"Really when the Arnold was cancelled, it was the first huge impact for the business, because we counted on that tourism every year."
Lisa Gutierrez is the owner of Dos Hermanos, which usually operates in the Greater Columbus Convention Center and North Market.
So when restaurants had to be shut down because of the pandemic, her business went back to the basics, their taco trucks.
"It absolutely saved us, we left downtown and went to suburbs. We went from serving people lunch where normally we'd pull up to an office, to serving people at their homes at night," Gutierrez explains.
"We've been in New Albany, Westerville, Pataskala, Etna. We usually travel within 2.5 hours," she says about where they've gone over the last few months.
The same happened to Schmidt's Sausage Haus. While their restaurant closed and lost money, Andy Schmidt says their 3 food trucks got busy changing up their locations.
"I think the biggest game changer is food trucks going into the neighborhoods. And they'll have a food truck every night. So people can walk a block or two and get a different meal every evening, which I think is pretty cool," Schmidt says.
Schmidt says people like having food trucks in their neighborhoods for several reasons: convenience, safety and variety.
With 170 food trucks in Columbus, Gutierrez says people have enjoyed trying new foods closer to home, while feeling safe amid the pandemic.
"I think that they see that we're serving safely. I think that being able to order from home, coming to the truck, it's in a bag and individual boxes, there's a sense of safety and security there," Gutierrez says. She adds that they will probably stick to this business model for the foreseeable future.
To see where food trucks are located on a daily basis in Central Ohio, click here.