The article only briefly touches on a deeper, more sinister war for the food trucks- the war between them.

Having observed these trucks dick around with each other for parking spots (blocking spots with personal vehicles, parking close enough to the corner to take up alot of room, but not far enough back for another truck to fit) and seeing what appeared to be collusion between several trucks to exclude another, newer, and by many reviews, much better value truck, it's safe to say that this is not all about the spirit of free competition.

I've observed screaming matches between truck operators. The police have gotten involved. They may be blaming Cosi & Subway but I wouldn't be surprised if that's a smoke screen. The fight amongst the trucks themselves has been going on since the summer.

One day two of the trucks parked in such a way that they took up most of the street, leaving a spot that NO RATIONAL PERSON WOULD EVER THINK a truck could fit between. In the most amazing show of parallel parking prowess I have EVER seen, Taco Truck managed to fit between his antagonists, leaving probably 6 inches in front and in back of his massive vehicle. I cheered.

Also, Taco Truck has a retractable awning to protect patrons from inclement weather.

I don't name the antagonists that were picking on poor little Taco Truck, but they know who they are. One of them had a total melt down one day when they tried to force Taco Truck to double park. Police were called & the offending truck was forced to make room for Taco. The proprietor went nuts on the cops.

Look deeper into this story my friends. This didn't all start just last week.

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I saw it on the Twitters for the Louisiana Spice Truck and for the Taco Truck. Check out their Twitters.

The Louisiana Spice Truck was at the Wednesday night Council Meeting. Steven Fulop is aware of everything.

Can anyone verify that it was Cosi and Subway that were able to get the food trucks chased at Exchange Place? I don't go to Subway at Exchange anymore. The tall thin guy at the register is very rude. Couple of weeks ago, I walked my Wife to the Path on her way to work the night shift at the hospital. So, we get a footlong to share to take out and I ask the guy if when he cuts it if he could please put them in separate bags. He said no he could not do that and didn't. I gave my Wife her half in the bag and wrapped mine in a napkin. What an asshole.

Has anyone been to Portland Oregon? They have several hundred food trucks, it's great. I love them there, I love them in NYC and I really was liking them here. So I want to find out why they were driven away, and if it was Cosi and Subway, I suggest a boycott of these establishments.

And Amy, speaking of a smell, Nan-king at Exchange Place emits nasty grease odors. It's horrible. Really makes me want to eat there....not!

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this doesn't make any sense. they do not need to have the truck anywhere in particular in order to clearn in it. they could do it parked on the side of the road, they could do it in the parking lot... they could do it while driving down the highway.

every single complaint about the cleanliness of our JC based street vendors on this board has been based on nothing but the idea that "they can't possibly be clean", which is rediculous. I would be more worried about what happens behind closed doors inb shady restaurants than what happens in highly vissible carts/trucks where these issues are much more visible to the consumer/public.

Food Trucks, Behind the Scenes

Serving meals on wheels might sound like an easy alternative to opening a real restaurant, but the mobile-food business has plenty of hurdles - and rewards - of its own.

Allison Perlik, Senior Editor
Restaurants and Institutions
12/17/2009

THE TACO TRUCK, HOBOKEN AND JERSEY CITY, NJ

The Food: Mexican fare, including crispy fish tacos and guajillo-marinated chicken tortas

The Operators: Jason Scott and Roberto Santibañez

Why would someone whose history is in higher-end restaurants go the other way and do a food truck? “That’s where the world is going," Santibañez says. "We’re all looking into eating simpler, better, smaller foods that allow you to have great explosions of flavor in a smaller bite and don’t break the wallet.”

Some challenges you just can't foresee. “The parking – you would think, oh, you get there and you park. No, you have two guys going around with cars trying to save a spot two hours early, and then you don’t fit. Then the guy brakes and the oil spills from the fryer. Then generator is not enough and you have to save energy so have to cook w the lights off. Stuff like that.”

So what are the advantages? “The mobility is certainly great.Your rent is very low, and one of the most important things is the immediate relationship from the cook to the eater.”

