As the food truck trend starts to age, fewer entrepreneurs are launching mobile food businesses–but those who remain are delivering higher quality cuisine to diners.

Trends come and go in the restaurant industry. More often than not, this year’s hot new cuisine is next year’s market loser–another fatality in the fickle world of food service.

Over the past five years, food trucks have been touted as a game-changer in casual dining experiences. Leveraging self-contained, mobile kitchens, restaurateurs have served up a surprisingly wide range of cuisines at various daily locations, typically in dense urban markets.

But a recent article at FastCasual.com highlights the growing divide between those who believe that food trucks’ time has passed and those who see food trucks as a growth industry. Citing the entry costs and operational challenges associated with food truck startups, critics point out that many would-be restaurateurs bit off more than they could chew and are quickly exiting the industry.

However, industry proponents point out that the food truck market continues to expand. IBISWorld research shows that food trucks and carts increased by 8.4 percent from 2007 to 2012 and now comprise a $1 billion per year industry in the U.S.

“One important driver of restaurant industry sales has been and continues to be convenience,” said Hudson Riehle, senior VP of Research at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) to FastCasual. “When you look at restaurant industry traffic, about 70 percent of it is now off-premises. When you think of consumer needs for convenience, food trucks are a natural evolution of the growth of the off-premises market.”

But despite signs of steady demand for food truck fare, starting a restaurant is never easy and every food truck scenario needs to be approached as a unique business opportunity. In addition to evaluating their own skill sets, funding levels and operational expertise, aspiring food truck owners need to make sure that there is actual demand for food trucks in their geographic area.

Citing NRA research, FastCasual.com has shown that the food truck trend is strongest on the West Coast and in the Northeast. Although locating a food truck business in these areas doesn’t guarantee success, it does improve the odds of a launching a sustainable food truck startup.

No one disputes the fact that the food truck industry is changing. Once seen as a novelty, diners now evaluate food trucks as normal restaurants. As a result, the most successful food trucks are becoming the ones that leverage innovation and deliver consistently high quality cuisine to their customers.

http://www.gaebler.com/News/Small-Business-Startup/Is-the-Food-Truck-Industry-Running-Out-of-Gas%3F-900000388.htm

Anyone who attended last weekend’s very crowded inaugural New York Food Truck Festival at Riverfront Park in Troy might be surprised to learn that, at least in the Big Apple, the food truck business isn’t very successful.

Really? Really, according to Adam Davidson’s report in today’s New York Times. It begins thus:

Stefan Nafziger seemed oddly downbeat for a guy watching a dozen or so hungry people line up to buy his falafels.

Three years ago, when it seemed as if food trucks might take over Manhattan, he planned to have a fleet of his Taim trucks dispensing Middle Eastern fare throughout the city. He even got a Wall Street investor. Now, he says, his one truck barely justifies the cost.

I was originally hoping that Nafziger would help me figure out a decidedly New York puzzle. As I was walking through Prospect Park recently, I wanted to find a healthful snack for my son and something for me. The only options, though, were the same sort of carts that my dad took me to in the ’70s: Good Humor ice cream, overpriced cans of soda and overboiled hot dogs sitting in cloudy water.

This seemed ridiculous. In the past few decades, food in New York City has gone through a complete transformation, but the street-vendor market, which should be more nimble, barely budges. Shouldn’t there be four Wafels & Dinges trucks for every hot-dog cart?

David Weber, president of the New York City Food Truck Association, explained that the ratio is more like 25 to 1 the other way. That’s because despite the inherent attractiveness of cute trucks and clever food options, the business stinks.

http://dowdnotesonnapkins.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-bad-side-of-food-truck-market-niche.html

Illustration by Alexander Hunter for The Washington Times more >

The battle to regulate upstart food-truck entrepreneurs in Washington might be coming to a head. The D.C. Council’s Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs is scheduled to hold a public round table to finalize the regulations under which food trucks can operate in the District. If the rules are implemented in their current form, hungry residents will have far fewer options for lunch and small businesses will starve. Regulations that address public health, food safety and traffic flow concerns serve a clear public purpose. In this case, the proposed regulations fail on all of these grounds.

Regulators have viewed the burgeoning food-truck industry with suspicion virtually from its inception. Rules to restrict the operation of food trucks were proposed as long ago as 2010; the current version is the fourth iteration. An extraordinary degree of obscurity and lack of definition render the rules unfriendly to food trucks. The inclusion of a formal lottery to secure a vending spot permit should be a tip-off that the proposal is problematic.

