Can't Find Work In Your Field? Move To NYC And Open A Food Cart
If you were laid off from your job, or can't find one in the industry you trained for, you can always sell food to people on sidewalks. That's what at least two people are doing in New York, while a third has opened a cart to supplement his regular income. Update: But don't expect to actually make any money, according to this article tipped to us by Zach.
The cart Schnitzel & Things was opened earlier this year by an investment banker who was laid off by his firm in January. The Cupcake Stop, which enjoyed a lot of media attention (at least in the NYC area) this past summer, was started by a law school grad who couldn't find work. And there's The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, opened as a "summer job" by a bassoonist. We're not sure what makes ice cream any gayer than it already naturally is, but if we see the truck around town we'll try to investigate.
One interesting thing about all three street carts is that they're not small-scale operations, at least not when compared to traditional street vendors. All three operate out of food service trucks, and have websites to promote their menus and locations. Another one we've seen around parts of Brooklyn is Wafels & Dinges, a Belgian waffle vendor. And another one, Street Sweets, was seen as enough of a threat to nearby restaurants that they've done everything from hire a moving van to take up parking space, to call the police, fire department, and HAZMAT teams on various trumped up complaints.
The investment banker says he only makes about half of what he made at his old job, but that he enjoys running his own business. We don't know if the number of fancy-style food carts will continue to grow, or if this is an economy-fueled trend. But hey, there's an annual awards ceremony for them called the Vendy Awards.
"Street-Cart Economy: Banker Savors Life as Food Vendor" [CNBC] (Thanks to Cindy!)
(Photo: CNBC)
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Comments:
I guess you've never seen Man Push Cart? Once you pay the thing off, Yuri will just steal it from you. [www.imdb.com]
Wait, didn't we have an article a while back forecasting the imminent bursting of the pretentious hipster food cart bubble?
Ice cream? Gay?
My ice cream is All-Man with flavors like BBQ, Bacon, and Sawdust.
@farcedude: Not to mention the soul crushingness of his former job. If he still has a soul left.
For anyone with a functioning soul, it would take intentionally poisoning kids' icecream to match that level of soul crushingness.
Whatever it takes within the law.
@farcedude: I'll bet I don't even make half of what the banker did.
Does that mean I could double or triple my salary?
I told my fiancé last night, when he was complaining about his job, that we should start a peanut butter sandwich truck and drive around DC. $1.00 for a fluffernutter... I think it'd be a winning proposition.
@Xerloq speaks Portuguese, too...: Yes, but we shy away from words like "sprinkles", "hot fudge", and "syrup". Nut-and-Bolt Crap-Thrown-on-Top, 10w30 Liquid-Hate, and ATF Strawberry Neverending-Alimony.
@Etoiles: a comfort foods truck would sell, i bet. pb+js, grilled cheese, chicken noodle or tomato soup. basic stuff thats easy to make and cheap to produce.
darn i better hurry up and open my taco stand/ taco van. been a dream of mine since i was 7.
of coarse i also want to do this to eduacate "white" america to what really mexican food is. not that crap that taco bell trys to pass. ( i do love taco bell also, its just not "real" mexican food)
@Etoiles: In D.C. you could charge $10 for that fluffernutter and people would buy it...it IS D.C....
Sub On Wheels (closed now for vacation/ Jewish holidays, will be back on the 12th probably) is my favorite. 9th ave between 32nd and 33rd, which is two blocks from me. Delicious and dirt cheap subs. The Cajun Steak Sandwich is neither Cajun nor steak (grilled brisket with buffalo wing sauce, as near as i can figure out), but is still my favorite. Eight bucks, or $13 with soup and side dish!
Well now I want a hot dog. And it's raining and I have to walk to the store to get them.
The Treats Truck and Wafels and Dings stop at my corner. I gotta say that they are two of my favorite food options when they're around.
@Etoiles: I'm going to make myself a fluffernutter for dinner - just because you've inspired me.
Then I'll bounce off the walls for 20 minutes and pass out.
@farcedude: The article has greatly exaggerating schnitzel guy's work experience. He interned at an investment bank in Austria, then was hired as an analyst at the bank. An analyst at an investment bank earns a little more than the typical spreadsheet jock, but is not quite the level of a multi million dollar, highly educated investment banker.
@firemunkie: Come to the Silicon Valley. There are *PLENTY* of 'authentic' Mexican food trucks. With actual authentic Mexicans making all of the food and serving it.
@Applekid: The next time I ask for sprinkles and feel the need to butch it up, I'm going to say "throw some of that colored crap on top."
I have a very good friend who orders his food just like that. Anywhere we go he'll say something like, "I want a burger. Just a burger. I don't want any stupid stuff on it. No tomatoes, no lettuce, no godamn guacamole, okay?"
I used to feel embarrassed by it, but then I realized he's too good of a friend to feel embarrassed by. That's just the way he is. I can totally imagine him calling sprinkles "colored crap", too.
