Over the last two years, it seems like everyone and their moms, and their mom’s hairdresser, are launching food trucks. And it isn’t just trucks, either — carts, bikes, wagons and Airstream trailers are parking in cities across the United States to sell food and Tweet about it. Thinking of getting into the game yourself? “It was a freaking nightmare,” Kelsey said about trying to get a parking space in the Kendall Square neighborhood. After getting over 20 recommendation letters from local business owners and influential residents, still with no city support, he gave up the mobile concept and went on to open Cutty’s, a successful brick-and-mortar sandwich shop in Brookline.
“I didn’t need a pimped-out, stylized truck. Just one with a window. For me, it was all about the food,” said Kelsey when asked about his initial vision. A truck in decent condition will cost you at least $15,000, then you have to figure $10,000 to $15,000 for refrigeration and other kitchen outfitting — and that’s just a bare-bones estimate.
“Don’t start a food truck business expecting to make a million bucks,” warns Gapultos. “And the cost in time and sanity alone is ginormous — I’ve aged five years in the last three months, and I’m also now completely nuts.”
Tags: eye view career, food trucks
