TO figure out quantity, Poor Piggy’s Harley
Bruce says its math by the head count.
Meats by weight, sides by the quart. If
each person eats a half pound, times
100 people you need 50 pounds. And a quart feeds
10 people, so for 50 people you need 5 quarts of
sides, “and then I throw in a little extra.”
Wrightsville’s Trolly Stop has been serving clas-sic
hot dogs with homemade toppings since 1976.
It operates three push carts.
With three trucks, Wheelz Gourmet Pizza is
trying to earn “neighborhood” food truck status. The
management says their 1000-degree ovens can cook a
pizza in less than 2 minutes. Start to finish, made-to-order,
Neapolitan Brooklyn-style wood-fired pizza is
ready in 5 -10 minutes. They require a $500 mini-mum,
which they say roughly equates to 36, 8-slice
pizzas at $14 each.
Another question to ask food truck operators is
how big or small a gathering will you come out for?
Stephanie and Tyrone Farmer’s Dream Ice serves
both smaller family gatherings and big events and
festivals.
Once a vendor is chosen and the date is locked
in, you can whittle down the exact menu you want.
They’ll do the ordering and the prep, and they will
either cook or finish cooking on site and serve out of
the truck through a window.
There’s a food truck for every budget and palate.
You can mix it up. Food trucks have all sorts of
fare these days, from the standard barbecue, ribs
and burgers to sushi and other seafood. They run
the gamut from basic to high end. The ice cream
and frozen ice trucks should not be overlooked
either.
Sunset Slush of Wilmington operates out of a
pushcart that holds four flavors of their Italian ice.
Owners Cassandra and Will Kelley say one thing
to have ready when you call to book, in addition
to the number of people and how long you want
them there, is which of their 36 flavors you want on
the cart.
You pay the truck per person, or if it’s a public
event then the truck collects from customers. For others,
payment can be per serving or as a package.
“I do it two ways,” Tyrone Farmer says. “If they prefer, you can
let the customer come on their own and pay individually, or the
host can purchase a package, say if you want 500 people and each
to have two servings, we calculate that as a package and then we
donate a portion back to the host.”
Farmer’s Dream Ice is a sweet and frozen dessert made by the same
Customers get a meal from Vittles during the 2017 Food Truck Rodeo in Ogden
Park. Maggie Perez of Pepe’s Tacos takes an order March 15, 2022 at Eagle
Island Seafood and Market.
process as ice cream, but it’s fat-free, dairy-free and cholesterol-free and
is water-based.
Some trucks will work on a prepaid minimum or a guaranteed
minimum. There is a difference between guarantee versus a mini-mum,
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WBM
so ask questions.
Trucks are restricted in the number of hours they can operate per
day, being permitted to only work daily five hours, plus five hours.
They have to carry their own potable water and power.
ALLISON POTTER BRETT COTTRELL/NEW HANOVER COUNTY