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Mobile food vendors are gaining fans
EDIE ZUVANICH
Food trucks are having a moment – one that’s worth about $1.48 billion annually, according to the United States Chamber of Commerce.
The industry shifted into high gear with 9.9% growth each of the last five years, and Hutto and Taylor have seen an increase in the number of food trucks serving the area.
“If you love food and you love cooking, a food trailer is so personal because you can come up and tell me how much you loved it,” said Paul Auditore, chef at Happy Panini at 209 Farley St. in Hutto.
Auditore owns the food truck with his wife, Gina. The business was named best food truck in Hutto in 2022.
“We love making food and I love getting to see people smile and how satisfied they are about what we do, so it’s almost like an immediate gratification,” he added.
A chef at a restaurant or a caterer likely wouldn’t enjoy the same relationship with their customers because they’re always in the back, Gina Auditore added.
According to Roaming Hunger, a national food-truck booking company, current prices for a tow-behind food trailer with a kitchen run $50,000 to $100,000 for a used trailer and $125,000 to $200,000 for a new one. Add in an estimated $50,000 to $60,000 on average for licenses, permits and other startup costs, plus the cost of a towing vehicle, and you have a food business that requires a significant investment.
Costs to launch a brick-and-mortar restaurant run $275,000 to $2 million on average, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The rise in popularity of mobile food vendors has driven opportunities for adventurous culinary concepts. Locally, customers can choose from Asian food, Cajun specialties, desserts, barbecue, Mexican fare, specialty sandwiches, burgers and more.
“I think since many chefs come from different backgrounds and different cultures, they want to bring something to the table to show their quality and food culture to people,” said Leo Mendoza, co-owner of Que Divino food truck, 101 Main St., Hutto. “Then others in the community can relate to that and that’s why people start coming.”
Mendoza said the Hutto food trailer made it possible for him to start a brickand- mortar restaurant, which is set to open in Austin in July.
“When we opened here, we immediately had people coming to our trailer. The people of Hutto have been very generous to us,” he said.
Layshandria Harvin, owner of Brown Sugar Cheesecake Bar, 410 W. Seventh St., Suite 116 in Taylor, leveraged the popularity of her dessert-based food truck to open a cafe in Old Taylor High in February.
Her food-truck business had become difficult to keep up with, so she thought a restaurant would give customers a consistent way to enjoy her sweets.
After opening the store, she still had so many requests for her cooking outside of Taylor that she had to reopen the food truck and now she operates both.
“We had to start the food truck back up,” she said. “We had too many people asking for it.”
Once relegated to the grimy, generatorfilled back areas of fairs and festivals, food trucks have enjoyed increased popularity due in part to an accelerated emphasis on food safety. Local mobile food vendors must meet requirements, pass inspections, receive licensing and follow regulations from a number of government entities including the Williamson County and Cities Health District, the Texas Department of State Health Services and Williamson County Emergency Services districts.
They also must carry insurance, have a state sales and tax-use permit and follow the regulations of the cities where they operate.
All that increased regulation helped pave the road to an uptick in consumer confidence and an industry that has grown to 36,324 food trucks nationwide, according to global research strategist IBISWorld.
Many of these vendors now steer toward permanent locations rather than, or sometimes in addition to, working at events. Customers can order online and use GrubHub and other meal-delivery services, just like from a restaurant.
In Taylor, there is an established site for mobile food vendors at Old Taylor High, 410 W. Seventh St.
In Hutto, there’s a permanent food truck lot downtown at 209 Farley St.
Paul Strong recently waited on his order at the downtown Hutto court with his brother, James. Strong was visiting from Mexico, and the brothers were looking for a quick place to eat when they decided on a food truck.
“Living in Mexico, there’s not as many food trucks so when I’m up here we take advantage of as many as we can. We’re in ministries and we’re on a little bit of a budget. Food trucks are generally more affordable than eating in a restaurant,” he said.
“I find that since they usually specialize in their small menu, you usually get higher-quality food,” said Rachel Hughes, who was also at the food court having lunch with friends.
“I love food trucks. I like to mix it up and try different ones,” she added.
Diverse offerings and gourmet food are features local vendors said their customers look for.
Abraham Mendez owns a New York City-style hot dog cart seen around Taylor, often next door to Vintique Mall, 2121 N.
Main St. He says hot dogs are a nostalgic food, but customers still want an elevated product.
“We use brioche buns and all-beef wienies, no pork,” Mendez said. “I get my sauerkraut fresh from the farmers market — there’s a gentleman called The KrautFather who makes it locally and it’s delicious. This past weekend, I got my tomatoes fresh from Coupland Honey. I try to get my produce as fresh as I can.”
Mendez said the social aspect is almost as important to a mobile food stand as the food is.
“Hot dogs are something everybody grew up with. What I’ve noticed, for a lot of the older generation especially, it just brings memories back to them,” he said.
“The customers are here just talking about it, and other customers come up, and they don’t really know each other but just the idea of growing up with this food brings them together talking about it.”
No matter the age, the outdoor atmosphere seems to lend itself to socializing at food trucks. On a recent weekday, a group of 11 high school students who were exploring downtown Taylor as part of a field trip walked about a mile to have lunch at a food truck rather than go to nearby restaurants.
Excited, loud voices with eruptions of laughter, spontaneous dance moves and kids sitting on tabletops testified to the students’ comfort level eating at the food truck. Since many mobile food vendors depend heavily on social media for marketing, students are a prime audience.
“They are usually better than fast-food places. Just to grab something real quick,” said student Jorayd Zurita. “I like to go to random food trucks and different places.
No favorites, just find a random one and get some food real quick.”
“It’s fun and quick and easy. It’s quicker than most fast food. Fast-food lines are slow,” added Jonah Duncan.
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