Once again, profit is all about volume. “It’s hard because your price points are really low, so you’re always counting on the volume. So if that day the volume wasn’t there because your place of parking wasn’t the best, you’re hurting.”

Do you go to the same spots each day? “We generally have to hit somewhere for lunch and somewhere for dinner. Right now we’re only in Jersey City and Hoboken. Fortunately, now we’re in same place every day. Someone goes in early, saves parking, then the truck gets there and parks. It’s never exactly the same parking space, but we’re on same block.”

You’re opening a brick-and-mortar version of this concept next year. Why do both? “What you really need is a commissary kitchen if you want more than one truck. You need to cook somewhere. … For the volume we’re thinking of doing, we’re not going to stay happy with one truck. So why not do a restaurant called The Taco Truck, and you can eat the same stuff there?”

Marination Seattle

The Marination truck in Seattle serves Korean and Hawaiian fare.

Roy Choi's Kogi-truck glory sure makes the mobile-food business sound glamorous, but what's the real story behind the day-to-day operations of the country's growing legions of food trucks? To find out, R&I dished on the ups and downs of serving meals on wheels with three very different operators: a former Wall Street-er who was looking for a new gig, a chef who branched out into the mobile food business after helming an upscale Mexican restaurant group, and another chef whose truck is an outpost of her long-celebrated Santa Monica eatery.

Below, find out what Kamala Saxton of Marination in Seattle, Susan Feniger of Border Grill Taco Truck in Los Angeles and Roberto Santibañez of The Taco Truck in Hoboken and Jersey City, N.J., have to say about the most-unexpected challenges (like when the driver brakes so hard the oil sloshes out of the fryer!), the best spots to find business (farmers markets and the Google's campus are on the list) and why the mobile-food business is still a good idea despite all the hard work and red tape.

MARINATION, SEATTLE

The Food: Hawaiian and Korean cuisine, including kimchi quesadillas and Kalua pork sliders
The Operators: Kamala Saxton and Roz Edison

Why would two people with no restaurant experience partner on a food truck? "A lot of things changed for Roz Edison and myself in January," Saxton says. "The recession happened and we felt far removed from our existing investments, and we wanted to start something that we could do in a very short time period with limited barriers to entry. We have since found out that there are numerous barriers for a mobile street-food business."

Getting started was more expensive than they thought: Saxton wouldn’t share how much their investment was but said it was “a sizable one. … and was probably triple the amount we had forecasted,” despite the fact that they had talked to a number of people in the business beforehand.

Getting a permit isn’t the problem. The hassle is getting multiple permits. Not only does Marination have to get permits from every county in which it wants to operate, there also are permits needed from city departments such as health and transportation.

It’s all made to order ... “Everything is made fresh in the truck. Prep happens in a commissary kitchen, and we take the marinated meats and tofu, load it onto the truck and we cook it. One thing we do cook off the truck is the Kalua pork, because that’s a 12-hour process.”

…on the move. “We are in different location 6 days a week [for lunch]. They’re set locations, but different every day. Evening locations often vary. … We do a lot of special events.”

The secret to booming business? “Know which curb is the right curb for you,” Saxton advises. For Marination—and others—this means areas with heavy foot traffic, good street visibility and high lunchtime population density. Office parks have been a boon, as well. “[Employees at] Google and Microsoft do get free food, but it’s a great area for mobile vendors because people are willing to pay if it’s different, unusual cuisine from what they have on campus.” Neighborhoods have been another surprising spot for success. “I thought people wouldn’t stop at a food truck to take home food for their family,” she says—but they do.

What’s the key to profitability? “Everything has to be accounted for,” Saxton says, adding that what a lot of people don’t take into consideration is that beyond typical food, labor, equipment and supply costs, mobile operators have to plans for things like vehicle maintenance, zoning and permitting costs, and running (and maintaining) a generator to keep the whole operation going.

