c/food-trucks-and-carts

Vent: I tried two different propane regulators for my truck last month and one almost shut us down.

We had a 2006 regulator that came with the truck and it started acting up, making the flame on our flat top really weak. I bought a new cheap one online for about $35, and it worked okay for maybe two weeks before the pressure dropped again during our lunch rush. Then I spent $90 on a Marshall Excelsior model that a guy at the commissary kitchen told me about. The difference was huge. The flame has been steady and strong for over a month now, even when we're running everything at once. It's clear the cheaper part just couldn't handle the constant use. Has anyone else found a specific brand of regulator that really holds up?

The day a storm drain flooded our spot and we had to move the whole truck in 20 minutes

We were set up in our usual downtown spot last Thursday when a sudden downpour hit. The storm drain right next to us backed up, sending a river of water right toward our service window. My partner yelled 'We gotta go, now!' and we had to pack up and drive to a backup location while the rain was still coming down hard. Has anyone else had to do a sudden emergency move like that?

Vent: I just found out how much some food truck permits can cost

I was reading an article about city regulations and it said a yearly permit for a food truck in Chicago can be over $1,100. That's just for the permit, not counting the truck or food. It made me think, is that cost fair for small business owners trying to start up, or is it needed to keep things safe and organized? I'm curious where other people stand on this.

Everyone raves about the taco truck on 5th but I think their salsa is way too sweet

Last week I grabbed three carnitas tacos from them, and the salsa verde tasted like it had honey or sugar in it, which just felt wrong. I mentioned it to the guy working the window and he just shrugged, saying 'that's how we make it'. Has anyone else tried their salsa and thought it was oddly sweet, or is it just me?

I thought the $18 lobster roll truck was a total tourist trap, but I was wrong

Honestly, I walked past this blue truck near the pier for months thinking it was just overpriced junk for visitors. Tbh, the line was always long and I figured it was all hype. Then my cousin visited from out of town and insisted we try it. We got the classic roll and the lobster was fresh, piled super high, and the buttered bun was perfect. It completely changed my view on what a food truck can do. Has anyone else had a food cart totally surprise them like that?

Cleaned out my truck's grease trap for the 1000th time this morning and it hit me how much this job has changed.

A regular told me my tacos were too wet and messy to eat

This guy who comes by my truck every Friday said, 'Paul, I love the flavor, but I need a napkin for each bite.' He was right. I was overloading the corn tortillas with salsa and crema, making them fall apart. I started putting the wet stuff on the side in little cups, and it's way better. Anyone else get a piece of simple advice that fixed a big problem?

PSA: A cheap $15 cooler fan saved my bacon last week in Austin

My truck's fridge compressor died on a 95 degree day, but I rigged a battery powered fan to blow over a block of ice in the cooler. Anyone know a good mobile repair guy near 6th Street?

I finally saw why my truck's line was always so short

For months, I thought my tacos in Charlotte were great but I never had a real crowd. A friend came by and said, 'Your sign just says 'Tacos' and your truck is plain white. How would I know what you sell?' I spent $200 on a simple banner with a big picture of my best taco and my hours. The next week, my line was twice as long. What's one small change that got people to notice your truck?

Am I the only one who just found out about the 'secret' food truck lot behind the old mill?

I drove past that spot for three years before a buddy in line at a taco cart finally told me about it last month. Has anyone else been to that hidden spot in Riverside?

Pro tip: a bag of ice and a parking ticket solved my generator noise problem

My taco truck's generator was so loud it kept getting complaints at a spot near the library in Tacoma. I finally put a heavy moving blanket over it, then balanced a half-full bag of party ice on top as extra weight. The noise dropped by half and a cop who came by just gave me a parking ticket instead of a noise fine. Has anyone else found a weird fix that actually worked for a loud generator?

My taco truck's new generator took four hours to start... because of a plastic fork

I was setting up for a festival in Portland last weekend and the brand new generator just wouldn't turn over. I checked the fuel, the oil, the spark plug... everything looked fine. After nearly four hours of swearing and checking every manual, my buddy spotted a tiny plastic fork from our lunch jammed in the choke lever. It was stopping it from moving into the right position. We pulled it out and it started on the first try. Has anyone else had their day ruined by something that stupid?

My taco truck's salsa verde was a total flop for months, then a customer gave me a tip.

