c/food-trucks-and-carts

26

margaret99•14h ago

That $30 portable sink I was side-eying actually works great for my taco truck

I saw this collapsible camp sink with a foot pump at a restaurant supply store in Austin and thought it was gonna be a flimsy waste of cash. Three months later, it's the best thing I bought for my setup. I can wash my hands and utensils right at the truck without running back to the commissary every 15 minutes. The foot pump even held up after a drunk guy kicked it at a festival last Saturday. Anyone else find a piece of gear they thought was gimmicky but turned out solid?

21

ben827•16h ago

PSA: Got burned at a farmers market in Portland over propane

I was running my taco truck at the Saturday market in Portland last month and my propane tank ran dry mid-service during the lunch rush. Turns out the vendor I bought from swapped me a tank that was only half full and I didnt check the gauge. Anyone else deal with shady propane swaps at events and how do you verify the fill level before you start cooking?

2

jade_carter20•17d ago

Burned $600 on a gourmet fusion food truck setup that died after one festival because I didn't check the generator was rebuilt junk.

Spent three months prepping a menu and customizing that trailer, only to have the engine seize mid-service at the Austin Ribfest, and now I'm begging the local taco cart guys for advice on what to buy next.

12

the_lisa•19d ago

Just noticed most new food truck owners skip one simple thing

I was helping a buddy set up his taco truck in Denver last month and saw he had no grease trap lid. He thought it was just a fancy extra. Two health inspections later he finally got one put in. Have any of you dealt with a surprise health code issue like that?

19

rivera.simon•19d ago

A vendor in Austin told me to ditch the generator and go solar

Last year a guy running a BBQ truck at a farmers market swore I'd save $200 a month switching to solar panels. I was skeptical since my old generator had been fine for two years. After 8 months with a 400 watt Renogy setup, I'd have to admit he was right. Has anyone else made the switch and seen a real difference in operating costs?

5

jason_stone•19d ago

Just got a tough piece of feedback that changed my menu pricing

I run a taco truck in Austin and a customer told me my $12 birria plate was way too expensive for the portion size. They were right - I was serving maybe 3 ounces of meat. I dropped the price to $9 and bumped the meat to 5 ounces, and now I'm selling three times as many plates per lunch run. Has anyone else adjusted their prices based on direct customer feedback like that?

27

roses69•20d ago

Dropped $400 on a fancy truck generator that died 3 weeks in

I thought I was being smart buying a high end generator for my food truck in Austin. Paid $400 for a brand that claimed to be "commercial grade" and quiet enough for downtown permits. After 3 weeks it started sputtering during lunch rush, then just quit. Took it to a repair shop and the guy said the internals were basically lawn mower parts with a fancy sticker. I lost $80 in permits that week because I couldn't stay open. Anyone else get burned by supposed food truck gear that was just rebranded junk?

13

thea_chen•22d ago

Had a chat with a taco truck owner in Austin that made me ditch my loyalty card system

He told me he stopped using punch cards 3 years ago because customers kept losing them and getting annoyed, and honestly after hearing how his repeat business went up 20% with a simple text alert setup, why would anyone still bother with those paper cards?

18

xena_fisher49•23d ago

That one Saturday at the farmers market when my fryer died during the lunch rush

Had 47 orders backed up and a line of hangry customers watching me dump a whole batch of half-cooked fries into the trash and I wanted to just close up and walk away right then - anyone else ever had their gear fail at the worst possible moment?

21

singh.jessica•24d ago

I hit 500 catering gigs off my taco truck and it split my brain in two

Last month I crossed 500 events serving from my truck in Austin, and it got me thinking... is that a sign I should stick with the truck or finally open a brick and mortar? Half my regulars say the truck means lower overhead and more freedom, the other half say 500 gigs means I proved the demand for a real spot. I charged $800 for a quinceanera last weekend and the profit left me wondering which side is right. What number made you question your whole business model?

9

kelly_miller80•24d ago

My generator died halfway through lunch service on a Saturday

Last month my old Honda EU2000i just gave out right as the lunch rush hit at our spot in downtown Austin. I had 15 people in line and no power for the fryer or the register. I had to run to the nearest Home Depot (8 blocks away) and grab a Predator 3500 for $800 just to finish the day. It actually worked fine but the whole thing cost me about an hour of sales and a lot of stress. Has anyone else had a backup plan fail on them like this, or do you all carry a spare generator?

2

the_hannah•25d ago

My flat top grill caught fire at a festival in Austin last Saturday

I watched it happen and I am ditching the cheap cooking oil for one with a higher smoke point, has anyone else had a grease fire scare and switched brands?

4

jamierodriguez•26d ago

Serious question, has anyone else noticed breakfast trucks getting worse over the past 5 years?

I used to hit up a cart in Portland that had the best breakfast burritos from 2018 to 2021, then the guy retired and now every truck around here uses frozen potatoes instead of fresh. What happened to the days when they actually cooked things from scratch?

