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PopsDogHouse
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Takin it to the Street...
Wed, 10/7/09 8:14 AM
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 Food trucks fuel concept growth Cary Stemle 05 Oct 2009 In New York City, old-line vendors get rough with new ones over turf. In Los Angeles, a Korean taco enterprise creates a social phenomenon. And in Portland, Ore., a familiar burger brand takes it to the street. While non-branded food trucks have long been ubiquitous in New York, a new breed has emerged over the past few years, giving restaurants across the industry an innovative way to expand their reach. These food trucks are slightly more costly at $40,000 to $100,000 or more, and are often tied to bricks-and-mortar establishments that use Web sites such as Twitter and Facebook to create an air of in-the-moment exclusivity and prompting. Los Angeles-based Sky’s Gourmet Tacos is about to launch the first of several food trucks it has planned for the area within the year. Sky’s is a single-unit operation that sells Mexican food with Louisiana influences. Kevin Minor, who runs Sky’s with founder Barbara Burrell, said he has watched the truck movement gain momentum and was finally sold on the concept after the success of Kogi, a Korean BBQ food truck that has reached rock-star status in the Los Angeles area. (There even is a Web site dedicated to L.A. food trucks.) "Kogi completely changed the LA perception of the ‘roach-coach’ cuisine vehicle," Minor said. "That was one thing that had kept us from doing it; you don’t want to jeopardize a 17-year good reputation. [But] people in L.A. are so ready right now. It’s like stirring a pot with things people don’t want — recession and high food costs — with what they do want — good food, inexpensively, close to where they are. The truck scenario speaks very well to that." The truck idea made perfect sense to executives at Burgerville, a 48-year-old Vancouver, Wash.-based hamburger chain that recently sent its first Nomad — so dubbed for its rambling implications — into service in Portland, Ore., a city with an already-rich food cart culture. Burgerville CEO Jeff Harvey said the company began thinking about the Nomad this spring as a way to expand the company footprint during a tight economy. "I began to get curious based on the success of the model and the loyalty it was creating," he said. "Research told me (it) was and is creating very deep relationships with guests in local markets." Nomad — a 26-foot step-side van with a customized kitchen — is worth about $120,000, he said; considerably less than the $1.5 million price tag that would accompany a new bricks-and-mortar location.
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Curbside Grill
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Total Posts:
3916
- Joined: 10/11/2007
- Location: Lawrenceburg, TN
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Re:Takin it to the Street...
Wed, 10/7/09 9:43 AM
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Next year Parts Truck
Delivering to your doorstep.
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