Is building and maintaining a food truck business really cheaper than owning a restaurant? If you ask Yorkside Pizza’s George Koutroumanis, who said in this interview that the carts “Dot the countryside like locusts” and “pay almost nothing to be here,” you’ll say yes. Several other small business owners will probably agree.
Rob Ferrie, organizer of last weekend’s Food Truck Festival in Hubbard Park, disagrees. And then he’ll fight for those carts. He explained why on the latest episode of Alisa Bowens’ “Culture Cocktail” on WNHH radio.
“A lot of these people are investing a lot of money to get their trucks going,” he said. “I can tell you that it’s not cheaper than starting up a restaurant. In hindsight, realistically .… I hate to break it to the brick-and-mortar owners, but it’s not less expensive. They’re [food truck vendors] earning their keep. They’re employing people.”
And attending the food trucks? “It’s a nice escape to be able to get out instead of talking, texting or emailing,” he added.
Lucy Gellman Photo
Fighting for underdogs, in fact, was the overall tone of the show. During her Relation Sip segment, Bowens was joined in the studio by Tara Murphy, a self-professed “solution-focused psychotherapist,” to speak about Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
“It’s about the right to feel safe,” said Murphy.
“You’re not alone,” Bowens added.
To listen to the full episode, click on the audio above.
Koutroumanis, is free to his opinion, and free to run his business as he pleases, but it is ironic that the food prepared and sold at Yorkside is way less desirable to me than most food trucks, and it's more expensive! He does have the <i>drunk and sporty</i> market locked down though.