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This month’s article took the Man About Town
about town. I’d like to share my thoughts on
the establishments that are on wheels. In other
words, Truck Food.
First, since we’re talking about a mobile food
establishment, I’m sure there a more than a few
of my readers who are thinking, “Is this sanitary?”
Of course, they are. In fact, when I spoke with
Dan Brown, a representative of the Comanche
County Health Department, he told me that the
same regulations that govern
all restaurants regulate
the mobile establishments
– with the addition of three
requirements. One has
to do with the mobile unit
being able to connect to a
potable water system, another
requires that there be an onsite
waste disposal system, and the
last stipulates that the service
window must have a screen,
an air curtain, or have sliding
windows over the openings.
After doing a little
digging, I can see why
people would want to take the
mobile route when starting a food establishment.
The initial cost of opening a restaurant could be
staggering – so much so, that it could thwart the
idea altogether. But, with a mobile version of the
business, the cost would come down dramatically.
Entrepreneur.com actually has six ideas that
fall into six tiers of expense, but each still cheaper
Trucks fall right in the middle, more costly than
food kiosks and food carts, but cheaper than
gourmet food trucks, mobile catering businesses,
and bustaurants – which, as the name implies, is
like a food truck, but in a bus – typically a double-
Food Trucks:
A Meal on Wheels
decker with the kitchen and food prep in the
bottom with the upper level reserved for seated
customers. It is estimated by entrepreneur.
com that one could start their own mobile food
business for as little as $50,000. That is if you
food truck will run right around $100,000; still
cheaper than opening a new restaurant.
There are probably more than two mobile
eateries in the Lawton/Ft. Sill
area, but the two that I’ve chosen
to let you know about are John
and Cook’s Barbeque and
Tamale Joe’s Taco Truck. As
luck would have it, both of these
folks have closed up shop for
the winter season. I’d been
wondering why I hadn’t seen
Tamale Joe’s truck on Ft. Sill
Boulevard across from the
Subway. Perhaps they’ve
moved to a warmer climate
for the winter months
of Oklahoma. A huge
advantage to a restaurant…
you can pick up and move to wherever
the business happens to be.
As for John and Cook’s, they have taken a
break from the “mobile barbeque” for the winter
season. Every year since Lonzo Gaines and Troy
of ownership of John and Cook’s, opened their
second location located “anywhere in Lawton”
I happen to have some insider information on
where they will be setting up their second location
in March; look for them on Post. I couldn’t get a
more pin-point location than that.
See you around town…MAT
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