Ever seen a food truck parallel park? I was crossing the street near Copley last week when a food truck peeled around the corner onto Clarendon, skillfully backed up in front of another truck, and parked, all in less than 10 seconds and in front of an already assembled crowd.
My guess is that when you own a food truck you acquire a whole new set of skills outside of cooking—parking, politics, social media, extreme customer service—and all while putting together a fresh, creative, tasty menu day in and day out.
Food trucks are the hustlers of the restaurant industry. All they need is a set spinning rims.
Because besides the obvious glory of being able to eat a hearty grilled cheese or a pork belly taco on the curb, food trucks are culinary think tanks where we can get a peek at what might be a brick-and-mortar restaurant one day, when all that hustle pays off.
A few years ago, the majority of food trucks we see rolling around today didn’t even exist, maybe not even as an idea. And while Boston was later to the movement than some cities, and bureaucracy is still slowing progress (looking at you Brookline and Somerville), there’s no doubt that these truck-wielding, pedestrian-dodging, lunchtime-heroes have created a street food culture we can call our own.
So take a look at our map and guide (p.6-7 in print), rip it out, paste it in your cube or on your fridge, and get out on the street and eat, because we can.
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