There’s no doubt about it… food trucks are gaining popularity, all across the nation. I wonder if they are popular in countries outside the USA?
What are some really good or bad food trucks that you’ve ordered food from? What makes them so good/bad?
For example:
In St. Louis, MO, area, there are over (I think) 40 food trucks. Once a month during the summer, the City of St. Louis organizes “Food Truck Friday”, where many, many food trucks all converge in the South-West corner of Tower Grove Park. There are even beer and wine vendors that participate, with live music, and many people to help with recycling the waste generated from the event.
At these events (and sometimes even near where I work) I have sampled food from different trucks. Here are the ones I’ve tried, so far.
Seoul Taco (Korean-Mexican fusion): Totally excellent food!! They have different styles to choose from (gogi bowl; quesadilla; taco; burrito) that can be combined with different fillers (spicy pork; steak; others) and they are all delicious!
Guerrilla Street Food (Phillipine-American fusion): More total excellence. I can’t even begin to name all the delicious foods they have, but you can see their menu here.
Sarah’s Meltdown (gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches): Yeah… I didn’t think I’d like it, either… but I was surprised… they have one called “Jalapeno popper” that is cheese with crumbled bacon, sliced jalapeno, and ranch dressing.
ADD: I just tried “Deli On A Roll” advertising themselves as “a New York-style, kosher-style deli on wheels”. Their signature sandwich is corned beef, pastrami, turkey, brisket, salami, and 1000 Island dressing on a soft Italian roll. Not worth the $10 for the sandwich, although it was quite tasty.
What about your area? Any suggestions/recommendations/warnings?
I love food trucks but they are bit overpriced… Honestly, they should be cheaper since operational cost is cheaper but charge more then B&M store. I have yet to see Korean-mexican food truck…
In the metro area closest to me, a few restaurants that have gone out of business have partially blamed food trucks. Food trucks do not have the high expense of property taxes and other fixed costs. One owner of a restaurant that closed was angry that the food trucks set up right in front of his restaurant stealing his customers.
They have no food trucks in my area. If they did, I still probably would not eat from them out of concern for sanitation. Where do the employees go to the bathroom? Do they run into a competitor’s brick and mortar restaurant? Is there a toilet inside the food truck (yuck)?
I think this is an American thing. There are no food trucks over here. Of course, you have plenty of street stands with food on special occasions and festivities… but although they use their trucks for transportations and these stands are portable, I don’t think they are the same
Actually the cost of operating a food truck is more than you might think.
Not only is there the standard automotive maintenance (oil changes, brake changes, fixing anything that breaks) and insurance (which is probably sky-high); but then there are associative fees that the owners pay. For example, if any food truck wants to participate in Food Truck Friday, the cost (I hope it’s for the whole summer and not per event) is over $400.
Plus fees for being a member of the St. Louis Food Truck Association.
Plus most places (for example the base Exchange where I work) want a fee for the truck to park wherever it’s going to be vending food - it could be a flat rate, it could be a percentage, it could be both.
Most food trucks only operate for 2-4, maybe five hours at a stretch, during a lunch rush or dinner rush - employees most likely do their loo business before departing for their destination.
Same concept, different environment. America also has the street stands on special occasions (like The Highland Games, and festivals, and such) and holidays. But the food trucks are usually 5-6 days a week, and travel to different spots each day, usually to advertise for a brick/mortar location.
I’m new to Los Angeles, and I have learned that it’s a big hotspot for food trucks. I don’t really know how I feel about them. On the one hand, they have novel concepts for food. On the other, they aren’t really local (and I like patronizing local businesses). In the end, it really comes down to how hungry you are, right?
Not necessarily, @Russel_Cooke. I mean, yeah, hunger does have to play at least a small part. Right?
A lot of it is how adventuresome one is when it comes to food. NORMALLY, I’m not a very adventurous eater. But some trucks can really tug at my interests. Korean/Mexican fusion; Filipino/American fusion; NY kosher-style deli; Greek; gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches (yes, that is not a typo… and they are incredible); and more that, for brevity, I’ll not type, here and now.
The food truck has come a LONG way from the old “roach coach” trucks that used to cater to office parks. They are usually a little more expensive than a b/m store, but sometimes that extra few bucks will get you a LOT of delicious food.
