With an increase in the presence of food trucks throughout San Diego, many people who would normally go to McDonald’s during their lunch breaks are beginning to eat at these popular mobile eateries. Food trucks are beginning to open around every corner and are receiving local attention. With increasing demand for affordable, accessible meals, this trend is enticing curious eaters to explore a variety of vendors that are definitely worth a taste.
MIHO Gastrotruck’s managers Kevin Ho and Juan Miron have been running one of San Diego’s most popular food trucks since last May. Because all of their food is created without hormones or antibiotics, many people are beginning to follow this truck throughout the city, just to grab a bite of their “farm to street” cuisine. The MIHO Gastrotruck was founded with the objective of bringing healthy, affordable and accessible food to San Diego neighborhoods.
“We want people to care about where their food is coming from and how it’s being made,” Ho said about their all-organic business.
Although their regular customers, “HOMIs” as they like to call them, usually visit at least once a week, Ho said the most challenging part of running a food truck is promoting their business to the community. However, they still manage every shift with a line of happy customers.
“We roll with a crew of four for each shift – cashier, expo, plancha (grill) and cold line,” Ho remarked of an average shift at the MIHO Gastrotruck.
Although running a food truck may sound like a piece of cake, it is an entirely different operation than running a restaurant. However, Ho said all MIHO Gastrotruck employees continually model quality customer service skills, just as if they were working in a restaurant.
Ho recommends aspiring food-truck owners create a strong business plan and maintain a degree of patience. Running a food truck is not a “miracle business” and success does not automatically happen.
One particular reason for the trendiness of food trucks is they have to be found. After all, trucks cannot always be parked in the same place. Food truck lovers have created blogs and Facebook pages to update others on where the next location for favorite local food trucks will be. Because they have no designated area, it is easy for these trucks to change locations daily to draw new crowds to the business.
By setting up shop in areas that are not usually popular, food trucks are not only increasing their own revenue but also the revenue of local establishments. Support a food truck and help a small business blossom. The locations of favorite San Diego food trucks can be found on the San Diego Food Trucks blog, sdfoodtrucks.com.
