Food Trucks in the Suburbs!

It is surprising to drive on Highland Avenue in Needham and see a food truck!  The first time I passed the truck, I thought maybe it was a one day visit.  Every time I passed the corner of Highland Avenue and West Street in front of the CVS, there was the same food truck.   There really was a food truck in Needham, Massachusetts and it was not a mirage!

So finally after passing the food truck so often, I had to stop at Burrito Dave’s.  This is where I met Karen and Dave, husband and wife who own and operate Burrito Dave’s and learned a little about food trucks, Karen and Dave as well as the food they serve.

This is the story of Karen and Dave and Burrito Dave’s.

Both Karen and Dave had been laid off and needed to start over again.  Dave, a software engineer and Karen who many years ago had worked in restaurants knew that Food Trucks were big in California and New York and thought this just might be what they should go into.  They found a food truck in Rhode Island, removed the fryoltor and put in the equipment they needed and jumped blindly into Burrito Dave’s Food Truck using Dave’s recipes  and have been learning as they go ever since!

After speaking with Karen and Dave, I too was getting an education about Food Trucks!  There are many rules and regulations governing Food Trucks that each city or town sets.  What might be ok in one town or city might not be in the town or city next door.  Some cities limit the number of trucks doing business and some require specific safety equipment.  If you are registered in one town, you can’t cross into the next town to do business.  You need the proper permits to operate a food truck. And yes, the health department in each city and town oversees Food Trucks just like any restaurant. So if they do business in several cities and towns, they are required to have health certificates from each and every town. Each town and city has many restrictions for them to follow.  According to Dave, he is required to do all the cooking on the truck among other things!

So how does a couple in the 50’s start over? What hurdles do they need to overcome? What have they learned?  What is a typical day like for them?  You will need to check back tomorrow for Part 2 of Food Trucks in the Suburbs!