists IBIS World. The number of food trucks are growing annually at 7.5% but took a huge hit in 2020 — the year of Covid-19 — dropping from $1.4 billion in volume in 2019 to $1.24 billion. But that is a much smaller percentage loss than all restaurants taken as a whole whose sales declined 22% last year. Food trucks are more resilient and with their small, mobile operations, they are by definition nimbler and more flexible.

Mask mandates and other Covid-19 abatement measures have hit indoor dining establishments hard. As every food truck diner eats either outside or takes the food home, government restrictions have not been so painful to their bottom line.

When watching a stream of diners last Friday at three locations, The Spokesman observed that Redmond street food followed national characteristics. IBIS reports that 18- to 34-year-olds make up 47% of customers followed by the 35-44 age group.

The Redmond Food Truck Scene is influenced by Portland which is considered the best place in the country to own a food truck according to Food Truck Nation. Unlike Portland, getting a food truck up and operational in Redmond is comparatively easy with fewer regulatory barriers to entry.

It’s primarily millennials who are at the helm of Redmond food trucks. Chris and Emma Leyden typify the young entrepreneurs. Both worked at 900 Wall, a popular Bend eatery. Chris, who hails from Charleston, South Carolina, works 12 hours a day, 6 days a week making Feast Food Company a success.

Their menu can best be summed as eclectic, from snacking to vegan to full throated protein dishes. Sure, you can get a cheeseburger, but the line this day is more interested in pork belly and veggies or a charred veggie salad or corn ribs.

“Redmond might be thought of as a burger town,” Chris says, noting its Western roots. “Our customers not only expect but return in large part because we local source. That gets around.”

“Besides, fresh, organic is just plain better,” said Emma Leyden. They update their chalk board daily to show which area farms are supplying that day’s eats.

Feast Foods is in the General Duffy Waterhole campus. Comprising 1.4 acres bound by SW Canal, SW Forest Avenue and SW 4th Street, the property is home to seven food trucks, the “Angle”, a live music stage, a tap house and a soon-to-open “Annex” that will serve as a second taphouse with indoor seating and two patios.

The section of 4th Street that runs through the campus is actually owned by Duffy’s and is closed to traffic. Likewise, the proprietors also own their half of Canal Street under an easement agreement with Central Oregon Irrigation District.

What do you get when you combine a stockbroker, a registered nurse of 34 years at St. Charles and a Redmond High School alum who graduated from West Point? General Duffy’s Waterhole. Dick and Susan Robertson and their son Tanner are the trio who are turning the multi-use venue into Redmond’s destination music and dining experience.

The Waterhole has live music about three times a week. Earlier this summer they featured the band Everclear with special guests Floater and Dive Bar Theology. Robertson said the 1,500 tickets sold-report showed that 80% of the attendees were from Portland, illustrating the potential for Redmond to draw distant visitors.

General Duffy’s with 20 taps also has weekly bingo and line dancing and occasional cornhole tournaments. “Bands bring crowds and the food trucks share in the rewards,” Dick said. Indeed, every one of the food truck operators spoke highly of the symbiotic relationship with the Waterhole.

It’s a similar bond at Wild Ride Brew where food truck vendors Food Fellas, Red Pizza, Shred Town and Wild Catch sing the praises of their landlord. With outdoor heating technology and hearty Redmonders as your market, the food truck scene can please your appetite year round.