The proposed regulation lays out 23 potential mobile-vending zones throughout the city, and there would be at least three spots for food trucks in each zone. These zones are not equally attractive for those selling food, but merely areas that regulators have deemed appropriate for vending. Vendors, not regulators, are in the best positions to know where their customers are to be found and, therefore, which zones are viable and which are simply regulatory constructs. Farragut Square and L’Enfant Plaza, for example, are prime spots for selling food; St. Elizabeths Hospital and Friendship Heights, far less so. The fundamental decision of where to vend should rest with the food-truck operator, not the regulators. The city’s concern should be limited to congestion and traffic flow, both vehicular and pedestrian.

A related problem is that the minimum number of permits might prove to be the maximum. Any number above three would be entirely at the government’s discretion — an uncomfortable thought for an entrepreneur putting resources into the always-risky food business. Assuming three permits per zone, this could limit the number of food trucks to as few as 69. Those not fortunate enough to secure a permit would be subject to additional restrictions. They would not be allowed to park closer than 500 feet to the edge of the vending zone, and then only in a spot with 10 feet of unobstructed sidewalk — vanishingly rare in downtown Washington.

Spreading the food trucks around the District might be intended to fix traffic problems, but it is not clear that there are problems. An experiment by the public interest law firm Institute for Justice found that the presence of food trucks increased the pedestrian time to travel a block in Federal Center and in Dupont Circle by a mere one second.

The unintended — but entirely foreseeable — consequence of this forcible thinning of food trucks will be the loss of the network effect that drives the growth of the food-truck industry, the equivalent of the benefits of knowledge spillovers in Silicon Valley or of the pooling of talent in Hollywood. A wide variety encourages more people to try the food trucks; limiting variety will limit choice and demand, squeezing sellers out of the District or out of the industry entirely.

The cherry on top this unappetizing regulatory sundae is the formal institution of a lottery. Under no circumstances should the word lottery appear in a regulation, particularly one pertaining to business. The D.C. Council proposes to require vendors to pay a $25 fee per vehicle to enter a monthly lottery for a spot. Those lucky enough to secure a spot would have to pay an additional $150 for a monthly parking permit — for the privilege of vending between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The losers, stuck with the 500-foot and 10-foot location restrictions, almost certainly will be pushed out of highly desirable locations such as Farragut Square. The lottery adds an unacceptable degree of uncertainty to the business of food trucks. Regulation should attempt to reduce uncertainty, not increase it.

The proposed regulations do not benefit consumers; they reduce the food options available. They do not help the food-truck vendors; quite the reverse. They lack any clear traffic benefits. If the council wishes to regulate the food-truck industry, we would all be better off if the regulations were clear and narrowly tailored to achieve articulated outcomes. While not perfect, the regulations in place in Los Angeles, home of a long-established and thriving food-truck industry, might be the place to start.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/9/a-food-fight-over-food-trucks/

French burgers are prepared at ‘Le Refectoire’ food truck in Paris November 16, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Charles Platiau

That’s why online travel adviser Cheapflights.com (www.cheapflights.com) has put together its Top 10 street-food cities. Reuters has not endorsed this list:

1. Hong Kong, China

With a bustling international food scene, Hong Kong offers up everything from sweet tofu soup to dumplings all from street-side stalls. Long under British rule but now part of China, the city is famous for everything from snake soup to egg tarts, and serves up an interesting mix of Cantonese delicacies and Western favorites. Markets like those on Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei, the Ladies Market on Tung Choi Street and Kowloon City are popular places to peruse Hong Kong’s street food scene and taste test items like hot pots, curried fish balls and skewers of stinky tofu (your nose will guide you to that one). The city’s dai pai dongs – open-air street food vendors – have been dwindling since the 1980s when regulations tightened, but places like noodle shops and markets still thrive. Some of Hong Kong’s food stalls like dim sum canteen Tim Ho Wan on Sham Shui Po even made the most recent Michelin Guide – a significant honor from a guide that’s notoriously stingy with its stars, reserving them mainly for high-end brick-and-mortar restaurants.

2. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Food stands are a staple in Rio de Janeiro. Vendors offer everything from cod fritters to feijoada (rice, beans and pork) and salgadinhos (salty aperitifs). The scene has stretched to the city’s waterfront and its suburbs. Beverages are popular street-side buys here, especially drinks like fruit smoothies and suco de acai (acai juice). Sweet treats like tapiocas (crepes) and churros filled with chocolate or caramel are also popular. Stroll the boardwalk of Copacabana and Ipanema beaches to find 24-hour food stands. Street meat called churrasquinhos, hot dogs known as cachorro quente and cheese bread (pao de queijo) are all common street food fare in Old Rio.

3. Paris, France

Paris may be famous for decadent sit-down mid-day meals, but its street food offerings are extensive. After all, who can resist that wall of Nutella jars practically calling your name from every Parisian crêperie? The city’s iconic street food specialty is the heavenly crêpe. The thin pancakes are typically made to order and filled with your choice of ingredients, which could be anything from a savory combination like ham and cheese, or a sweet specialty like that heavenly chocolate-hazelnut spread paired with slices of banana. But the French city’s street food scene goes beyond its network of street-corner crêperies. Sandwiches from bakeries, falafel in the Marais district and Indian specialties like samosas are all served street side. A surprising amount of food trucks – many of them dishing out traditional American favorites like burgers – are also popping up around Paris. Just be a little discerning with your selections in popular tourist locales, such as the areas around the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre.

4. Boston, Mass., United States

Humble hot dog carts, step aside. Gourmet mobile meals are all the rage in several U.S. cities, including Boston where more than 50 food trucks (up from 15 in 2011) roam the city, planting themselves – on any given day – in one of 30 locations. The trucks also converge on various neighborhood markets in the spring, summer and fall. Each truck has cornered its piece of the foodie market, and cuisine ranges from local specialties like lobster rolls (from the Lobsta Love truck) to Vietnamese favorites (from the Bon Me truck). The buzz around the treat-dispensing trucks is also a reflection of a growing food scene in this New England city. Truck chefs host food festivals and cooking contests, and, on occasion, even end up launching wheel-less meals from restaurants inspired by their food trucks. On the flip side, some brick-and-mortar restaurants are now sending their meals on the road.

5. Istanbul, Turkey

Food stalls and street-side snack shops are ubiquitous in this Turkish city. Specialties include kebap (little pieces of broiled or roasted cow, sheep or chicken meat), döner (meat roasted on a vertical spit), lahmacun (Turkish pizza), sokak simit (a large, crispy bagel-like bread roll with sesame seeds) and an array of flaky pastries. Neighborhoods like Karakoy, Ortakoy and Taksim feature plenty of street food vendors, and the city’s Grand Bazaar is another hot spot for street food. Down at the waterfront, vendors stand aboard boats and offer up fish sandwiches that will only set you back about three Turkish lire. Seasonal favorites like corn on the cob in the summer and roasted chestnuts in the winter are also popular in Istanbul.

6. Mexico City, Mexico

Affordable and authentic are two frequently used adjectives for street food in Mexico City. Thousands of food stalls and taquerias line city streets dishing up Mexican favorites like tostados, carnitas, tamales and quesadillas. But the key street dish in this city is tacos al pastor – thinly sliced pork that has been spit-roasted and bathed in chili sauce, paired with chopped onion and coriander, then rolled into a small tortilla. Try the carts in the city’s main square, Centro Historico’s Zocalo, or the Colonia Roma neighborhood. For a treat, head to the cart on the corner of Delicias and Aranda streets, which offers blue-corn tlacoyos – grilled corn patties with beans, cheese, cactus, cilantro and salsa.

7. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Often overshadowed by Vancouver and Toronto in the street food arena, Ottawa boasts a growing mobile meal scene, with 44 food trucks and carts already hawking their yummy goods and about 20 inventive newcomers ready to hit the streets in May. New trucks include the Urban Cowboy, which will dish out self-proclaimed “innovative Texan street food” and the Ottawa “Streat” Gourmet set to feature local, seasonal eats. New specialty carts will serve everything from frozen yogurt to churros and baked potatoes with toppings. These additions will join the city’s perennial street food favorites like hot dog and sausage carts, BeaverTails (fried pastries with your choice of sweet or savory toppings) and poutine (french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds).

