Brian Graff debuted Intergalactic Tacos in 2015. (Photo by Shawnee Custalow)
The Richmond food truck scene has come a long way in the past decade. Early on, customers relied mostly on word of mouth to locate the nomadic culinary ventures, and prominent players included Nate’s Tacos and Goatocado, the latter often seen near VCU’s campus when it originally launched. Fast-forward a decade, add in the movie “Chef,” which romanticized the notion of the vagabond lifestyle, and food trucks have become a vital piece of RVA’s dining landscape.
La Bete at Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop (Photo courtesy La Bete)
Randy Boodram, owner of La Bete, a Caribbean-Creole truck that draws on his Trinidadian heritage, says food trucks are “the right price point to get into the food business” compared to brick-and-mortar restaurants. Others, such as Missy Schnetzka, who bought the Charm City Crab Cakes food truck in 2017 with her sister, was “looking for something more fulfilling than being just another number in a big corporation.”
And while food trucks carry less overhead, that doesn’t always equate to less stress. Brian Graff, owner of Intergalactic Tacos, says that many of the rules in Richmond — such as prohibiting food trucks from parking in public parks or requiring location-specific permitting — are archaic and geared more “towards food carts of old rather than food trucks of today,” a feeling echoed by fellow operators.
“This isn’t Portland or Austin,” says Rob Zorch of Zorch Pizza. “You can’t just drive around looking for a crowd.”
“Or easily move if no one shows or the weather is bad,” adds Boodram, noting that street permits must be applied for in advance and are valid only for a specific place and date.
Restrictions on mobility likely made Richmond a less desirable place to operate a food truck even as their popularity exploded in other cities. But a shift began in the early 2010s when Hardywood Park Craft Brewery debuted its popular food truck nights, a weekly gathering of trucks from across the region that provided a dedicated place for vendors to park and serve. Not long after the Richmond Food Truck Association was formed.
Breweries and food trucks would emerge as the ultimate dynamic duos — food trucks are prohibited from serving alcohol, and breweries typically serve limited food. The symbiotic pairing is so successful that most local breweries are booked six to nine months in advance, which can make it problematic for newcomers to break onto the scene.
Although Intergalactic Tacos makes frequent appearances at breweries including The Veil and Starr Hill, Graff believes the rules surrounding food trucks serving alcohol should change. “Let trucks serve alcohol,” he says. “ABC changed the rules for restaurants, allowing to-go sales of beer, wine and even cocktails — we should be able to do the same.”
Food trucks are also restricted from certain parts of downtown, parking too closely to a brick-and-mortar restaurant, and operating after 11 p.m. Since the pandemic, office parking lots, another prime spot for food trucks, have been more miss than hit. In place of office parks, food trucks have been working with civic associations to set up shop in neighborhoods including Ginter Park and Forest Hill, using online ordering and contactless pickup, although not everyone relies on 9-to-5ers or imbibers to help bring business to their truck.
First Stop Donuts dishes out apple cider creations aboard its school bus turned food truck. (Photo courtesy First Stop Donuts)
Evan Taylor of First Stop Donuts targets farmers markets. For Taylor and his single-item truck, markets such as South of the James are the easiest way for his product to reach the public. “When not at a market, we partner with complementary trucks, like Ironclad Coffee, that pair well with our cider doughnuts,” he adds.
When taking place, large community events such as the Richmond Folk Festival and Friday Cheers can be regular gigs for food trucks if they can offset the cost charged by the event — typically between $400 to $600 per day — while higher-priced events like the Washington Football Team Training Camp can deter vendors. “A $1,000 fee per day when I can only load $2,500 of pizza onto my truck just isn’t feasible,” Zorch says.
Zorch Pizza at The Veil Brewing Co. (Photo courtesy Zorch Pizza)
Fees aren’t the only obstacles food trucks face. In Chesterfield, operators may park at home and complete prep on the truck, but in Richmond, food prep must be done in an inspected commercial kitchen. Graff’s solution was The Bearded Kitchen, a designated prep space for the food truck community that he opened in 2014 on Hull Street.
Five years later, Hatch Kitchen introduced its food truck corral. The secured, covered loading docks that feature utility hookups, eliminate two major obstacles for food trucks — parking and keeping truck refrigerators constantly running.
Despite the challenges, RVA’s food truck scene continues to grow, and so do some of the concepts. Zorch is set to debut a restaurant space in Carytown and says the cost of purchasing a second, larger truck to increase capacity was similar to financing a brick-and-mortar space. But for others, the traveling lifestyle is the perfect fit for them.
“I never had any intentions of going brick-and-mortar,” Graff says. “I always [just] wanted a food truck. You can find a food you love and do it right.”
Cruisin’
A tasteful assortment of local food trucks
The Hungry Turtle: Vietnamese classics from banh mi to pho, plus dishes that offer fresh twists on traditions — we’re looking at you, pho dogs.
Seoul 2 Soul: Korean and American comfort food join forces in the form of kimchi mac and cheese, as well as gochujang fried chicken with sweet potato waffle.
The Return of the Mac: Feast on classic mac and cheese or take it up a notch with pork barbecue or carne asada. Plus fries!
Lady Sharon’s Soul Food: Fresh and hot off the truck, the fried chicken, a famed recipe from the chef-owner of 32 years, draws a crowd. Do yourself a favor and order the banana pudding for dessert.
Jiji’s Frozen Custard: Operating March through December, the husband-and-wife team behind Jiji’s scoops fresh-made Wisconsin-style custard, along with special “pundaes.”
Street Food Finder: Want to track down your favorite trucks? The app/website street-foodfinder.com gives the lowdown from menus to schedules.