2

lucas_grant83•26d ago

Figured out the trick to keeping my tortillas from getting soggy on the truck

I run a taco truck in Austin and for months my tortillas would turn into a mess after like 20 minutes in the warmer. Tried everything, different brands, steaming them different ways, nothing worked. Then this old guy from a breakfast taco spot told me to dry toast them on the flat top for like 30 seconds per side before filling. I thought he was crazy but tried it last weekend and it actually kept them sturdy for over an hour during the lunch rush. Anyone else run into this or got a different way to handle it?

17

benb21•27d ago

I was wrong about needing a $50k food truck to start up

For the longest time I thought you had to drop serious cash on a full-sized truck with a commercial kitchen. I figured anything less would look unprofessional or get shut down by health inspectors. Then I talked to a guy in Austin last month who runs his whole operation out of a converted cargo trailer. He said his total cost was under 8 grand including the trailer, a generator, and a used flat top grill. That got me thinking so I checked the regulations in my city and sure enough, a trailer with a canopy counts as a mobile food unit here. I finally pulled the trigger on a 6x12 trailer last week and now I'm welding up shelves for it. Has anyone else started small with a trailer and later upgraded to a full truck?

10

davidwright•1mo ago

I was dead set against food trucks until one in Portland changed my mind last Tuesday

For years I thought food trucks were just overpriced hot dogs and greasy tacos. My buddy kept bugging me to try this Korean-Mexican truck called Kimchi Tacos near the waterfront, but I always said no thanks. Last week I got stuck downtown without lunch and caved in. I walked up and ordered a bulgogi burrito for $9.50, which I figured would be tiny. The guy handed me this massive foil-wrapped thing stuffed with actual grilled meat, fresh kimchi, and a spicy sauce. It was better than most sit-down meals I have had in a long time. Now I am wondering how many good trucks I have walked past. Anyone else been surprised by a food cart and changed your opinion on the whole scene?

9

the_jake•1mo ago

Finally picked a propane griddle over charcoal for my taco truck setup

I went back and forth for two months but decided on the propane Blackstone because it heats up in 10 minutes flat. First service at the Riverfront Park lot yesterday ran smooth with zero flame fluctuations.

30

hill.jade•1mo ago

That one guy who taught me how to fold a breakfast burrito at his cart

Back in 2018 at the farmer's market in Portland, this older fella running a taco cart showed me his trick of tucking the ends first and rolling tight so nothing falls out, and I still think about that little gesture every time I wrap up a batch for my own truck.

15

lindahunt•1mo ago

Shoutout to the spreadsheet that killed my food truck dream

I was reading a blog from some city health department and found out food trucks in Portland pay a $1,200 annual permit fee plus another $350 for each commissary inspection. That's not counting the city business license or the $500 deposit for parking spots. I had no clue the overhead was that high before you even flip a single burger. Anyone else get blindsided by hidden costs when they were starting out?

10

julia_carter•1mo ago

Warning: Picked a gas generator over solar for my taco truck

I chose a $800 propane generator instead of solar panels for my taco truck in Austin last summer, and now I'm kicking myself after fuel costs ate into my profit margins by 30%. Has anyone else made this mistake and found a way to switch without losing their shirt?

6

martin.margaret•1mo ago

I finally had a talk with the taco truck guy that made me rethink my whole menu

I was chatting with Jose who runs the taco truck on 5th Street here in Austin, and he said he keeps his menu to just 4 items because anything more slows him down in the lunch rush. That hit different because I've been running a 12-item burger and fries truck for two years and I'm always stressed during peak hours. Has anyone else tried cutting way back and seen better speed or sales?

22

dakotab13•1mo ago

Stumbled on a food cart in Portland that changed my whole setup

I was at the Hawthorne Asylum pod last month and saw a guy running a solo taco cart with just two induction burners and a flat top... no generator in sight. He told me he switched from propane because the fire risk was too high in those tight cart clusters. Anyone else running electric-only and dealing with finding enough outlets?

8

andrew693•1mo ago

My food truck generator died during lunch rush last Saturday

Had 8 orders lined up and the power went out mid-cook, so I had to refund everyone and drive home with a cooler full of raw chicken.

14

alicea26•1mo ago

Tried a $20 propane burner from a gas station and it out-cooked my $300 Camp Chef

Picked up that no-name burner on a whim while grabbing snacks for a tailgate, used it for 6 straight weekends doing pulled pork, and it held a steady 225 degrees the whole time while my expensive one kept fluctuating what gives?

25

anthony426•1mo ago

I finally looked up how much a food truck really costs to start up

Saw a breakdown from a guy in Portland that said the average fully loaded truck runs like $80k to $120k, way more than I figured for something on wheels, anyone else get sticker shock when they actually checked the numbers?