8. Marrakech, Morocco

The heart of Marrakech’s street food culture is Djemaa el-Fna, which daylights as the city’s main square, but moonlights as an impressive spread of about 100 open-air food stalls. Adventurous foodies can sample the traditional sheep’s head, while those with more reserved tastes can bite into offerings like fried eggplant or couscous-based dishes. If the food isn’t enough of a draw, the market also features performers, snake charmers and tarot card readers. Overflowing bowls of olives and barrels of spices are mainstays in the city’s souks, or markets. Rue El Kassabin is another key spot to savor street food in this city. Known for its slow-roasted lamb called mechoui, the area serves up a variety of other street food fare including bean soup, escargot, sausage sandwiches and Moroccan-style macarons.

9. Berlin, Germany

There are plenty of international favorites served street side in Berlin, but two dishes are the main players: currywurst and the döner kebab. Currywurst is essentially a deep-fried pork sausage covered in ketchup and dusted with curry powder. Curry 36 in the Kreuzberg district is the go-to local food stand for many lovers of this dish. You can order it with or without the skin. Devout currywurst fans typically pair the sausage with fries topped with ketchup and mayonnaise. Stands selling döner kebabs – gyro-like Turkish sandwiches – also pepper the city. Berlin’s markets serve up a mix of international street food, including items like pickled herring on bread, falafel sandwiches and Turkish pastries. The city also just launched “Street Food Thursdays” at the Markthalle in Kreuzberg. The weekly event will feature a line-up of street food favorites for several hours every Thursday.

10. Fukuoka, Japan

Other Japanese cities may be more famous, but Fukuoka is famous for its street food. Located on the northern shore of Kyushu, the city boasts more than 150 transportable food stalls known as yatai that open around dusk, then pack up and vanish at the end of each night. The stands dot the city, but large groups of them are located near Tenjin Station and on the southern end of Nakasu Island. Specialties include tonkotsu ramen (a noodle dish featuring broth made using pork bones and fat), mentaiko (spicy pollack roe), hakata gyoza (pan-fried dumplings filled with cabbage and pork), iwashi mentaiko (Japanese sardines stuffed with mentaiko) and tempura (seafood and vegetables fried in a light tempura batter). The perfect pairing for many of these dishes? A glass of sake.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/04/26/travel-picks-street-food-idINDEE93P0A120130426

WESTBROOK — The gourmet food truck craze has been tantalizing foodies everywhere for several years now, but as far as we know, our area has never had an entire weekend festival to celebrate them.

But that’s exactly what’s happening this weekend at the Tanger Outlets. Just think: You can come for your spring wardrobe needs, and stay for a meal, some musical entertainment, and perhaps a cooking demonstration or two.

Tanger is partnering with celebrity chef Curtis Stone to put on an unprecedented Taste & Style Food Truck Festival, with all our favorite snack shacks on wheels (and foods) on hand. The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

On both days, there will be trucks there from such places as Chubby Chickpea, Baja Taco, The Happy Taco, FryBorg, Hog Wild, Cupcake Brake, The Sugar Bakery Cup Cake, The Away Cafe, Boston Shuckin’ Truck, Spud Stud, The Whey Station, Lobster Craft, Food Extrovert, the Munchies Food Truck, and more. On Saturday only, you can also taste the treats of Captain Marden’s and Chicken and Rice. And on Sunday only, you can get yourself some munchies from the Caseus Cheese Truck and High Tide Gourmet.

Music will be provided by the Red Hill Rockers, the Sin Sisters, the Shiny Lapel Trio and more. And there will be demonstrations from CLARKE, Kitchen Aid, Soda Stream, Williams-Sonoma and Chef Kashia.

Want to show off some of your own mad cooking skills? On Saturday, you’re invited to enter a backyard barbecue contest. You need to be one of the first 100 entrants, and you can win cash prizes and awards for the best ribs and wings. Call 860-399-8656, ext. 101 to enter.

There’s also a chowder cook-off, where you can taste the best chowders from local area restaurants, and vote on which is the finest. Proceeds from this contest benefit the Westbrook High School Project Graduation Fund.

As if two days of gourmet food and music isn’t enough, Tanger customers are also eligible to win a three-day, two-night trip to Los Angeles for two, to dine with Curtis Stone at THE Blvd in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 20. The winner will also win a $1,000 shopping spree at Tanger Outlets.

For more information, go to www.tangeroutlets.com. Tanger Outlets is located just off exit 65 on I-95.

http://www.shorelinetimes.com/articles/2013/04/24/life/doc51786cd1070d7541257982.txt

via facebook

Hands down, it’s probably the best little food truck we’ve never seen. And that’s because it never seems to make it up to this area; guess it’s always too busy down south in Miami.

