‘Coming into 2026 was a scary time for hospitality as a whole,’ says street food and events app founder
The founder of a street food and events app has admitted that entering 2026 was “a scary time for hospitality as a whole”, as she shares her predictions for the rest of the year.
Vanessa Anderson is the brain behind the unique Indi Local app, which has undergone a transformation since the start of last year to help connect street food traders with event organisers and others who want to utilise their services.
The initial concept for Indi Local was simple. Businesses and event organisers let the team know when and where they were going to be, and this information was presented as a map for users to explore and discover.
2025 saw some exciting updates to build on the above, which Vanessa and her team hope will continue to have a positive impact on the reach of street food traders moving forward.
One of those changes was adding digital business profiles to the app, in which street food vendors can upload information about their business, menu, upcoming schedule and locations, and social media platforms.
Vendors can then spread the word about their business profiles, as they each have a unique link to share with customers and all the information can be found in one place.
Vanessa told the Chronicle & Echo: “Coming into 2026 was a scary time for hospitality as a whole. Even though we’re not a vendor ourselves, it directly impacts our business and has a knock-on effect.
“We were feeling nervous as the start of the year is typically quieter anyway for street food and hospitality. Gradually, as we’ve come into March, things are opening back up again and confidence is rising.”
Vanessa explained that Indi Local uses the quieter first two months of the year to highlight any problems that need solving, and one that arose at the start of 2026 was the use of pre-ordering to reduce queues.
The team previously built an ordering system for an event at Silverstone Park, and will be rolling this out to all who utilise the Indi Local app in due course.
Businesses can opt to take pre-orders from the public and anyone using the app can see where they will be, the menu items and time slots available. Vanessa is working with event organisers using the same system to enable people to book tickets through Indi Local.
“This will help them compete with larger street food halls to bring more people in,” said Vanessa. “We’re bringing the technology to the small businesses that have been forgotten.
“Vendors like that we spotlight the hidden gems and advocate for them and give them a voice. People don’t realise street food is a whole industry that is discoverable in the local area.”
Vanessa believes street food vendors are becoming more risk averse due to the instability of rising costs, and the unknown as to whether members of the community can afford to attend events. The focus is shifting towards corporate events with guaranteed revenue.
“There’s apprehension,” said Vanessa. “We’re still here to say we believe the future is in the local community and show the value of supporting local.
“I think street food halls are going to be a bigger thing across the country. Disused buildings with a load of vendors can become hubs for activity in towns and cities. This low overhead dining and catering is an opportunity for small businesses.”
Looking to the rest of 2026, Vanessa would like to see more support from the private corporate community choosing street food as an option for staff days and events. The founder believes this is an easy way to put money back into the local community, by welcoming street food trucks to their massive corporate car parks.