Food truck feeding frenzy on the rise in Houston

KIMBERLY WARREN

THE SIGNAL

Want to grab a bite to eat? Only have a couple of bucks? There is no need to find a restaurant; just look outside and find the nearest food truck.

Food trucks, aka “mobile cuisines,” were originally found in cities like New York, New Jersey and Chicago. Different vendors would park their trucks along the busy streets to sell different types of food: hot dogs, pizza, burgers, etc.

Once upon a time people would have thought twice about eating from food trucks; in those early days they were often referred to as “roach coaches.” They were viewed as unsanitary and unhealthy because of the small working area and the greasy food that was produced. Today, food trucks have become the newest food trend. Some of the best gourmet food now comes from trucks.

There are numerous types of food trucks in the Houston area including: Bernie’s Burger Bus, The Waffle Bus, H-town strEats, Kurbside Eatz, Fork in the Road and Rita’s Italian Ice. Whether you want burgers and fries, bar-b-que, seafood, Mexican, Chinese food or a cold treat, there’s a food truck for that.

When the trucks are not rolling, look for local gathering spots such as the recently opened food truck park located near downtown at 1504 St. Emmanuel.

Popular in cities like Austin and Portland for several years now, these designated spots allow different food trucks to literally park in a permanent location so that customers can come to them.

Zach Sandeen, employee of Bernie’s Burger Bus, believes that food trucks can bring people together.

“In one spot you can have up to seven to 10 different food trucks, so you get a little bit of everything; you get Mexican, burgers and Asian fusion,”    Sandeen said. “It brings a community together.”

Another local gathering spot is the H-E-B Montrose Market located at 1701 W. Alabama St. While most trucks that gather at H-E-B are privately owned, H-E-B has its own food truck presence.

Fork in the Road is an extension of H-E-B Montrose. Brent Hurter has been an employee for H-E-B for six years and has been managing the food truck for a year. He said Fork in the Road was a H-E-B concept.

“They wanted to have an offering not only for a food truck there at the store, but also an introduction to H-E-B and the food truck community, with the events we host on the site as well as the events that Fork in the Road participates in, in the Houston food truck scene,” Hurter said.

Every first and third Friday of the month, the Montrose H-E-B holds “Food Truck Friday” in the store’s parking lot. Along with good food, live music entertains attendees. This event also includes several non-food truck vendors that sell everything from books to boutique items. Other places that food trucks can be found around Houston include: parks, bars and coffee shops.

In order to know the whereabouts of food trucks, patrons can follow their accounts on Twitter or Facebook. Social media is the most popular and efficient way for food trucks to communicate with potential customers their daily locations and specials.

“That’s the way to get the word out quickly,” Sandeen said.

Food trucks are also becoming popular fixtures on college campuses. Here at UHCL, several trucks rotate their business on campus: The Waffle Bus, Kurbside Eatz, Third Coast, Barebowls Kitchen, Happy Endings Asian Fusion and Bernie’s Burger Bus. Having access to food trucks on campus is convenient for many students.

David Oliva appreciates that food trucks come to UHCL’s campus.

“I really like it,” Oliva said.  “It brings variety to the stuff that we could eat, and usually prices aren’t that high.”