But we do get a glimpse of Mojo Grill’s Mojo on the Go food truck tonight on “Eat St.,” a Cooking Channel staple out of Canada that explores and tracks the growing world of street food.

The episode airs at 6 p.m. today with repeat viewings Friday at 2 a.m. and 10 p.m. (well, that’s what DVRs are for!).

The description of the episode — well, the part focusing on Mojo’s food truck — reads: “First up, Eat St. rides into Miami to get our Mojo on the Go, a big eats truck from the Bayou (??) serving up a gator tail basket, curry peanut frog legs and a mean smoked brisket sandwich.”

Rondo Fernandez, proprietor of Mojo Grill, writes that the episode also “mentions our place in Ocala and me and my brother on the truck.”

I’m just wondering what’s that “Bayou” thing the program mentions?

The episode airs on Comcast channels 1281 and 122, Cox channel 1241 and, according to Rondo, DirectTV channel 232.

He’s also planning a viewing party between 6 and 7 p.m.

And maybe someday he or his brother will drive the darn thing up here so we can get some of that fancy peanut frog legs too.

http://rallen.blogs.ocala.com/12213/eat-st-episode-features-mojo-grills-miami-food-truck/?tc=ar

Check out the rows of amazing food trucks and carts the next time you’re hungry in Portland. Photo: Flickr

By now, food trucks are a mainstream phenomenon, one igniting cravings countrywide. Offering a tasty reason for a themed vacation, some cities take portable vittles to new heights.

In Los Angeles, culturally diverse meals on wheels are at every turn. Start with piping hot fried chicken, vinegar slaw and lavender biscuits from LudoTruck. Or, kick things off with a wet burrito and Korean short rib tacos from Kogi BBQ, a taste of New Orleans from Ragin Cajun On Wheels orLos Saigon’s venerable banh mi.

When you find yourself in San Francisco, bao (steamed buns) from The Chairman Truck are a must. Then again, you don’t want to miss the miso-coconut-braised pork belly koJa from KoJa Kitchen, either—it’s slathered with garlic aioli and tucked into a toasted garlic rice bun. Craving tacos? Get your fix with the carne asada and al pastor from El Tonayense Taco Truck.

Not surprisingly, New York boasts an impressive array of roving edibles, too. If you’re vegan, make your first stop The Cinnamon Snail, a go-to for beer-simmered ancho seitan burgers and crème brûlée doughnuts. But if falafel is your thing, hightail it to the Taim Mobile Falafel & Smoothie Truck, an ultra-fresh option for Middle Eastern sammies and lemon-mint dressed Israeli salad.

Not to be overlooked is Portland’s rich food truck and food cart culture. Among the endless options is chicken rice from Nong’s Khao Man Gai,Viking Soul Food’s savory, griddle-baked lefse and Whiffies’ incomparable apple pie.

http://www.orbitz.com/blog/2013/04/4-cities-with-amazing-food-truck-scenes/

First Bite Gourmet Truck, Fort Worth, TX

The climbing temperatures can only mean one thing: food-truck season is back. From grilled cheese to pizza cones and festive cupcakes, we found 10 new(ish) trucks that are bringing a slew of delicious treats to major cities across the U.S.

Evolution Revolution in Seattle, WA
Chef Singyn Hunter started cooking by making pierogi with his grandmother when he was eight years old. Since then, he’s worked all over the world, and he’s now settled down in Seattle to serve his New American street food. On the menu, you can find a succulent porchetta sandwich with smoked paprika, bacon-cheddar tater tots, edamame hummus and bacon chocolate-chip peanut-butter bars. Of course, Hunter couldn’t start his own “kitchen” without offering his family’s pierogi, though he’s laced his Polish dumpling with oxtail stew to give it a new-world kick.

The Salsa Truck in Chicago, IL

At the beginning of the year, The Salsa Truck owner Dan Salls made history in the Chicago food-truck scene by passing his health inspection and becoming the first legal vehicle to cook, sell and serve food out of a truck in the Windy City. True to its name, his Mexican offerings get an extra kick from a dozen freshly made salsas, including bright and spicy roasted jalapeno hot sauce or the salsa frijole with black beans, habanero and fire-roasted tomato. An economical, $9 quesadilla lunch comes with chips, a drink and a choice of two salsas. Also on the menu are traditional Mexican street-food eats, including chile verde, rice with cilantro and lime, five types of tacos and pozole with crispy pig ear.

