As the Foodie capital of Texas (okay, it’s really the Live Music capital, but they really love food too), Austin is no stranger to the budding Food Truck scene. Considering the whole state’s renown for fellow city Dallas’ yearly fair, filled with gobs of acclaimed concession food, it’s not surprising the walkable food style has moved to the city streets. And Austin certainly started early, the trucks having started to roll in the early part of the century.
Q: What exactly is the Austin Food Truck scene like nowadays? Chris: There’s a long history of starting off here and turning into real empires here, going brick and mortar and expanding from there. Umm, we’ve found the scene hasn’t changed drastically since we’ve been here, still very vibrant. We find it frankly very collegial, you compete with other trucks but you’re actually cooperating more with them than anything else, you try to be in that area where there are other trucks as well and a lot more people. The one thing’s that’s really changed for us is how much corporate involvement there is, the boys’ truck really took off when they started getting asked, and they’re completely scheduled out until March, and every Monday and Friday where they go to a corporate parking lot, where they serve lunch to waves of this companies. The catering business has also taken off. So it changed for us from serving the late night bar crowd, and we do some of that staying open late Friday and Saturday nights in downtown Austin, servicing that crowd, but it’s amazing how well accepted the trucks are in the corporate world. Q: When starting out, how did YOU and your sons learn to navigate Austin’s streets and run a food truck? What sort of resources, help, and guidance did you find and use? Chris: A lot of it was getting out to other trucks and asking, where to go and what’s happening. We did a little research before we started, but it was really you had to get on the ground and get it done? Q: Does Austin have any particularly unique food truck codes or regulations compared to other cities? Are there any that new owners should make sure to pay attention to that might be easily overlooked? Chris: Well, the main thing is make sure to get your permits. Austin has a very established permitting procedure, and they have a place where you can drive your truck into and get it inspected on a certain day of the week, and you have to get it done annually, it can slow you down. But I’m glad they have it, because you don’t want someone getting sick on a truck, it can really hurt your business, the whole industry. So they’re pretty tough, but I think they’re fair, and I think they do a very good job of it; I wouldn’t try to go out without one of their permits at all. Q: Are there any other common reasons you’ve seen Truck owners fail in Austin? Chris: We’ve seen trucks fail, most of the time it I think they don’t have a unique theme, they try to be all things to all people. I don’t think the low-end trucks do that well, Austin is the food capital, you can’t be to splotchy, you have to look good and be clean. I think if you’re more unique and have a unique point of view rather than trying to serve burgers-tacos-pizza, if you try to serve as a diner-on-wheels, I don’t think it’ll work. Q: What’s the parking situation like? Do you need a special permit to park or is it a free for all, how easy is it to find, and would you suggest any particular areas to start focusing on? Chris: It is getting harder to find places to put your truck; there ARE specific truck courts, there are parking lots, there’s one that’s a caddy corner from the lot we’re in, but there’s less and less space right in the middle of downtown. We’re still downtown, but we’re really only there two nights a week now. So it’s tougher to find good places to put the trucks, it’s very tough to field and put it out on the street, you really can’t do that very long, have to have access to bathroom and things like that. You’re finding more trucks parking up at bars that don’t have kitchen facilities, we’ve done that a few times and have had more inquiries about that. But the open lots are becoming tougher to come by. Q: Part of surviving and building a Food Truck culture in any city is event organization; what sort of Truck rallies are usually going on throughout the year, and what are good strategies for newer trucks to take part in them? Any particular ones they should start with? Chris: Well there’s a LOT of good ones here, Truck Rally, Truck by Truckwest, Tuesday Night Food Trucks; Spring, Summer, Fall, there’s probably at least a dozen to fifteen festivals. Some aren’t just food truck festivals, there’s something called the Fall Guy System, which is a celebration that town has for harvest season, and we’re there in the downtown. Established festivals are sometimes hard to get into, but you gotta ask, just tell them you’re interested, some of them will have you go online, but they’re terrific ones and they do a really good job. If you’re brand new or a small truck, find a festival and just call to see if you can get in. Q: Austin’s quite the tourist city, not to mention it’s pretty hot all year round, how do these factors come into play with business? Any particular strategies you’ve seen used to make the best of them? Chris: Weather can always be an issue, particularly in summer, July and August it’s pretty hot on the lot we’re on. We’ve tried various things, we’ve actually brought out a portable tent or big umbrella, that seems to be okay. What happens is you get less business in the day and more business at night, people come out later. When it’s raining it kills your business, doesn’t rain all that much here, but when we see a line of thunderstorms we won’t open up! Haha, it’s just a waste of money. But you’re right, we’re blessed with having weather that’s good most year round, this weekend it’s going to be 80 degrees here and we’ll have a good crowd downtown. Seasonality of the weather still plays a factor, but it’s pretty obvious what those down times are, you can plan quarterly. Q: All that aside, what are the main benefits to operating in Austin? What’s been your favorite parts? Chris: There are several. One it is a food town, which forces you to put your best foot forward, get the best food there, I don’t think you can be schlocking, you gotta be GOOD to succeed in Austin, it’s a challenge. If you do have good food, people really appreciate it, and that’s been very gratifying for all of us, is we get a lot of comments, when people like the food they really let you know. The weather is good, and it’s all a real food truck culture here, the fact that so many corporations have no qualms in hiring your truck to come in and provide lunch for employees, even hire for a holiday party, that’s what gives business, as long as food’s good. That’s where we’ve been successful, and some other trucks have been successful too. Q: To end things off, any last bit of advice that you would like to give to new owners starting up near Austin? Chris: Have a plan and focus, you need to do the research, need to get out on the ground, but I think the most important thing is having a real focus on what you wanna do. If you’re good at Thai Food, do thai food, stick to one thing and do it well; the more focus, the better off you are. A FEW OTHER RESOURCES AND READINGSAustin Food Carts – a listing of all local food trucks one can submit to, links to commissaries, classifieds, and other things that can be helpful.
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