It's a grind ... “Every day, you are building your kitchen and tearing it down, and that’s taxing on your body—and on payroll,” Saxton says. “We spend an hour to load [before service] and then we have someone who cleans truck for two hours at end of every service. For a really small kitchen, it’s a lot of cleaning and maintenance.”

... but’s all worthwhile: “There isn't any disconnect between the kitchen and the customers that we serve,” she says. “We love interaction with our regular customers, with new customers, with regulars who bring friends and family. And in this city when the sun is out, it is a true blessing to be outside.”


BORDER GRILL TACO TRUCK, LOS ANGELES
The Food: Latin favorites, including braised achiote-pork tacos and Peruvian ceviche
The Operators: Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken

Why would two super-successful chefs and restaurateurs start a taco truck? “We’ve talked about doing a taco truck for probably 15 years … we just never focused on it,” Feniger says. “It just finally got to where we saw this potential out there and thought, it’s such a natural for us; we should be doing it.”

Volume is all-important to serve quality food at low prices. “Food costs can kill you, “ she warns. “You’re talking about selling tacos for 2 or 3 bucks and using skirt steak and organic rice and beans and sustainable fish and salsa fresca you’re making fresh, and that is expensive, so if you’re not doing volume, you’re running outrageous food costs.”

Are trucks more profitable than brick-and-mortar restaurants? “We’re trying to evaluate that. … Before we dove into this, we wanted to see can you make money at this, because you’re not doing the kind of volume you do in brick-and-mortar restaurants and you do have different overhead.”

Where can customers find the truck? “That’s the big challenge: How do you keep that truck as busy as possible? … It takes a smart businessperson to book as much as we can so we don’t go spending hours somewhere just to do $500 in sales.” Regular stops include as many farmers markets as possible, local festivals, the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk, and hot nightspots like The Brig on Abbot Kinney. Private, catered events are an essential part of the business, too.

… and how do they know where it is on a given day? “We twitter, we have it on Facebook, it’s on all our Web sites. We try to be out there virally as much as we can.”

In the end, it’s all about branding. “It’s an incredible marketing opportunity, and that’s part of what has to be weighted out in the whole picture. Maybe it isn’t a huge moneymaker, but when you’re out on the street people are seeing your name, it reminds them that we’re there.”

Cosi and Subway??? What a surprise...2 corporate, sterile excuses for eateries. Please people, boycott those chains. Subway is seriously awful, I actually have no idea why people get sandwiches there. A-1 is next door, just as cheap, bigger sandwiches, and better.

I'd rather have food trucks up and down my entire block than eat at Subway. The one on the corner of Columbus and Grove makes me angry, because that is a great corner for something worthwhile.

Only in Jersey City. It's a CITY, and food trucks are part of it. Brick and mortar places must learn to co-exist peacefully with food trucks.

I always so the Krave Truck in the parking lot across the street from City Hall. My question is if he keeps the truck in there where the hell does he clean it. It should be cleaned everyday. If it isn't being cleaned the health department should shut him down.

I heard that the food trucks were driven from Exchange Place last Friday by the police. The complaints came from Cosi and Subway.

Frankly, sandwiches are the last thing on my mind. I'll take the Louisiana Spice Truck or the Krave Truck anyday. Even if the trucks are not there, I wouldn't go to Cosi or Subway anyway. I'll go to the Liberty Tower Gourmet Market.

One time at Columbus and Marin, I saw a police car parked between the Krave Truck and Lucinda. The cop was eating a taco.

The city issues permits for food trucks, yet the food trucks cannot find a decent place to park to make a living. What's the point then?

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As if the steak in my food truck taco comes with an option for medium-rare. Is food even considered a real vector for those viruses? Come on. If you don't like it, don't eat it.

http://www.hudsonreporter.com/pages/f ... +are+those+food+trucks-+-


http://www.hudsonreporter.com/printer_friendly/4984306

Food carts: They’re ubiquitous. They’re convenient. Their food smells good, and it often tastes good, too.

But are they safe?