Epic Cones in Dallas, TX

This may be the smallest food truck in the scene, but the toasty cone stuffed with cheeses, meat and sauce packs a giant burst of flavor. True, the idea behind Epic Cones isn’t new – they actually have a brick-and-mortar shop – but cones on the move just debuted at the end of 2012. Dig into handheld versions of pizza, BBQ brisket, curry chicken salad, scalloped potatoes and bacon, vegetable frittata, apple pie and Dallas-style cheesesteak.

Fat Falafel in New Orleans, LA

Last November, this scrumptious falafel and fries truck debuted on the streets of New Orleans to much fanfare. The menu proves simple – you can coat your tasty fried chickpea balls with tahini, a Lebanese garlic sauce called toum or zhoug, a cilantro hot sauce. There’s also an eco-friendly MO: the owners compost all their food scraps, their fryer oil is turned into biodiesel and all packaging is recyclable and/or biodegradable. They also use as much local meat and produce as possible, sourcing from Cajun Grain, Cleaver and Co., Mountain Rose Herbs and Hollygrove Market and Farm.

Old Traditional Polish Cuisine in New York, NY

Get your pierogi on at this traditional Polish food truck, which has been seen all over the city. There are also plump, grilled kielbasa and specialty juices for $2 per bottle in cooling flavors like apple mint, raspberry mint and cherry mint. Bonus: the truck is designed to look like a quaint Polish tavern, minus the mugs of beer and buxom wenches.

Cupcake Carnivale in Philadelphia, PA

If you’re hankering for bright, festive cupcakes, this six-month-old truck is the one to follow. On any given weekday, they offer plenty of buttercream-topped flavors like Chocolate Jubilee, The Pink Lemonade Stand, Cotton Candy and Spring Carnivale (lemon cake with white-chocolate/lavender frosting). Each tasty treat is baked in Princeton, NJ, before it’s dished out in Philly. You can usually find them in the same place, but they do have a few surprise pop-up locations where you can get your cupcake fix. Head to 33rd and Arch Streets in University City, Monday through Friday, from 10 AM to 5 PM, or check out their website at the link above.

Viet-Nomie’s in Atlanta, GA

Inspired by the chef’s Vietnamese roots, this A-Town truck aims to serve up traditional bites in true street-food style. Try the thit bo luc lac, aka shaken beef, served on jasmine rice. Or opt for bun cha Hanoi (grilled pork marinated Hanoi style), the scrumptious jazzi roll noodle boats or a refreshing gỏi cuốn summer roll. Follow them at the link above or via Twitter at @VietNomies.

Mausam Curry N Bites in New York, NY

Thank goodness the team behind the brick-and-mortar Mausam in Secaucus, NJ, has crossed the river with their new food truck to bring spicy and savory curries to hungry New Yorkers. Grab a bowl of traditional chicken tikka masala, vegetable biryani, samosas and kati rolls and take a bit of the East to go. For $9, you can get the Curry Rush, a boxed meal complete with curry, rice, a side dish and soda. Mausam is the Indian word for “season,” and we expect this truck to weather them all.

First Bite Gourmet in Ft. Worth, TX

This new Ft. Worth food truck dishes out stellar fare, but it also operates with the community in mind. The owners donate the “first-bite” portion of every meal to help feed those that are less fortunate. That means when you order their veggie-laden grilled cheese, fresh-cut fries, tacos, carne asada spring rolls or grilled peanut butter and jelly, you’re giving a piece of that meal to others. Now that’s a delicious way of sharing.

Frencheeze Food Truck in New Orleans, LA

Flock to this darling truck where the mascot is, you guessed it, a French bulldog. Aside from an adorable logo, the NoLa truck offers an array of cheese-focused sandwiches including The Bootz, made with sharp cheddar, colby and Swiss on sourdough, and The Rachel, which combines smoked gouda, provolone and fresh Creole tomato on peasant bread. Each sammie can even be made with gluten-free bread.

http://blog.zagat.com/2013/04/10-must-try-food-trucks-for-spring.html

For any chef, inspiration for a new dish is almost always comprised of experiences, memories and travel that can be tasted through the flavor.

Owner of Marion Street Cheese Market in Chicago Leonard Hollander traveled through England, Ireland, France, Spain and Italy on an 11-week journey to find new flavors for his store.

The BBC was so taken by Beijing chef Da Dong’s Peking Duck after visiting China that they came up with their own duck salad dish, and posted it on their site.

