UnitVI_BuildingFoodTruck_Transcript.pdf

Building a Food Truck from the Ground Up Video Transcript Now food trucks in cities across the country, these rolling restaurants are popping up everywhere, providing hungry lunch breakers and late-night bar crawlers with a cornucopia of fast, easy fuel, and all on the cheap. And running one means no office politics, just cooking and cash. At least that's what two foodies were thinking when they whetted their appetite for a taste of entrepreneurship. Here's ABC's Reena Ninan. Go around them, and make an L. It's a Thursday evening just north of downtown Columbus. Is this what you had in mind? That's perfect. Despite the threatening sky, a trio of pioneers are setting up for dinner, among them, That Food Truck. Never a dull day in the life of a food truck, I'll tell you that much. These mobile restaurants are the fastest-growing segment of the dining industry. Three years ago, we had no idea we were getting into a whole food truck revolution. Seems like everyone's brother thinks it might be fun to cook and be your own boss. But it's also a risky business with razor-thin margins— The batter is a wheat and rice flour mix. --and a fickle clientele. You gave up a job in finance to run a food truck? I'd been doing it for eight years, and I had been looking to do something a little more adventurous. Despite the odds, Dan Kraus and Steve Concilla are determined to give it a go. Thank you much. Bacon-cheese, sir. Dan, trained as a butcher, and Steve, a former finance guy, started dreaming about getting a truck back in 2011.They found a used FedEx truck and spent the next few months retrofitting it. What do you want? Pork or chicken? Through a few test luncheons— I learned that it's crazy hot on the truck. Did you have [? a little? ?] Yes. I learned we have to prepare and prepare— Hot jambalaya. --and keep preparing. But making it depends on more than just cooking good food. Here in Columbus, these newbie businessmen get support from a nonprofit development organization called ECDI.

We have a small kitchen that rents out for $18 an hour. So if I own a food truck, what would be a benefit of working out of this space here? What do I get for my money? We help them with the marketing aspect. We help them with social media. We help them with food safety. We also go out and network and find them locations to do their jobs. There's also a secure parking lot, electrical hookups, grease disposal, and industrial-sized sinks, and, for Dan and Steve, cash. And don't spend more than you have to. But also make sure you pay yourselves. Having already sunk most of their savings and generous family loans into the truck, the two find themselves short. A $20,000 loan from ECDI will cover the last-minute expenses. We definitely have some inventory to go buy, a couple more kitchen equipment pieces. In this hyper-trendy business, you've got to have an angle. For That Food Truck, the hook is a seasonal menu from locally-grown ingredients. I'm starting the spicy carrot chips. That doesn't just mean veggies. A farm an hour away provides meat and eggs. After all, this is the Midwest. Top round. Oh, wow, look at that. 50 pounds. Pleasure. Before hitting the streets, one last step, clearance from the Board of Health. If you think food trucks are not as heavily inspected as traditional restaurants are, you'd be wrong. Everything inside— Just remember not to put any chemicals or anything above a prep area. --and outside is closely checked. It has to be three inches, though, Columbus, Ohio. We do need 43219. The truck passes. Now it's time to get some customers. My mandolin broke this morning, so it's kind of throwing a little wrench in the works there. Opening day, last July. Tonight we have chicken confit with the arugula salad and the cherry-dijon vinaigrette. The first few hours are slow, but good for getting the kinks worked out. I'm going to give you some chips too. At the end of the first night—

Total sales, $187. For the first day? All right. Okay first night sales might have been a little disappointing. But of course, Steve and Dan aren't about to give up. Chicken confit and a squash fritter. They're awesome. When we next catch up with That Food Truck three months later in October, they're still learning. It's 100 times harder than I ever thought it would be to open up my own business. Business is picking up, and the duo is getting a good reputation for innovative truck cuisine— I'm hungry. --but it's still nonstop. But you guys are doing the butchering. You're doing the cooking. You're doing the scrubbing of the pots. Bakery runs and maintenance. The list goes on. It's a never-ending list. You cross five off, you add five more. Yeah, even if you have a day off, you don't have a day off. So is this profitable, if you're working practically 24 hours a day? In the beginning, no. But you know what? It's a lot more satisfying since it's ours. And good for the bottom line? Steve's parents have been regulars since the first meal. So what did you think when your son said, I'm going to leave my finance job and start a food truck? It was not my life plan for him. It really was not. So I have to say, my first reaction was not positive. Lured by the tasty offerings, he's starting to come around. I hope they can make a living. Let's be frank. Yeah. Do you think they can? Do you think it will turn a profit? I do. I do. I think it's going to take a while. Like any new business, they've gotten a lot of the kinks out. Getting a lot of critical acclaim. But it's retail, so it's location, location, location. So what have you learned, now that it's been up and running for a couple of months? Everything takes longer than expected. And it's always a slow start. Not making any money, that's the hardest. Columbus has several huge food truck festivals. It's the busiest we've been, and we're hoping to sell out.

I'm sold out of 20 pounds of bacon, about 50 orders of veggie burgers. Even though these events are packed with customers and great for exposure, it's still just one part of the income puzzle. That will be $7, please. So even in the chill of a wintry December day, six months after selling their first dinner— Thank you so much. You are welcome. Enjoy. --Dan and Steve are out as often as the weather promises a profit, constantly reworking their business plan. Truck-dusted popcorn. Maybe a new spice? A meat delivery option? The truck makes money when it's going, but we really need to establish a way to earn income when the truck's not out. All right, ladies. I got two pot roasts. Still, there's no hesitation they made the right decision to give it a go. I don't want to take a day off anytime soon, personally. But you know, I can say that because this is my business. Can we get a squash fritters? Absolutely. For Nightline, I'm Reena Ninan in Columbus, Ohio.