Mobile food trailers in Austin - We have over 1300 of em now! What do you think of the phenom? (Portland: renting, construction loan)

[inthecut]

Yes, we have over 1300 food trailers around the city now, and there are projected to be about 1,620 of them by the end of next year...have you ever ate from them, or on a regular basis? Just late nite, after a DT baccanal? Maybe for lunch, as a treat, per the ones that hang around workplaces up north? Do you feel comfortable with the safety/quality of the food and preparations for the same? Some of them DT are getting huge, and approaching the size of small diners on the east coast...prob the next step would be small outdoor tables and/or inside tables in the largest ones.....What food do you like to munch on from the same? Do you feel there is too much of a burrito/mexican food flavor? Would like like to see more ethnic foods offered, ala Greek, Asian, and such? More BBQ ones, which are not that common, as most cooking has to be done out of the trailer, per the heat and fumes?.......

[twange]

Love them. Eat at many regularly - as my waistline non-proudly shows

South Lamar has some good ones. The one that really troubles me (in terms of temptation) is Gourdough's: Big. Fat. Donuts.

That's some devilry there.

[jobert]

I like the mix we have now. I see a good amount of experimental/fusion trailers, moreso than I saw in Portland. I really would not like to see more chinese/pizza/greek trailers unless the owners really knew what they were doing. I think the trailer phenomena will start spreading to other cities soon. It's a trend of a more frugal America in general. If the eatery is done well, the quality is there, and the majority of the overhead is gone. A lot of people like the patios and food of their favorite restaurants, why do they want to pay for the construction loan, big screens, A/C, and "flair" on the walls? I do think we will hit saturation soon, if we haven't already. Smart money would start a business of refurbishing old airstreams and renting them out.

[atxcio]

Wow, 1300. I knew there were a lot of them, but wow.

Personally I like them. It's a cheap meal, and some of the cuisine is pretty unique and tasty. I'd imagine the food prep is no worse than some of the dive restaurants we've had in town.

Plus, it's a pretty unique to Austin thing right now. You can find them in other cities but not in a concentration like you'll find in SoCo.

Also, it's NOT the same thing as what you might call "Street Food" in other cities (like on the East Coast). It's a different phenomena -- "Street Food" (like you'd find in NYC or Vancouver) is for walking up to and taking and eating somewhere else. It's often ethnic cuisine prepared with the lowest of overhead, cheap and tasty. It's sold from carts along the street/sidewalk, or out of roach-coach style taco trucks... some are pretty large but typically not Airstream size.

The "trailer eatery" thing is a little different. Definitely more of a Texas/Austin flavor. Often people drive and park nearby, or maybe they walk. But they will usually eat right at the trailer (and bring their own booze), on picnic tables or whatever, in an otherwise empty lot. Basically what would be normally called loitering. The food is less ethnic, more gourmet -- and sometimes over-the-top creations like you might find at a state fair. Prep is often more elaborate, like you might find at a restaurant, especially places like Odd Duck.

Of course, these places are quite trendy right now... which means it will probably run it's course and burn out fast. But in the meantime, at least for me & DW, it's a fun thing to do. Will be more fun when it cools off a bit.

[SickOfCalifornia]

Does "Hey Cupcake" count?

[UTHORNS96]

Meh, I don't mind them, but I feel like they're more of a fad that will be gone in a few years than something that will really shape a long-term identity for the city. I would much rather places like Lucky J's get real buildings (if they can older buildings for charm) and become a stable part of the Austin community. Not just some fly-by-night trailer operation that can be gone any day.

[atxcio]

Kinda shows how much Austin likes its outdoor dining... 1300 "restaurants" without a single indoor table!

[jobert]

Originally Posted by atxcio

Kinda shows how much Austin likes its outdoor dining... 1300 "restaurants" without a single indoor table!

Interesting observation - are they technically restaurants? If so, could Austin possibly have the most "restaurants" per capita of any U.S. city? We could stuff that one in our list of "top ten" lists and smoke it... like brisket, that is.

[hoffdano]

I have only had Torchy's tacos. Damn good.

Others have told me Hey Cupcake is way overpriced for a cupcake made from a mix.

[momof2dfw]

WOW!!!!! Austin has that many of them. COOL!

Has anyone been watching the Great American Food Truck Race on Food Network on Sunday evening? It has only been on two weeks now and one of the teams is from Austin. Austin Daily Press, sandwiches. They look really good and I'd love to try one.