Andra Ang wrote, “To the People, Food Is Heaven,” an entire book based on her gastronomical travels as she ate her way through China.

It is clear, then, that travel and inspiration for new dishes go hand in hand.

For Susan Feniger, one of Los Angeles’ most coveted chefs, trips are always a new opportunity to take experience and encapsulate it on a plate.

Feniger told the Huffington Post that she’s always planning her next food trip, almost immediately upon returning home.

Her restaurant Street, which first opened its doors in 2009, is one based on the worldwide street food movement.

She traversed a multitude of foreign lands in search of the flavors and tastes that represent each country’s participation in the movement.

But it’s not just about the food, Feniger insists. What truly brings about inspiration for a new dish is the overall experience with the people she meets along the way.

When Feniger and her cookbook-writing partner Mary Sue Milliken were doing research for new dishes to offer up at their second restaurant, Border Grill, they spent a fair amount of time in Mexico. People from all walks of life there welcomed she and her business partner into their homes.

“When you go into people’s homes, they’re so happy you’re there eating their food,” she said. “People took us into their homes because they wanted us to taste their food. You didn’t get that if you go to restaurants. When you are on the street and you are in a culture that doesn’t usually see [travelers] they really like that [you are willing to try their food.]“

Feniger said not only does eating food made by everyday people give her inspiration for new meals, it is also the best way to truly see the country.

“When I travel, if I don’t see a historical site, I’m okay,” she said. “The much more rewarding experiences are the ones with people in their kitchens. My memories when I travel are ones with people, not with monuments.”

http://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/5882/20130418/la-chef-talks-inspiration-travel-new-dishes.htm

Who doesn’t like to eat their meals from a food truck, especially when the kitchen prep area is only feet away from the truck’s exhaust pipe? But some food trucks seem to go out of their way to make eating from their menus either a complete dare or an eventual regret…

Grillenium Falcon

(source)

Featuring the best van art since the 1970’s when people last painted vans, the “Grillenium Falcon” features such sandwiches as the “Cheebacca,” which oddly enough does not come loaded with loose fur and should have just been named the “Chewbacca” since that already sounds like a sandwich. (For crying out loud, it has the word “Chew” in it!) Alas, given its name this truck is doomed to be found out and sued out of existence anyway even if it is “the fastest hunk of junk” in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Gory Gourmet Zombie Food Truck

(source)

Created to advertise “The Walking Dead” series in London, “The Gory Gourmet” features a “what the hell” menu that plays up the idea of consuming body parts without making people walk all around in search of a Hardee’s. Items include the above Big Brain Burger (probably logical or intuitive flavored, depending on which side of the brain you choose), thyroid nuggets (the original working name for McNuggets before they switched to chicken), and skewered hearts (which are either shish kebabs or what you hope to dear God is just an oddly shaped jelly donut).

Hit n’ Run

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Bringing all the fun of vehicular manslaughter to your lunch time courtesy of the slogan “Killer street food,” “Hit n’ Run” adds a few more notches on the class post with such treats as the White Trash meets Wall Street “Coked-Up Onions,” the food/drink/employee chained in back “Drunken Squealer,” and the one menu item sure to destroy child innocence, the fish taco “We Found Nemo.” Plus, not since a windowless van slowly drove around the neighborhood at night has a truck like a green 1970’s Winnebago so promised impending death.

Jerk Station

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Is it driven and operated by complete a**holes? Did someone steal George Costanza’s “Jerk Store” idea and just put it on wheels? Is it something even more unsavory than we fear? Jerk food is delicious and no doubt this truck serves might fine fare, but when naming a company remember that what sounds like a funny name to you will make people do a hard pivot and start walking in the opposite direction, even if that means they’re only eating the Mentos in their pockets for lunch.

Egg Slut

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Want to get your breakfast from the only restaurant that sounds like it could get a ticket for both traffic violation and prostitution? The “Egg Slut” offers everything you could desire so long as the only thing you desire is an egg, something that prominently features an egg, or the ability to suck on complimentary napkins for nutrients while the rest of your friends eat eggs. And it’s this laser-like focus on only one food group that has made the “Egg Slut” food truck in desperate need of some sort of attached sidecar like “The Pancake Pimp” or “French Maid Toast.”

My Daddy’s Sausage

No. And no. And to reiterate—no.

http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/6-oddest-street-food-trucks