I was using raw tomatillos for my green sauce, and it always came out way too sharp and bitter. A regular who owns a restaurant in town finally said, 'You gotta char those first, man, it changes everything.' Has anyone else had a simple cooking step they were missing that made a huge difference in their truck's food?

Rant: The new taco truck on 5th Street is using way too much cilantro

I tried the al pastor tacos from 'El Camion Feliz' yesterday and the flavor was completely buried under a mountain of raw cilantro. I asked for light cilantro, but it was still a huge handful. Has anyone else had this problem there, or is it just me? What's the best way to ask for no cilantro without sounding difficult?

Our truck's propane regulator froze up on a Friday night in Denver

It took me four hours of messing with it, a trip to the hardware store, and finally a call to my buddy who runs a taco truck to figure out I just needed to swap the tank orientation. Anyone know a good way to stop that from happening when it gets cold?

Spent a whole day figuring out our truck's weird fridge drain clog

Our cold prep fridge on the truck started leaking water into the floor pan last Friday. I thought it was a quick fix, maybe a loose hose. Turned out to be a tiny piece of lettuce stem stuck way down in the drain tube. Took me and a buddy like 6 hours to find it because we had to pull the whole fridge unit out to see. Anyone else had a random food bit cause a huge mess like that?

My brother said food trucks are just overpriced Instagram bait now

He pointed out that a basic grilled cheese from a truck in Denver cost him $14 last month. Has anyone else noticed prices getting out of hand?

Pro tip: a regular customer told me my truck's tacos were 'soggy' after 15 minutes in the container.

I started double-wrapping the tortillas in foil and a paper towel to absorb steam, and it fixed the whole thing. Anyone have a better trick for keeping takeout tacos from getting mushy?

Vent: My food truck's new generator decided to be a diva right before the big festival in Springfield.

What should have been a simple 30-minute check turned into a 4-hour ordeal of tracing a faulty ground wire my partner had 'fixed' with duct tape and a prayer last month.

I thought the $14 lobster roll from that blue truck was a tourist trap for sure.

Tried it on a whim at the county fair last year and it was packed with fresh, sweet meat that changed my mind completely. Anyone found a hidden gem truck that surprised them?

Just hit 500 tacos sold in a single day at my truck

I run a small taco truck in Austin, and yesterday we sold exactly 500 tacos. That number blew my mind because our usual best day was around 300. I think the big jump happened because we finally nailed our birria recipe (it took us about two months of tweaking). We had a line down the block from 11 AM until we sold out at 7 PM. Honestly, I'm still tired from it. Has anyone else had a day where sales just went crazy for no obvious reason?

Spent $400 on a fancy menu board and it was a total mistake

Everyone says you need a big digital screen to look professional, so I got one for my taco truck. It cost me around $400 and I set it up in Phoenix last month. Honestly, it's been nothing but trouble. The glare in the sun makes it impossible to read, and it just looks out of place next to the other trucks with simple chalkboards. I thought it would save me time changing prices, but now I'm constantly fiddling with it instead of cooking. Has anyone else gone back to a basic menu after trying something high-tech?

Had to choose between a new truck or fixing my old one for good.

My 2008 step van needed a new engine, about $15k. The other option was a $75k loan for a brand new truck. I chose the fix. Got the work done in Tacoma over three weeks. Now I know every inch of that engine. Feels more solid than a new payment hanging over me. Anyone else go the rebuild route and feel like it was the smarter play?

Found a food truck in Austin that does breakfast tacos with homemade flour tortillas

I was in Austin for a job last month and got to the site super early. I was starving and saw this truck, 'Sunrise Tacos', set up in a gas station lot. The guy was already rolling out dough by hand. I got a basic bacon and egg, and the tortilla was the star. It was soft, a little chewy, and had those perfect browned spots. He told me he makes the dough fresh every morning at 4 AM because, and I quote, 'the store stuff tastes like paper'. It cost me $4.50 and was honestly the best part of that trip. Has anyone else found a spot where the tortilla itself is the main event?

PSA: Had to choose between a permit for the downtown plaza or the weekly farmers market spot

The city only had one open slot left for a new vendor, so I picked the plaza for the foot traffic. After two months, I'm barely covering costs because the lunch crowd is all office workers who just want cheap sandwiches. Should I try to switch to the Saturday market instead, even with the higher fee?