In this age of swine flu, bird flu, and SARS (remember that one?), should customers trust food that’s stored and cooked in what’s essentially an old truck? Is the food kept in a cold – really cold – refrigerator? Is the food cooked at a temperature that will kill any bacteria in the meat? And how do the cooks wash their hands and utensils?...
...Click on link above for full article.

I tried the Louisiana Spice Truck tonight. My boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich, I got the brisket sandwich.

They were both good, but we liked each other's sandwiches better.

I'm looking forward to trying the other trucks soon!

We've been going to Rutgers games this year, and I'm thinking this Friday night I'm looking forward to detouring to the Grease Trucks to spend some money in New Brunswick. I don't see why some good trucks in JC couldn't become the same kind of "destination" (but nicer!)

The Louisiana Spice Truck is usually parked near the Krave Truck around the same time. You can follow the Louisiana Spice Truck on Twitter.

http://twitter.com/laspicetruck

The truck was in the shop for repairs last week. Also, today is a quasi holiday.

There seemed to be more and more trucks now. This evening, Nick's was there. I bought a beef gyro from them. Maybe next time, I'll try their falafel. They must not be making enough money at lunchtime at Exchange Place.

i love the Food Trucks in the area. It's so convenient especially coming from work. Most of us don't have the time to cook or we're single to cook for one.

I've eaten the food at the The Krave truck would like to try the Louisiana Spice Truck. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it at the location. Where do they usually park and what time?

JadedJC and designknob:

OK, both of you seem to be missing my point. I was arguing for the fact that food is an experience, not a transaction, meaning that I support all types of food, both from a truck and from a restaurant. I am a huge fan of the truck on Grove St.
As far as my eating habits, I'm not going to debate my lifestyle with anyone on here.

Video:Jersey City food truck operators find it Tough making a living
By The Jersey Journal
October 10, 2009, 9:31PM

Jersey City food trucks keep serving the hungry

Jersey City food trucks keep serving the hungry

It's a tough time to run a food truck in Jersey City, with layoffs, competition from ritzy new trucks and a city health officer under investigation for potentially issuing too many vendor licenses. Despite the increase in the number of trucks, the dedicated operators keep moving around town serving their food. (Video by Jennifer Weiss/The Star-Ledger)

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/10/post_27.html

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I think JCGirl09 has a very one-dimensional view of being a foodie...On a nice day, I like to buy a couple of tacos from the Lucinda truck (when she was by VVP on Saturdays), sit on a park bench, people watch and soak in the sights and sounds of the park and nearby farmer's market. It's affordable and I'm in the great outdoors. How is that any less of a food "experience" than going to M&P, shelling out $40 for often slow service and involutarily experiencing the annoying coversation going on at the next table? (Not to worry, I'll still patronize M&P because I'm a sucker for their mac & cheese.) The point is, there is and should be room for both. And food cart owners are every bit the local business restaurants are, too. A lot of them live in JC. I don't know how you draw the distinction that they're NOT a local business. The experience is really what you, the diner, makes of it. When I think back on a lot of my travels to great cities, I can't imagine the experience without street food. Pad thai at the night market in Bangkok, lamb and beef kebabs grilled to order at the Place Jemaa El Fnaa in Marrakech - I'd argue such fare is the ultimate foodie experience.

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So every single meal, of every single day MUST be a sit down experience? You must really have quite the life.

Listen, people vote with their dollars. If the customers are supporting the food trucks, who is anyone else to take it away? Consumer choice, FTW.

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Having an itinerant license has nothing to do with safety or public health, at least as of a few years ago. The only requirement to getting an itinerant license is finding an available one (there's a finite number issued) and paying the fee. A health inspection is what protects the public. When I owned a restaurant several years ago, there were only 2 inspectors in the whole city. I can't speak for other restaurants, but my experience with the permit process was completely laughable. The inspector came in, asked if I had a bathroom (but didn't check), bullshitted for 10 minutes, remarked that I didn't have a 3 compartment sink as required and proceeded to pass the place.

To the best of my knowledge, restaurants are not routinely inspected like NYC, which requires at least one (surprise) inspection per year. NYC takes these things a lot more seriously, though the process is all very subjective. But I digress.

