Anyone else watch the Food truck reality series on FOOD network today?

[Bennyboy]

I am a huge food guy and especially love food trucks and carts etc. Now there is a competition between food truck drivers on FOOD network that is pretty good. They had a guy that makes burgers where the buns are grilled cheese sandwiches! Another did French food, A crepe guy, a banana pie truck, and rajun Cajun truck etc... Awesome show.

[OmahaBlueDog]

1. I didn't expect to like it, and I agree - it was awesome

I felt really bad about that first truck to go, however (I can't remember the name - the one with the fried wings and the banana pudding). I thought they had very high entertainment potential.

You noticed that the folks who didn't pay to get into that fair all ended up making more money.

[Bennyboy]

2. But how stupid was it to NOT HAVE PROPANE?

Seiously.

And the funny thing is, the vendors at most street fairs and music festivals rake in the dough. But I think they said 14,000 attendance, over two days, is not much for the high (original) fees for selling food there. The guy did come down quite a ways on the fees. But that kind of showed how shady he was and that his fest was not that good, because he should have had all his vendors lined up at least two months ahead of time, all paid at a set fee.

Another thing, what are the rules here? What about city, county, state inspections? Housing in commissaries. Food prep etc? Around here you got so many rules to abide by it makes it almost impossible to do this type of thing due to beauracratic bullshit.

I was a partner in a hot dog cart a couple of yrs back, but found it impossible to do.

[OmahaBlueDog]

3. I suspect we'll have an episode where we get an inspector visit

..but you're right, I wonder about that.

[Bennyboy]

4. Were the trucks inspected prior to the show launching for every

municipality they are planning to go to? Cuz that is a huge hassle and does not work itself out in a day or two but takes literally MONTHS to happen....and a truck could get shut down (and the network sued if there was food poisoning)

[Bennyboy]

5. And how IDIOTIC my City is about these trucks.....(Sacramento)

The hottest new food trend literally rolls through the country, using Twitter and other social media to alert hungry customers.

From Korean short rib tacos at Southern California's Kogi BBQ truck, to chicken tikka masala at Desi Food Truck in New York City, mobile food vendors are all the rage with the hungry masses. The Food Network is also riding this trend, launching "The Great Food Truck Race" on Aug. 15.

But that food truck wouldn't be able to stop for long in Sacramento. The City Council adopted ordinances in 2008 that make it nearly impossible to create a regional version of Kogi BBQ, a mobile food truck featured in Time magazine and Bon Appetit that tweets its latest location to 70,000 followers.

Among the provisions of the Sacramento City Code: Mobile food vendors cannot stay in one commercial area for more than 30 minutes – and cannot operate after 6 p.m. from November through March. The trucks also cannot operate within 400 feet of one another.

The scene is different in such cities as Portland, Ore., where www.foodcartsport-land.com tracks more than 200 mobile food vendors.
"They pretty much have everything from pupusas to curries to standard taco fare," said Catherine Enfield, a Sacramentan who authors the "Munchie Musings" blog. "What is wrong with Sacramento?"

Even Mayor Kevin Johnson acknowledged that Sacramento should welcome food truck culture.

"The current ordinance, adopted before my election, should be reworked," said Johnson, in an e-mail. "I'm confident that like other cities we can develop a plan that allows mobile food trucks to thrive alongside other businesses and neighborhoods."



Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/23/2975917/sacramento-says-no-to-hot-new.html?qwxq=1530290&pageNum=2&mi_pluck_action=page_nav#Comments_Container#ixzz0xSXT2Cuj


http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/23/2975917/sacramento-says-no-to-hot-new.html?qwxq=1530290&pageNum=2&mi_pluck_action=page_nav#Comments_Container

[grasswire]

6. CNN called Portland the #1 food cart city

They're everywhere! The hottest one is the Whiffie fried pie guy; open until the wee hours of the morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH1-tCapIHY

[Bennyboy]

7. Isn't there a war brewing in New Orleans over the trucks?

Seem to recall an article I read about trucks in the French Quarter getting hassled...And yet they let them sell those god awful hot dogs down there...

[namahage]

8. We just had a Street Food Festival last weekend in SF

Slideshow here:

http://missionlocal.org/2010/08/sights-and-sounds-from-sf-street-food-fest/

[grace0418]

11. Chicago is just as idiotic. Can't have food trucks anywhere. Although lots of big chefs

are working to change that.

[fishwax]

9. I'm enjoying that show as well

I generally like food shows and food competitions, and I'm a fan and scholar of road culture, so it's a great show for me :)

[Ryano42]

10. When they were here in Santa Fe...

I had a ban mi sandwich from NOM NOM. It was really good! Quite different from our food trucks here in town.

The TV crew interviewed me, I signed a release form and everything. It was apparently after the elimination (the scene at the railyard) so it never made it to air.

I did notice that the Cajun truck was there (they got elimintated) the truck was locked up and I saw the crew of that truck walking around the farmer's market...so I guess the elmination wasn't as emotional as they portrayed! :P