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Food Trucks?

DeacWatcher

DeacWatcher

Ricky Peral
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How many of you live in cities where there are 1 or more of these operating? Obviously if its a big city (NYC, DC, Boston, LA) there are many, but what about smaller cities/towns like Winston for instance. There is 1 where I am (Upstate SC), but wish there were more.

Anybody got any idea if there is any money in operating one?
 
Jacksonville has a bunch of them. They have a food truck alley at Jags games and a few weeks ago there was a food truck festival.

It seems to me that they stay pretty busy. On Friday and Saturday nights the brewery down the road has one or two come out since they don't serve food there.
 
DeacWatcher said:
How many of you live in cities where there are 1 or more of these operating? Obviously if its a big city (NYC, DC, Boston, LA) there are many, but what about smaller cities/towns like Winston for instance. There is 1 where I am (Upstate SC), but wish there were more.

Anybody got any idea if there is any money in operating one?
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Charleston has several, but the laws about operating them have made it kind of tricky so you don't just see these guys parked out like you do in bigger cities. I'm not sure the ins and outs of it, but the bottom lines is that they don't really operate downtown outside of special events, which sucks. In spite of this, the number of trucks grew over the past few years and seems to have leveled out.
 
Philly has a pretty solid food truck scene. Stands to reason when two staples of your cuisine lend themselves well to that kind of cooking. The scene is strongest in West Philly out near Penn and Drexel, but they also come to Love Park every day and seem to do well.

I'm sure we will hear ALL ABOUT the DC scene on this thread.
 
Probably over 100 here. Unfortunately one of three within walking distance of my place, and my favorite, is gone to who knows where forever.

Thanks Obama (store).
 
And if that (unfunny) joke was confusing, the food truck was based in the lot of the Obama campaign headquarters which has obviously left town. New tenants wouldn't let them use the parking lot.
 
I would imagine brick and mortar restaurants that pay more in taxes don't like them much. I like watching Eat St on Food Network though.
 
we have a ton in DC, and our office ventures to Farragut Square frequently to check them out. I've gotten to where I only go to a certain few, because most are overpriced and the food isn't great. some of the trucks I have no idea how they survive...like there are several popcorn trucks here. what kind of demand is there for that?
 
wakephan09 said:
Probably over 100 here. Unfortunately one of three within walking distance of my place, and my favorite, is gone to who knows where forever.

Thanks Obama (store).
Click to expand...

I really gotta start eating at more trucks dude. It's not really convenient for lunch because I work out in the hills. I have eaten at a pretty baller Mexican truck on East Riverside a few times though. Great tacos.
 
...Portland has a few (understatement). They're more like food carts than food trucks, though. They all live in the same lots all the time; there are only a handful that actually drive around and park somewhere new every day.
 
Baltimore has a pretty big food truck scene. They have festivals and stuff. Pretty good deal for lunch. Fish tacos, FTW.
 
Charlotte has tons of food trucks these days. I've been surprised by the new trucks I keep seeing. Quite a few around uptown/Gateway for lunch, and around various large business/office parks in other parts of the city. At night, many of them move to the local breweries and beer pubs, providing food for patrons at places that don't otherwise have kitchens. Seems to be a pretty good symbiotic relationship. There are a few that focus on local food that you'll often see providing breakfast/lunch at various farmers markets around town on the weekends. And I've been to a few events lately that were catered by some of the more popular food trucks. There are 2-3 festivals around town when the weather is nice.
 
Asheville has a ton that are pretty good. The DC scene is all screwed up cause they just passed new laws with specific places they can set up and a lottery system.
 
Raleigh has them. Eaten at several on the centennial campus working at the old Red Hat digs.
 
TownieDeac said:
Philly has a pretty solid food truck scene. Stands to reason when two staples of your cuisine lend themselves well to that kind of cooking. The scene is strongest in West Philly out near Penn and Drexel, but they also come to Love Park every day and seem to do well.

I'm sure we will hear ALL ABOUT the DC scene on this thread.
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#thirdtierjealousy
 
Overrated and not that good.
 
RacerDeac said:
Charlotte has tons of food trucks these days. I've been surprised by the new trucks I keep seeing. Quite a few around uptown/Gateway for lunch, and around various large business/office parks in other parts of the city. At night, many of them move to the local breweries and beer pubs, providing food for patrons at places that don't otherwise have kitchens. Seems to be a pretty good symbiotic relationship. There are a few that focus on local food that you'll often see providing breakfast/lunch at various farmers markets around town on the weekends. And I've been to a few events lately that were catered by some of the more popular food trucks. There are 2-3 festivals around town when the weather is nice.
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The Juan Taco truck/trailer that parks Uptown a few days a week is usually staffed by a smoking hot milf and her equally hot younger sidekick, with the milf often wearing a Wake hat or shirt. I've haven't eaten her taco yet, though somebody usually suggests it just for the expected reaction.
 
DeacWatcher said:
How many of you live in cities where there are 1 or more of these operating? Obviously if its a big city (NYC, DC, Boston, LA) there are many, but what about smaller cities/towns like Winston for instance. There is 1 where I am (Upstate SC), but wish there were more.

Anybody got any idea if there is any money in operating one?
Click to expand...

Hard to say; Roy Choi pulled something like $2 Million (gross) in his first year running Kogi..not sure if anyone else has seen that kind of 1st year success though. He's expanded his fleet significantly, so he obviously found something that worked for him, though I have to believe he's the exception, not the rule.
 
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