We recently reported about a couple of Boston-area food trucks deciding to open brick-and-mortar restaurants, and now we have learned that yet another truck will soon have a permanent spot as well.

According to a post on its Facebook page, the people behind the Pennypackers Food Truck will be opening a brick-and-mortar eatery in Somerville, with the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals approving their plans to open a restaurant in the Magoun Square section of the city. The post indicates that the new spot could be open sometime this summer.

Roxy’s Grilled Cheese and Mei Mei are also going to be opening permanent dining spots, with Roxy’s being in Allston and Mei Mei’s being in the Audubon Circle section of Boston.

Pennypackers, which debuted its truck in the summer of 2011, offers soups, salads, and sandwiches, and the owners now have two trucks–one stationed by the Marine Industrial Park in South Boston, and the other by Boston University. Their website can be found at http://www.pennypackersfoodtruck.com/

http://bostonrestaurants.blogspot.com/2013/05/pennypackers-food-truck-to-open-brick.html

Open for business. (Syd Kearney photos / Chronicle)

Downtown just got a little sweeter.

Popular food truck Porch Swing Desserts has opened a store in the tunnel at 801 Louisiana St. It’s tucked in an out-the-way corner between Pennzoil Plaza and Two Shell Center, in a space formerly occupied by a Treebeards satellite. (The Cajun cafeteria moved to bigger digs in Pennzoil Plaza in January.)

On opening day, May 16, the bakery was offering monkey bread muffins, its signature petite lemon meringue and strawberry pies, an assortment of cookies and Katz coffee.

I scored a banana pudding with caramelized bananas for breakfast. What a delicious way to start the day.

Porch Swing Desserts: 801 Louisaina St., 713-429–1338. Open 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Get a look at the big board.

http://blog.chron.com/29-95/2013/05/now-open-porch-swing-desserts-sans-wheels/

 Jeff Krause was a mobile pioneer when it comes to food trucks in the Valley. His idea came to light on a flight returning from France. Why not have crepes prepared with farm-fresh flavors served out of a food truck?

Well, the idea worked and it put Phoenix on the map when Serious Eats and The Huffington Post told everyone that you must try these culinary flavors of this little truck named “Truckin’ Good Food.” Basically, the name said it all and it was a good run for Krause.

He has shifted to a permanent location with a new name, “The Crepe Bar.” Fresh made crepes prepared with fresh vegetables and local meats. One of a kind pastries and deserts that are paired with the perfect espresso drinks and teas.

Jeff Krause is a culinary mastermind that never stops thinking about new menu items. I’m sure that is why his Truckin’ Good Foodies keep following him and don’t be surprised if you become one, it’s that good!

via twitter

Crepe Bar
7520 S. Rural Road
Tempe AZ
480-247-8012
www.crepe-bar.com

Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/lifestyle/sonoran_living/want-to-try-something-new-how-about-some-truckin-good-crepes#ixzz2TJsVtpOQ

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/lifestyle/sonoran_living/want-to-try-something-new-how-about-some-truckin-good-crepes

Another food truck has gone wheel-less. Chupacabra, which operates two taco trucks, has opened a “Latin kitchen” and taqueria at 822 H Street NE.

On the menu at the fast casual spot, you’ll find arepas and seven varieties of tacos, including panko-crusted tilapia, shredded beef braised in Argentine Malbec, and squash and eggplant with chipotle black beans. (You can turn any of the tacos into a salad or a bowl.) Also look out for chef’s specials like a Cuban sandwich and a beef soup with rice and veggies, garnished with lime and mint. Many of the items are gluten-free and vegan. See the full menu below. No liquor license yet, but stay tuned.

Chupacabra joins the growing number of food trucks to open a brick and mortar eateries. Check out a full list below. Interestingly, more than half of them sell tacos.

El Floridano —> Mothership, 2301 Georgia Ave. NW

Far East Taco Grille —> Far East Taco Grille, 409 15th St. NE (coming soon)

Pleasant Pops —> Pleasant Pops Farmhouse Market & Cafe, 1781 Florida Ave. NW

PORC —> Kangaroo Boxing Club, 3410 11th St. NW

Takorean —> Takorean at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE

Curbside Cupcakes —> Curbside Cupcakes at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE

Tacos El Chilango —> Tacos El Chilango, 1119 V St. NW

District Taco —> District Taco, 5723 Lee Highway, Arlington; 1309 F St. NW; 656 Pennsylvania Ave. SE

Seoul Food —> Seoul Food, 11310 Georgia Ave., Wheaton, Md.(coming soon)

SOL Mexican Grill —> SOL Mexican Grill, 1251 H St. NE

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2013/05/13/chupacabra-becomes-latest-taco-trucks-to-open-restaurant/

The “Love Strawberries and Champagne” cupcake from Sweet Box Shop in Philadelphia’s Midtown Village.

A popular cupcake food truck will open a storefront on May 11.

Sweet Box Shop (339 S. 13th St.) will open at 11 a.m.

