www.thegardenisland.com

Monk Seal and Me...

Search This Blog

Thursday, December 12, 2013

"The Food truck revolution.. 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

Food trucks converted from old step vans have become the fad...
James “Kimo” Rosen is a retired professional photographer living in Kapa'a
with his best friend Obama Da Dog, Rosen also blogs as a hobby

www.dakinetalk.blogspot.com


The Food truck revolution

Imagine wanting to open a business and share your culinary art only to find rents for commercial restaurants on Kaua'i are a hard nut to crack and in many cases cost prohibited without already being wealthy.

The last few years on Kaua'i have brought us an array of all wakes of ethnicity concerning food trucks.There are Mexican, Greek, Italian, Thai, Chinese, American style steak and burgers, crepes,and the all  popular Hawaiian style plate lunch, lau lau,shaved ice and malasadas.

The food trucks have taken over the conventional restaurant  as the number one way to open a restaurant on Kaua'i. Kapa'a town is starting to like a ghetto with all these old step-vans converted to food trucks.. There is a food truck revolution. 

Food trucks originally  were known and famous for large portions of ono grindz (delicious food) at very reasonable prices.  Food trucks do not have all the expenses of traditional restaurants, while some pay a nominal rent, others set up on the side of the highways and roads and pay nothing. Food trucks  plain and simple do not have the overhead of a conventional restaurant.

The food trucks I have witnessed do not even have porta potties or  a place to wash your hands? It makes me wonder where the owners and employees relieve themselves during a shift of work. How can a restaurant pass a board of health inspection without restrooms for their patrons and employees?

Therefore one would think the savings in overhead would be passed onto the consumer, as I have witnessed on O‘ahu and many other places.   But they are not. I often visit a local Mexican restaurant  that has excellent wait staff, awesome food, large portions and restrooms, plus their menu prices are less than the Mexican food trucks I have seen on island.

Every food truck I have visited on Kaua‘i is priced way too high with tiny  humble portions of food.Food Trucks in many instances are charging more than a full fledged sit-down restaurant serving similar food items.

 There’s a relatively new food truck I cruise by every day. However, after looking at the menu, it was the same old story, expensive prices.
The only thing that looked reasonable was the kid’s menu; however, you must be 12 or under. Isn’t that discrimination? 

 I understand being an entrepreneur and wanting to live your dream, and that dream may be to open a restaurant. You may not have the funds to open a  restaurant in a shopping mall, or you may just like the concept of food-trucks. However when a burger plate is $12-15 plus tax served on a paper plate with no waiter or restrooms and with  the audacity to have a  rusted lid mayonnaise jar on the counter in sloppy handwriting that  says “TIPS.” This is just insanity.

 I want these food trucks to stay in business and make money and would like to offer  some solid advise. Here's my tip,please  lower your prices, serve larger portions and think volume and you just might crack the nut. 

Believe it or not the next fad in business is fashion trucks, they are gaining popularity in mainland markets. Who knows before long there will be no need for shopping centers or strip malls in Hawai'i since  every business will be operating form a recycled step van.  Welcome to paradise!

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...