@crymson777: No joke, I paid $5 for a fluffernutter at a sandwich shop in Manhattan - I was in a weird mood and there was *nothing* else on the menu that I wanted.
The waiter looked at me like I was insane, didn't have a *clue* what I asked for and made me repeat it 3 times and then point to it on the menu.
It was worth it.
what makes ice cream any gayer than it already naturally is, but if we see the truck around town we'll try to investigate.I heard about a "guy" that did some *ahem* "investigating" in college, but it was just a phase.
@pot_roast: im a 1st gen american, im kinda authentic. but yeah im not a mexican.
i live in mcallen tx. its about 90% hispanic/mexican community here. i know what real mexican food is that what my mom used to cook growing up. i was reffering to the other 80% of america that doesnt have a boarder town with real mexican food (vans included). boston is where id wanna setup shop
we have tons of lunch wagons here that pretty much ust go wherever a lot of construction is being done. I iwhs some of the good ones would have websites with a GPS tracking system on them so I can see where they are.
food carts are really profitable where i live, but they are mostly seasonal. the nice thing about CT is that aside from licensing, in most towns you only need the landowner's permission to setup as a mobile food vendor. i know a few hot dog guys that make enough in 6 months to take the winter off.
there's also a guy who has a food truck in the town i work in & he makes good money going around to commercial lots & selling hot breakfast & lunch sandwiches.
you know what i thought would be an awesome idea for NYC (i actually wanted to start it in new haven)? cheesecake truck. slice of NY cheesecake for ~$3-5. i think i'd make a killing.
Huh. I'd have thought the NYC street food cart market was pretty well saturated. If the competition is anything like it is in my city for the good corners homeless folks stand at asking for change from cars waiting to turn, I don't know if the yuppie career changers are gonna be able to take the heat from the grizzled vets.
@mac-phisto: Only if you don't mind crushing the dreams of The Cupcake Truck's proprietors. (fantasizes of red velvet)
@Applekid: Bacon ice cream doe actually exists. I've seen it in stores but not been brave enough to try it.
@Cameraman: I hope you understand that $8 for a sub is not cheap as far as most of the rest of America is concerned.
@firemunkie: not a bad idea. something like 5 million college students go to school in & around the boston area. setting up around BC/BU or across the river near MIT & harvard during class changes would probably net you mad money.
just bear in mind that we're not complete strangers to authentic latin food up here in NE, so you may need to do more to draw customers than just touting authenticity.
What? He called it "Schnitzel & Things", passing up on the much more superior "Schnitzel 'N Schit"?
@firemunkie: Aqui Con El Nene which is the local Mexican Food street vendor here has papancha to die for and they make huge money. The local taqueria trucks in Tucson and Pima county make huge amounts of money. It still boggles my mind that we even have Taco Bells here.
"Taco trucks" are all the rage here in LA too. There are trucks from all sorts of ethnic cuisines.
Overall, not a bad business idea. No lease to pay for a store, insurance is probably cheaper, less permits, all cash sales.
When we are all laid off and working our own food carts, who will ever buy something from someone else?
There is a roach-coach (as any wheeled food vendor is known to me) that stops at my friend's work that has a $12 burger on their menu. It is just called "The Burger" and involves grinding a prime steak into hamburger for each order. Oh yeah, worth the $12 sacrafice every once in a while.
I might open up a food cart here ... if I can figure out how to push them up the hill, and prevent them from crashing on the way back down.
@Applekid: ...so does the BGICT. The "choinkwich" - a bacon version of a chipwich is one of their best sellers. And you MUST try the wasabi - if you're man enough, that is.
Maybe your "all-man" ice cream guy is actually working for the away team.
I love the new trucks. What pisses me off are people who groan about box stores and burnt coffee and don't have the balls to offer anything better.
Schnitz is excellent, so is BGICT (Big Gay Ice Cream Truck), Cupcake Stop and the Mud Truck. (Little disappointed in Dinges as they reheat frozen pre-made waffels.) I've chatted with all the proprietors of the above and they're great A-type-personality guys and gals.
The interesting story behind this headline though is the recent backlash against the new trucks - not only by brick and mortar cafes, but by the "Halal mafia". You would think that someone selling cupcakes have little competition against someone selling gyros but there is growing violence perpetrated by the existing food cart owners. In one case a food cart owner even uprooted concrete planters and re-cemented them to the ground in front of where the new competition was parking. The building owners were not happy.
@firemunkie: It will fail the minute you give them salsa or hot sauce that is hotter than "gringo mild"
@xredgambit: That's so funny because Jews can't eat pork! Where do you come up with this stuff? You're hilarious!
Trouble is it's almost impossible to get a license in NYC, unless you are a disabled war veteran or can partner with one (and sometimes even then). See the Columbia Spectator's report on the street vendor scene:
[eye.columbiaspectator.com]
That banker might make only half of what he did, but he'll still save money by not having such high blood pressure/stress levels.