I’ve been to quite a few events and festivals with a row of Food Trucks – especially this year. I really want to love food trucks – but there are just a few things I can’t wrap my head around. I’d love to have a discussion around this with proprietors and consumers and see if anybody else feels the same way I do. So that said – if you own one, know someone who does or just eat at them – let me know your thoughts.
There is one food truck I love –
Empanadas Aqui is my favorite. Now I love them because they’re awesome people and they serve awesome food. But they do the a couple things that many others don’t – and that’s what is stemming this post – their food is easy to eat when standing and it’s less than $5.
Here’s a few points to consider:
- When are festivals? In the butt-ass heat of summer. It’s 95 degrees in the blaring sun and there’s no shade to be found.
- What are you doing at a festival? Standing. Holding my purse and cell phone and a beverage – and probably taking a selfie with my mouth open. (That’s what the Food Hussy does.) Case in point:
(Yes – my mouth is always open.)
- Are you the only truck there? No – there is a row of trucks (are they called a gaggle?) – and I – as the Food Hussy – don’t want to eat at ONE truck. I want to eat at ALL of them!
So what’s my issue with food trucks?
Many of them don’t help me in any of those situations!! Let’s break it down:
- The heat – When it’s that damn hot – I really don’t want to eat heavy, hot foods. Grilled cheese, ribs, containers full of food, etc…
- Standing – Let’s see…I have to hold my purse, my phone, my drink, take selfies – and you hand me an 8″ long wrap that’s so hot I can’t even hold it and floppy so there’s no way to eat it unless I’m sitting at a table with silverware. Case in point: to the left.
- Multiple trucks – If there’s a festival or multiple trucks – I like to be able to try multiple types of food from multiple trucks. But when your prices are between $7-$10 and your portion sizes are so huge – there’s no room to eat more than one thing.
So Food Truck owners – work with us! If you’re going to a festival or multi-truck event – here are some ideas:
- Lighter foods – I’m not saying you have to start making salads – but think about the heat factor and the sweat pouring down my face and come up with some option that has a cool factor to it.
- One hand foods – Try keeping in mind ease of eating when creating your delicious treats – things that I can eat with one hand – in a wrapper – are great!
- Portion size – If your food is just something heavy – then give me the option for a smaller portion. Honestly – some of you have food that is completely drool-worthy – but it’s really rich too. I’m not sure I am going to like a grilled cheese with pepperoni, mozzarella and honey – especially when it’s the size of my head – but if I could get a half – I’m more than happy to jump in on that! You might think this would cut into your profits but I think if you provide these smaller (and more affordable) portion sizes – folks will be adventurous and try more food – and thus be able to go to more than one truck so you have a better chance of getting in on that piece of the pie!
So there you have it – my frustrations after attending multiple food truck events this summer.
Does anybody else feel the same way? Or am I off track? What about you Food Truck owners?
And BTW – not meaning to pick on any one truck – these were just examples based on my experiences. I support the food trucks and want them to succeed. I just would like to be able to try more of you rather than just one per event.
Leave a Reply