Owner Gretchen Fantini has developed a following with the cupcake truck. In her first year in business, 2011, Sweet Box won the “best dessert” category in the Philadelphia Vendy Awards.

A Philadelphia native, Fantini worked in her family’s restaurants growing up, including Fanny’s Pizza in Northeast Philly.

It was while working as a court reporter that she started selling cupcakes at the farmers’ market at the Piazza in Northern Liberties, adapting her mother’s recipes.

In 2011, she quit her job and launched the Sweet Box Cupcake Truck, which was decorated by the Mural Arts Program. She’d let customers know of specials or her location on Twitter (@sweetboxtruck).

The store is a natural part of the growth, Fantini said by phone.

“It was a matter of growing out of the space. I was using my father’s kitchen at night,” she said. “And I was doing pretty much everything myself. It was like: Order it. Measure it. Bake it. Sell it. No sleep.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2013/05/09/cupcake-truck-expands-to-storefront-in.html

WASHINGTON, DC – More than 50 Chefs, brick-and-mortar businesses and community leaders – including Chef Jamie Leeds, restaurateur Joe Englert and Chef and television host Andrew Zimmern – today stood up for DC food trucks and called on the DC Council to reject Mayor Vincent Gray’s proposed regulations.

“We join the Food Truck Association of Metropolitan Washington in supporting smart management of individual locations where food trucks are in greatest demand,” says a letter signed by the group. “There are better, more flexible ways to manage these areas. But this proposal seeks to impose a one-size-fits-all approach that so severely restricts where food trucks can operate it threatens the existence of the food truck industry as we know it. “

The Council Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs will hold a hearing about the propose food truck regulations on Friday. The proposal places severe restrictions on where food trucks can serve customers, including:

• Forcing food trucks into a limited number of lottery-assigned locations at popular food truck destinations;
• Banning food trucks within 500 feet of lottery-assigned spaces;
• Banning food trucks where there is less than 10 feet of unobstructed sidewalk.

“Mayor Gray’s proposed food truck regulations have little, if any, community support,” said Doug Povich, chairman of the Food Truck Association of Metropolitan Washington and Co-owner of Red Hook Lobster Pound-DC. “We hope the DC Council sees that and sends the proposal back for revisions.”

About the Food Truck Association of Metropolitan Washington

The Food Truck Association is a group of more than 60 local food truck owner-operators. We seek to sustain the wellbeing of our industry, foster a sense of community and work in partnership to improve food truck regulations. We are engaged community members who deeply care about our city and believe in working together to make a positive impact. The Food Truck Association’s signature event is the Curbside Cookoff food truck festival series. For more information visit www.DCFoodTrucks.org.

http://www.dcfoodtrucks.org/

Derek Dawson (left) and owner James DiSabatino in a Roxy’s Grilled Cheese truck at Dewey Square. Roxy’s plans to open a restaurant in Allston in September.

Roxy’s Grilled Cheese trucks have logged many miles and melted a lot of cheese over the past couple of years, making them two of most popular mobile restaurants in Boston. Now, owner James DiSabatino wants to expand the business by staying put; he is planning to open a brick-and-mortar version of Roxy’s in September, following the lead of some other local food truck companies.

“It’ll be so great to have something that doesn’t break down on you,” DiSabatino said. “Something where you can put the key in the door, unlock it, and open.”

The new Roxy’s will be located at 485 Cambridge St. in Allston’s Union Square, an area that is already home to restaurants such as Lone Star, Deep Ellum, and Grasshopper. DiSabatino, 25, said he plans to double Roxy’s staff by adding about 20 employees.

“The whole purpose is for this place to act as our truck commissary and our brick-and-mortar spot at the same time,” he said. “The two will run out of the same space.”

DiSabatino said he expects the restaurant’s menu offerings to be “in the same vein” as what’s offered on his food trucks, including Green Muenster Melt: muenster cheese, homemade guacamole, and applewood bacon.

“This [restaurant] literally gives us more room to be creative, more fun, and more consistent all at the same time,” he said. “It will also be a bit more predictable, and I could really use that right now.”

Roxy’s will become the latest in a growing line of nomadic restaurants in the Boston area that have opened — or plan to open — permanent locations.

Clover Food Lab started as a single truck at MIT in 2008 and has grown to seven trucks in Boston, Cambridge, and Burlington.

Last year, it added two restaurants, both in Cambridge, and expects to open three or four more this year, including two in the next month — in Burlington and Brookline Village.

“The original idea behind the truck was to use it as a test ground to prototype a menu for a brick-and-mortar restaurant,” said Lucia Jazayeri, communications director for Clover, which features fresh, simply prepared foods.

In the beginning, Jazayeri said, Clover expected to operate out of a truck for only six weeks before moving to a permanent location. But when the truck stopped running, customers clamored for it to return.

“We never thought the trucks would be the thing,” she said. “We were always focused on restaurants and really still are, but trucks are a good way to test a menu because you have the chance to get to know customers and experiment, without the large overhead of a restaurant.”

