For all the talk about the growing food scene in this city, and make no mistake it is happening before our eyes, quite possibly the most talked about aspect of the food evolution is the bubbling revolution on four wheels. To hear people talk about food trucks in this city lately is to think we’ve been starving for dozens of years. Nothing to eat, nowhere to go. My goodness, what ever did we do before the push for food trucks really picked up some steam here in the last 24 months or so? Don’t get me wrong, I am about as excited as the next guy about the possibility of food trucks becoming part of our culinary scene. Why? Well, a quick understanding of the history of these trucks and the food truck movement will explain why.
I grew up around some of the original versions of food trucks in Miami. Back then they were called (at least we did) “cantinas”. Spanish for “canteens”. Essentially this pick-up truck with a silver refridgerated back would pull up, barn-like doors would swing open and lunch was for sale. They were most popular on work sites. I saw them there, but didn’t enjoy them much unless I was out at the beach. Inside were pre-made sandwiches, drinks and the like. On the other side of the pick-up truck were the items that didn’t need to stay cool. Things like chips, peanuts, maybe some fruit. I’m not at all saying this is where these trucks got started. They existed nationwide. That was the 1970’s. Forty or so years later, food trucks have become vehicles for everything great about food and creativity. While Southern California and New York City get a lot of the credit for the explosion, they are entrenched all over America. Coalitions are being created in nearly every big city. There are popular television shows about them. Movies have been made about them. The phenomenon is not only very real, but incredibly exciting. What makes them so? Well, it’s pretty simple actually. Food trucks in their truest sense give you access to chefs and creative culinary minds that you-most times-won’t find at a regular restaurant. And if you do, it’s at a much lower price.
When you visit a food truck park in most cities that host them, you find a food court of places you can’t drive to for lunch. They have no “brick and mortar” locations. Inside these trucks, many times, you find people doing something different with food. The food needs to be the draw. If you are giving me something I can get anywhere else, why would I sit on a park bench in the hot sun to eat yours when I can drive two more blocks and have essentially the same thing in air conditioning? Not only that, but a server, a bathroom and maybe a TV to watch a few minutes of a game or catch up on Sportscenter. No, with food trucks the food needs to be different. The food is the draw. Last year on Eat It and Like It we featured a truck in Atlanta called “The Blaxican”. “Mexican soul food”, he calls it. (Que Pasa?! Y’all). Dishes like Collard Green Quesadillas and Buffalo Chicken Tacos. The line is down the block every week. His following all over Atlanta is significant. Similarly, we have a food truck coming up this season on Eat It and Like It called “Bacon and Butts”. Yes, most of the food you find in there is centered around bacon. I’ve heard of a truck in Austin, Texas that does nothing but eggs. The list goes on and on. The appeal is obvious. The benefit to the consumer is the fact that you get to sample and enjoy smaller portions of, most times, excellent food for a fraction of the cost you would spend at an established restaurant. No, there is no air conditioning, no servers to refill your beverage, no restrooms and no television near by. The dining experience is very different, but there is ample room for everyone in this town.
I am watching the buzz around Savannah and the trucks revving up everywhere. I have fielded more questions from friends around town looking to hop on the food truck wave than you can imagine. Never mind the fact that the city hasn’t even officially taken the matter up. At this point they have agreed to discuss it in greater detail than they have so far. Progress. This is a great thing. However, I am also seeing the establishments that can afford a truck right now getting them ready to go. The hope is the city will eventually give a green light and they will be on the street immediately. I think that is fantastic. My fear? That the “food deserts” that have been bounced around at City Council will be watered with places I can already enjoy now. There is something to be said for someone being able to enjoy a great sandwich from Zunzi’s without having to fight their way from, say Midtown, all the way down to York Street. I am all for it. There should, however, be provisions made by the city to get some new food on the street. Only then will we see true growth.
I’m putting the cart before the horse here, because not only do we not have real food truck ordinances, but we don’t have an arena. But if I were playing “City of Savannah” on my Xbox, I’d have a weekly food truck court in the parking lot of that new arena we are getting every Wednesday from 11am-1pm. There would be built in parking, plenty of space for trucks, vendors and patrons looking for something different than they can get downtown. I think the blue collar crowd that drives up and down Louisville Road every day would appreciate somewhere to grab a good bite to eat without having to carry change for a meter once you cross MLK into downtown. That’s to say nothing about the number of people who would make their way over there from downtown. If the idea takes off? You do it twice a week. The city gets a cut from the trucks for the space and vendors can have a central location to share their grub. It’s a win-win. With the popularity of the trucks nationwide, it’s very likely to become a tourist attraction. I have yet to hear one restaurant owner, and I’ve spoken to plenty of them, tell me they are afraid of more choices for food in this city. The consensus is clearly the more the merrier. I realize this is all years away, but the potential is there to make plans for it now.
Food is hot in Savannah right now. Everyone putting together a fundraiser is trying to tie chefs to it. At the same time, it seems like everyone trying to put together an outdoor event is trying to get food trucks parked there. But until the city makes it official sometime next year, we hope, we don’t have anything really to be excited about except that hope. Right now every food truck related “event” in this city is going to look the same as the one before it. Where’s the fun in that?
Going forward, I hope the city does the right thing. Do some established restaurants deserve a seat at the food truck table? Of course they do. But I hope we leave enough seats for some start-ups. I suspect once the day comes, the city will be overrun with applications. That only means people want to be here. People want to be a part of what is popping in Savannah. Good problem to have.
See you on TV.
Jesse