Several points....the article is well written and I agree with many points but it is biased.....No one from the "other" side of the food truck issue makes any salient points....I'm certainly not the one to make the case because I think food trucks can work and add to the community.....

Also if one looks at the photo of the large lime green Krave truck, it is illegally parked in front of a stop sign line, and not in a legal parking space.

Also did find it funny that one of the "mobile" vendors complained about competition fron another mobile vendor.....huh???

Finally the local news site, The Jersey City Independent, covers the food truck issue ... with a well investigated article.

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... d-trucks-plight-in-limbo/

Though I haven't checked all the carts in the neighborhood - I do know that the one's you mention have valid licenses from the city/state to operate food trucks.

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Agreed. But does anyone know if these food carts have itinerant food licenses? I would like to know the details behind this before I sign the petition. Is the city not giving out itinerant licenses or are they charging insane prices for one?

I love the food carts, but they really should be paying taxes like all other businesses. I know a lot of the hotdog vendors have the licenses, but does the taco truck, luncinda's, the soup guy? It really is in the best interest of the public health as well.

This argument always baffles me - Other countries have thriving street food scenes that bring a different element to the food culture. I guess that brick and morter stores feel threatened that these carts are taking business away from them - but I don't know many people who eat at the same restaurant day after day. We need options in Jersey City and right now food trucks are a huge trend.

So in the case of the Taqueria, they started with a food cart *gasp* and after seeing the demand and good business, they opened a full fledged restaurant. Which remains successful. We should definitely make sure this type of scenario never ever happens again.

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Great idea! I've added my signature to your petition and will spread the word to family, friends, and colleagues!

The problem is the law basically prohibits the kind of trucks/carts we're talking about. It says you can only remain in one place 20 minutes. What the OP wants is a change of the law.

As for the NYTimes article, one of the main points was that NYC was leaving millions on the table by renewing the licenses cheaply in perpetuity and then letting the licenses be dealt on the black market and looking the other way. Presumably the same it true in JC. Would it make the people calling them freeloaders feel better if they paid thousands a month to the City in license fees instead of paying rent?

OK I am not talking about the business side of things. I am talking about the experience of eating a meal from a street cart. Very different. Food should be an experience, not a business transaction. And, as a local foodie of sorts, I always support local businesses that make food an experience, not a business proposition.

We can agree to disagree, ms. skin. ha.

The ugliness of food cart vs. restaurant has been going on for sometime in Manhattan. The NY Times had an article on it a couple weeks ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/din ... =4&sq=food%20truck&st=cse

I guess it was only a matter of time before the same ugliness jumped across the river. In this economy, people do desperate things, I suppose, to protect their interests. I don't know why restaurants think the carts are taking away their business. If I decide that I really want to have Mexican food for dinner, I'm gonna get it from the cart at the Grove Street plaza. Removing the guy isn't gonna make me suddenly want to get dinner from that yucky McDonald's across the street instead. I'll just go home and cook - and then no one gets my business. Likewise, if I'm with some friends and we decide we want to sit outside somewhere over a nice dinner, we'll end up at Skinner's Loft, not a food cart.

I'm definitely signing that petition.

The Food Carts should be complimentary and not always competitive. Let’s take the taco cart near the grove street path. Great Tacos, but very different in flavor and composition then Taqueria. Both together boost the culinary quality of the city overall.

I do agree that these carts should be licensed and operate legally for all our safety, but if you are a restaurant and you are getting waxed by a food cart with about 5 square feet of cooking and prep area you don’t deserve to be in business anyway.

Good food is about the experience. Its about the Brand. Its about the emotional connection. A food cart can only simply woo you with its food. Its like a billboard of flavor – 3 seconds to sell you.

A restaurant should be a longer seduction of flavor. A deeper more intimate experience. So in a way - one is like culinary fu**ing, the other a long marathon.

Perhaps the sub-par restaurants that are trying to **ck me should instead be trying to seduce me. Just a thought.