By Jennifer McClellan | Arizona Central
PHOTO BY: John Samora/The Arizona Republic
It started as a localized trend, but over the past three years, food-truck dining — a newer segment of the Arizona restaurant industry — has blown up into a Valley-wide movement.
Food Truck Fridays, a mobile food court that started in November 2010 at the Phoenix Public Market in downtown Phoenix, veered the movement toward the mainstream. The weekly gathering exposed nearby college students, businesspeople and local residents to the naan-wrapped hot dogs from Short Leash Hot Dogs, salted-butter caramel ice cream from Sweet Republic and fresh tater tots from Taste Rite.
“In the beginning, we had to beg and plead trucks to be part of it,” said Kat Moore, who co-owns Short Leash with her husband, Brad Moore. The couple founded Food Truck Fridays.
“The first time was horrible,” she said, with a laugh. They weren’t prepared for the crowds.
“It was controlled chaos,” Brad said.
“At the time, we were fat, dumb and happy,” Kat said.
In the past year especially, food trucks have gained traction in the suburbs. Now, on Friday nights, families go to the Gilbert Food Truck Food Court. On Wednesday afternoons, students and office workers go to the ASU Roundup in Tempe. Every night, thirsty patrons at Tempe’s Four Peaks Taproom on Wilson, which doesn’t have its own kitchen, can order a meal from a food truck.
Trucks are making inroads where they weren’t welcome before. In May, Scottsdale lifted a decades-old ban on ice-cream trucks. The ban was supported by residents who feared the trucks would increase the number of strangers on city streets and accidents involving children.
“Scottsdale is more inviting now,” said Giancarlo Alarcon, chef and co-owner of Aji Mobile Foods, which sells Latin American-inspired sandwiches.
“I can understand seeing a roach coach and thinking it might be shady,” he said. “But when you see the way our trucks look — people spend fifty to sixty grand to make their trucks look good — you can see we take pride in what we do and are upstanding people in the community.”
Why have the kitchens on wheels found success in Phoenix? In the beginning, credit economic factors. For owners, food-truck startup costs are a fraction of a brick-and-mortar restaurant’s. For diners, most meals are less than $10.
Social engagement, the elusive customer-to-business interaction that everyone strives for these days, is built into the food-truck model. Fans enjoy following brands and posting food photos on Facebook and Twitter. Office workers and groups of friends dine outdoors, sitting on fold-out tables or public benches. Diners have face-to-face access to the person who’s making the food, creating instant relationships.
Mike Baum wrote, “Hugs and good times are free, we only charge for food!” on the Facebook page of his truck, the Great Pho King Food Truck, which serves French-Vietnamese-fusion food.
The variety of truck concepts helps to satisfy all types of palates. Torched Goodness sells creme brulee in flavors such as lavender, raspberry and sea-salt caramel. Luncha Libre sells the Koreadilla, a quesadilla filled with bulgogi beef (spicy marinated meat), jalapeños, red cabbage, onions and Jack cheese. And you need both hands to hold the burritos from Jamburritos Cajun Grille, which also serves chicken jambalaya and hush puppies.
Then there’s the local appeal. The Phoenix Street Food Coalition, which is like a chamber of commerce for trucks, requires that members source at least 30 percent of their ingredients from local vendors. Members must be independent, not franchised.
Some trucks have become so successful that they’ve opened brick-and-mortar restaurants. Shine Coffee opened a shop in the Willo District in Phoenix, and White Eyes Fresh Fry Bread opened a restaurant in Glendale.
Short Leash will open a restaurant near Roosevelt and First streets in downtown Phoenix in the spot formerly occupied by Tediberto’s, a vegan Mexican restaurant. The scheduled opening date is Tuesday, July 23 — National Hot Dog Day.
Mamma Toledo’s, a pie truck, will operate a bakery with a small sit-down area out of the space.
Depending on the outcome of their liquor-license hearing Wednesday, June 19, the Moores may serve beer and wine.
The menu will feature the naan-wrapped hot dogs, sausages and veggie dogs that created a loyal following and helped build the state’s food-truck scene.
Diners can create their own hot-dog combinations using Schreiner’s Fine Sausages and toppings such as mango chutney, red onion, mushroom, green chile, relish, chipotle cream cheese, Sriracha, blue cheese and pinto beans. They can also order signature combinations, including the Sunny, a chicken dog served with grilled peaches, prosciutto, arugula and crumbled goat cheese.
“We hope (truck owners) realize there are enough people to feed out there,” Kat Moore said. “You can do what we did in your town.”
