The ultimate On-The-Go Food is an apple or a banana.  For these fruits packaging is superior, taste holds up well and there is no mess.  In practice, as we all know, the most prefer On-The-Go Foods are soda, potato chips, candy bars, coffee, ice cream and donuts.  On-The-Go Foods are defined as easily available, ready to eat, easy to eat (no utensils) and portable, to say nothing of good tasting.

Venues for On-The-Go FoodsVenues for On-The-Go Foods

A survey by Insight Express of Connecticut says 9 of 10 consumers purchase portable convenience foods.  Most consumers (72%) eat On-The-Go Foods in the Home and 44% have gotten into the practice of eating in the Car.  Another 39% partake at the Office, 17% at a Recreational Facility and 14% at School.  

Hot Foods That Travel Well

Hectic lifestyles encourage food on the run, alone or with the kids, with "the girls", one's "mates" or with a business associate.  Foodservice operators in restaurants, convenience stores and service stations are tapping in to a ratcheted up demand for Hot Foods That Travel Well.  Naturally, not all foods meet the demands of on-the-go convenience.  Some are messy, some need a fork and some don't taste good cold.

Leading On-The-Go Side Dishes

The MenuMine! database of 50,000 menu items from 500 chains tracks the popularity of foods in terms of menu incidence.  Side dishes such as French Fries, Onion Rings and Baked Potatoes are highly rated for Take-Out Suitability.  Take out packaging is readily available to foodservice operators and this helps insure heat retention without the need for re-heating.  Some foods, however, do not hold up after re-heating (fries, rings, garlic bread).  Of the Top 20 Side Dishes, seven (7) score well for On-The-Go Convenience and this means they are ready to eat, easy to eat (no utensils), portable and popular (good tasting).  On-The-Go leading sides are french fries, onion rings, garlic bread, breadsticks and cheese fries.  Baked beans, rice and corn on the cob are excellent take out foods, but since they are either messy or require utensils or need two hands, do not qualify for On-The-Go Convenience. 

Leading On-The-Go Appetizers

Leading On-The-Go Sandwiches/Burgers

The hamburger and cheese burger are ubiquitous for On-The-Go versatility.  But, giant size, multi-laye burgers and super heavy burritos are messy and may not be orde by consumers planning to eat at the computer or at the wheel or at the park minding the kids.  Sandwiches do not re-heat well in microwaves, unless one tolerates dry bread or soggy bread.  However, the melting and hold-together power of cheese, may be enough to counter the dry bread of a re-heated cheeseburger.  Hot dogs, patty melts and other sandwiches are widely orde at drive-thrus.  No one knows how many are consumed before getting home or back to the office; but if they require two hands to eat, they may have a diminished appeal with some On-The-Go diners.

Street Food* Around The World 

While we are on the subject On-To-Go Foods, reference must be made to Street Food.  Nothing could have a greater affinity to food and mobility than Street Food, where one can literally trip over dinner or at least bump into it.  The popularity of Street Food varies by city and neighborhood and certainly by country.  In Asia, Street Food is omnipresent.  In Latin America and Africa, it is popular to a lesser degree.  In Europe, Street Food is less prevalent than the rest of the world, with the exception of the United States, where it is somewhat sparse.   Hygiene, sanitation, licensing and food quality continue to hinder the development of Street Food.  Nevertheless, Street Food is a good barometer (or will be) of consumer tastes in the expanding Global Village.     Needless to say, there are hunds more Street Foods than those listed below.  Please note that top rated Street Foods also may appear on menus of sit down restaurants.  Thus, foodservice professionals may find the next great idea hidden in the delicacies listed below.