So the Food Truck Mafia is coming to Niles. They have been coming every Wednesday for a while now, and have been a great addition to the food in Niles. But I had someone on my FB page that was confused – why would anyone eat at a food truck? They have a pretty poor reputation from my childhood – so I understand where the question comes from . But there have been changes.
Here is what I know about food trucks. Long ago in my dim past , (i’m 49) , food trucks went to places like constructions site and sometimes the beach or the park. They were often the only food source and quality varied. ( I don’t know if they were actually unhealthy ). Mom wouldn’t let you eat from them probably more because of cost. ( Pretzels in NYC were different) . Fast Forward to the early 2000s. restaurants are expensive to own/maintain and along comes an economic downturn. restaurants go out of business, but there are a lot of skilled chefs. Catering wasn’t an option, remember there was an economic downturn. These trained chefs went mobile. Food trucks have a fairly low overhead ( at least compared to a restaurant) and they could move to the customers. Also because of the size – the chef can concentrate on a specialty. ( grilled cheese! cupcakes!) Twitter has been a major factor in the success of food trucks. Customers can follow them and know exactly when they will be where. And then you have things like the food truck mafia. This is a group of trucks that travel together – Put together 6 food trucks ,a DJ, and some empty space; you have a party.
So tonight – if you are hungry and don’t want to cook ( esp for all the picky eaters) come on down to the Niles plaza. Get some food, sit on a bench – and after you eat why not dance?
Niles Food 