Bon Me, a Vietnamese food truck, also opened a restaurant of the same name in Cambridge’s Kendall Square earlier this year, and the Chinese-American truck Mei Mei Street Kitchen plans to open a restaurant in late June near Boston University.

“Food trucks are the perfect incubator for food-service professionals to move their business along,” said Ron Sarni, the president and founder of Boston Food Truck Alliance, a trade organization.

“The restaurant industry is very high risk. Most don’t make it, and this is a solid way for people to have proof-of-concept and figure out what they need to do in a brick-and-mortar.”

Sarni said food trucks are also a good way for restaurants to increase brand recognition, which is why other local establishments such as Area Four in Cambridge or Paris Creperie in Brookline have launched food trucks based on their well-established restaurants.

“It’s more beneficial for a brick-and-mortar to launch a food truck than vice versa, just because it’s such a great bang for your buck in branding,” he said.

“This is not a trend; this is the evolution of the restaurant business.”

DiSabatino said he realizes part of Roxy’s attraction is the way the food is served, from a vehicle parked on a street. Taking that out of the equation, he said, is a risk.

“It’ll be a challenge to take the brand and experience and convert it to brick-and-mortar experience,” he said. “But we haven’t reached our potential brandwise or aesthetically yet, and I think it could finally come into its own here. I have a good feeling about it.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/05/06/food-truck-fare-finding-home/sEvxNnN5tKCLqGPydL7EwL/story.html

Count Sacramento’s Krush Burger as the first local food truck vendor to go international. According to a lengthy post on its web page, Krush Burger plans to open a brick-and-mortar location in Dubai. Owner Davin Vculek will be traveling to Dubai next week to oversee construction on this new spot, which is located near the massive Dubai Mall.

http://blogs.sacbee.com/dining/archives/2013/05/krush-burger-to.html

Curry-chicken “baco”

Unite two food truck owners sans trucks, and the result is not a new food truck, but rather a restaurant by the name of Saucy Porka. Open today, it is a joint effort by Amy Lee and Rafael Lopez. Lee owns the Duck ‘N’ Roll truck, which has been off the road since January. Lopez was a chef on the Waygu Wagon. Together, they have a wealth of family recipes rooted in Asian and Latin cuisine, and decided to open a fusion restaurant in the Financial District.

The menu is similar to a food truck’s (if the City of Chicago didn’t make it so difficult for them) – appetizers, sandwiches, rice bowls and sweet bites. Also, similar to many of the food trucks, the restaurant specializes in lunch, though, it is open from 8 AM to 4 PM. For breakfast, it serves banana nutella or Azuki cinnamon donut holes as well as chorizo or queso fresco egg banh mi.

The star of the lunch menu is something called a “baco” – or bao taco. Steamed Asian buns are filled with Latin-style fillings such as pork carnitas topped with pineapple salsa as well as sofrito-marinated shrimp topped with Asian slaw and avocado aioli. Fusions make a second appearance is umami nachos and chorizo egg rolls. Overall, Lee and Lopez wanted to menu to transform comfort food with bold flavors and modern techniques.

One more food truck has its hand in the new space. Flirty Cupcakes provides four specialty cupcakes for the restaurant. The Spicy Pork exclusive cupcake is a ginger cupcake with lemon center and buttercream. Sticking to the Asian-Latin fusion theme, a pineapple cream cheese and chocolate-cinnamon with chili powder are also on the dessert menu.

400 S. Financial Pl.; 773-417-6013

http://blog.zagat.com/2013/05/two-food-truck-chefs-open-saucy-porka.html

Prestige Food Trucks, a premier central Florida food truck builder reports significant demand for mobile food venders as small to large restaurant chains/franchises consider expanding into mobile catering.

“Over the past two years, many small to large restaurant chains/franchises have shown significant interest in taking their brand/restaurant to the food truck industry,” stated Tracy Stein, CEO and president of Prime Pinnacle, a private investment firm that provides financial capital for Prestige Food Trucks, in a prepared statement.

Stein further stated that the rise in popularity is because restaurant chains/franchises have begun to see the big picture in getting into the food truck business by studying, researching and recognizing the opportunities.

Prime Pinnacle’s research/data have shown that more than 15 percent of the top 200 restaurant chains have a mobile café / food truck presence. These include Cousins Submarines, Inc; Tasti D-Lite Frozen Yogart; Toppers Pizza; Jack in The Box; Sizzler; Red Robin; Chick-fil-A, Star Diner;The Gap; The Habit Burger & Grill; Taco Bell; Applebee’s; Dairy Queen, Subway, Qdoba, California Pizza Kitchen, Carl’s Jr.; In-N-Out Burger, Fatburger; Grandolfo’s New York Delicatessen; Banna-Stow’s Crepes & Coffee; and more.

Stein stated, “Food trucks serve as mobile billboards as well which is very enticing to the franchise/chain owners as they can spend between $50,000 to $200,000 plus per month on advertising alone. With a mobile food truck their visibility increases exponentially.”