the peached tortilla

the Eater Awards for 2011 were just released

The prestigious Eater awards came out Monday this week, and we were honored to win Food Truck of the Year 2011.  It has been a long, strenuous journey to the top since we launched in 2010; it’s nice to be recognized for our hard work.  We strive to continue to produce a top product.  We have multiple projects lined up in the near future which will introduce our fans to broader, more diverse flavors.  You can view a full list of Eater Austin’s award winners here.

the Google PUNCH'D event is set for Thursday, Nov. 17th from 12PM-5PM at the UT-CoOp parking lot

For our centrally located fans, make sure to check out the Google PUNCH’D event this Thursday, Nov. 17th from 12-5PM in the parking lot right behind the UT Co-Op.   We’ll be slinging out free tacos to anyone who downloads the PUNCH’D app. and gets a QR code scanned by us.  That’s right.  FREE tacos.  You can thank our friends at Google for making that happen.

So I’ve been in “the game” for almost a year now. I’m not sure if that makes me a food truck professional, but I think it makes me qualified to speak on what it takes to run a food truck. I get a ton of emails and phone calls asking me what the business is like and how to get started, so I’m going to lay it out for everyone with 10 “commandments.” Take them at their face value. They may not apply to everyone. But from my experience, I think they would be tough to argue with.

(1). It’s not about the money, it’s about the brand.  For those that open a food truck looking to get rich, I would advise you to consider other career alternatives.  The only reason you should open a food truck is to establish a brand and test your product (or to further extend your brand awareness if you are operating already as a brick and mortar).  Yes, I’m well aware it’s a business and at the end of the day you need to make money.  And yes, to survive you need to look at your P&L’s.  Just don’t expect to feed your 401K off this gig.

(2). Talk to people operating in your city. Absolutely go to the trucks in your area and talk to the owners.  Find out what challenges they have encountered and what the market is like.  You’ll have to separate some fact from fiction, but most of what you’ll hear is probably the truth.  And if you can’t find anyone to talk to, you can call me. 512.761.3241.  And I’ll try my best to shoot you straight.

(3). Say goodbye to your family and loved ones, at least for a while. Go ahead and laugh but it’s the truth.  If you have a family, friends, etc., unless they are in this venture with you, you won’t be seeing them for a while (at least early on).  You are embarking on the most challenging endeavor of your life – when you do have free time, you’ll be too exhausted to do anything or see anyone.

(4). Fail to market, and simply fail.  It’s true, mobile cuisine is a trendy sector of the food industry right now.  Everybody wants to get in.  But it’s fierce and there are a ton of competitors.  People won’t dine at your establishment just because it’s mobile; you need to market yourself.  So budget your resources accordingly.  Not down with social media? You’re starting the race a mile behind.

(5). Expect the worst, and don’t get discouraged. You are a kitchen on wheels.  You will absolutely break down during your operation.  Your refrigerator will likely stop working, your battery will blow up, your window screens will tear apart…  This is all part of the “fun” of mobile cuisine.  Expect the worst, temper your expectations and you’ll be better able to deal with these hurdles.

(6). Food trucks are built by a team, not an individual. Do not plan to undertake this endeavor by yourself.  You won’t last more than a month.  Make sure you have partnered up with strong operators who you trust and can help you run your business.  Don’t feel safe leaving the cash box with them?  You probably should partner with someone else.  You will have money stolen from you at some point, just make sure it’s not your operating partner.

(7). Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your food truck won’t be either. This is a marathon – a grueling one that lasts through the change in seasons.  Understand that and take it one day at a time.  Make sure to pace yourself and take care of your mind, body and soul.  Only the strong survive.

(8). Understand this will be the most challenging ordeal of your life. 9 out of 10 food truck operators will tell you “don’t do it.”  Don’t operate a food truck.  Why?  Because it’s really….damn….hard.  It’s a ton of work with tight margins.  I haven’t met a food truck operator who didn’t say this was the toughest challenge they have ever had.

(9). Have an end game and stick to it.  Whether it’s selling your product wholesale or opening up a brick and mortar, an endgame provides daylight at the end of the tunnel.  It makes the job palatable and provides you with a concrete goal.  If you don’t have an endgame and want to operate the truck forever, well…I guess that’s your call.

(10). If you build it, they will come.  Create a niche, put out a great product, and people will appreciate what you’re doing.  No other platform for selling food provides the type of interaction that a food truck offers.  And if your food is fantastic, you’ll develop some of the most loyal customers around. Knowing that you can have a positive impact on someone’s day can be worth more than the sales you generate.

To those who take the plunge, best of luck.

-Eric

1400 Holly St., ATX 78702

This year, we are proud to be participating in the Austin Modern Home Tour. There are 16 unbelievable homes on this tour (any of which I would be more than happy to live in for a nominal fee; OK, really I would live there without the fee). The Tour has been bumped an hour due to the inclement weather, but we’ll be ready to start serving from 12-6PM. You’ll be able to find us at 1400 Holly St., ATX, 78702. For more information, visit the ATX Modern Home Tour site.  It’s going to be warming up tomorrow, and really, there’s no better way to spend a Saturday then combining modern street cuisine with modern architecture and style!

joining the food truck biz

Before I go any further, a quick interruption regarding our schedule this week.  We will be off our regular Friday schedule to prepare for Gypsy Picnic, which will feature us and 29 other food trailers on Saturday, November 6th from 11AM-8PM.  I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause!

The most frequent question I get while working the food truck is “why did you do it?”  Why did you leave a high paying job as an attorney to jump into a notoriously difficult to succeed industry?  The simple, one word answer?  Fear.  You see, nothing scares me more than the simple fact that I only have the opportunity to live this one life.  The fear of starting this new, risky venture was heavily outweighed by the fear of always wondering “what if.”  I dreaded the notion that five years down the road I would be sitting in an office asking myself “what if you had just followed through on that food truck venture?”   I studied food trucks like it was my job for over a year; it was time to make it my job.

A small sculpture from the Successories store sits on my nightstand at my parent’s home.  My father gave it to me as a Christmas gift when I was ten years old.  The sculpture is of a soccer ball and below it it reads “you miss 100% of the shots you never take.”  Or something to that effect; don’t quote me verbatim.  Yes, these motivational quotes err on the cheesy side.  I’m not going to argue that point.  Bottom line, though, is they are true.  For some reason, that quote has been stuck in my head like a tongue on ice for the past 18 years and it served (and continues to serve) as a driving force for me on this project.  Life is too short to ask “what if?”  I would rather just remove the question all together.  Life can pass you by in a blink of an eye.  Sometimes we get so caught up in our daily routine that we forget about that.  Don’t.  After all, you only live once.