Alum finds innovative ad space on lunch trucks

Shawn Geller sells a unique form of new advertising for the sides of lunch trucks.

Lunch trucks on Main Campus may be the latest frontier in the relentless search by advertisers for innovative spaces to sell their products. Shawn Geller, a recent Temple alumnus, has started selling ads to local businesses that are placed on the street-facing sides of lunch trucks.

“People always say they want to advertise to students on a daily basis,” Geller said. “I was trying to think of something on campus to utilize.”

That something became lunch trucks, the owners of which receive payments based on the ads’ square footage.

“They seem to have no problem with it,” Geller said. “This is a way of increasing their income.”

Truck owners sign a one-year contract with Geller to have the ads put up, and Geller solicits them from businesses on and around campus. He said he is planning on soliciting businesses further off campus in the future to attract a wider advertising base.

Not all lunch truck owners have accepted his offer yet.

Part of the attraction of the lunch trucks is that they are privately owned, Geller said. This means it’s easier to get them to allow him to advertise.

“Temple itself isn’t inclined to let businesses put up their own advertisements,” he said. Utilizing lunch trucks was a way to get around the relatively few advertising opportunities on Main Campus, one that didn’t require going through the university.

But it wasn’t always easy to persuade the owners to let Geller put up signs on their trucks.
“It was a struggle at first, to be honest,” Geller said, adding that the signs were put up in a way that makes them easy to remove.

The usually empty street-side of the trucks is a largely unused space, ideal for advertising to college students.

Geller said it was also much easier than the more traditional ways of advertising on campus.
“I always see people on campus putting up flyers,” he said. “It’s a lot of work to go up weekly and put up flyers.”

Several on-campus businesses have bought lunch truck advertisements through Geller. He is also using the spaces to advertise his own business, collegeclipper.com.

“This is one of the things I did to lead up the Web site,” Geller said.

Geller may be one of the first people to try advertising through lunch trucks. He said he hadn’t heard of anyone else utilizing them for ad space.

For now, he can enjoy the advantage of being on the frontier of Main Campus advertising, having come up with a novel way to advertise, benefiting himself and truck owners.

Stephen Zook can be reached at stephen.zook@temple.edu.

Trucks find niche on other Philly campuses

While we tend to think of lunch trucks as a Temple thing, other city campuses boast some popular mobile restaurants to serve the needs of students.

Temple, with its 34,000 student population, is one of the largest schools in Philadelphia, and it is virtually impossible to confine all its students to the North Philadelphia area.

Owls fly all over Philadelphia, from University City to Spring Garden. But no matter where they go, finding food on a budget can become difficult.

Fret not Temple students. If you find yourself in any other major college area in the city, you’re still bound to find good eats. Here are some of the most popular spots, which should satisfy not only your taste buds but your wallet as well.

The University
of Pennsylvania

Bui’s Lunch Truck:

Located at 38th and Spruce streets, Bui’s Lunch Truck is one of the few trucks that opens its window as early as 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Its famous Hangover Special, consisting of egg, cheese, ham, bacon and sausage with a 20 oz. gatorade, offers the cure to those Temple students who may venture to West Philly for fun, party-filled nights. And you get it all for $6.50.

Vegetarian? The truck offers an egg and cheese sandwich on a foot-long sandwich roll for $2.50.

Magic Carpet Food:

This Greek-run, Mediterranean-style vegetarian food truck has two locations: one at 34th and Walnut streets and another at 36th and Spruce streets. Highly acclaimed by review Web sites and almost every student and professor on Penn’s campus, Magic Carpet Food provides a healthy alternative to the often greasy fare of food trucks.

Owner Dean Varvoutis offers a friendly face and warm welcome for new-comers and regulars, and his Magic Meatball Sandwich, including tofu meatballs, red sauce and cheese on whole grain pita bread with a side salad, can introduce the average meat-lover to the healthy alternative of tofu. It is on the softer side and definitely cannot be mistaken for an actual meat-filled meatball, but as a healthier alternative it’s a keeper.

Hemo’s Lunch Truck:

Hemo’s, located at both 37th and Spruce streets and 38th and Walnut streets, is said to have the “best grilled chicken sandwich ever” by a reviewer on yelp.com.

The chicken sandwich, at $3.25, wasn’t exactly the best ever, but the white-meat breast certainly beats out the chicken-like substances found at some other eating establishments. Upon request, the truck’s famous “Hemo’s sauce” can be added, giving any sandwich a kick in the right direction.

Drexel University:

Honest Tom’s Taco Shop:

This tiny truck at 33rd and Arch streets doesn’t offer much selection, so if variety is what you’re looking for, you may be better off sticking to Qdoba.

If it’s quality you’re searching for, however, Honest Tom’s surpasses many. Its chicken taco (one for $3.50, two for $6) is made with fresh guacamole and pico de gallo. If the slight price hike won’t strain your wallet, grab one for a quick snack or two for lunch.

Pete’s Little Lunch Box:

Located on 33rd Street between Market and Arch streets, it is a favorite for Drexel students to stop for a sandwich or cup of coffee between classes.

The truck’s most popular item is its cheesesteak. Priced at $4, it isn’t bad for a cheesesteak from a food truck, but comes nowhere near Pat’s King of Steaks or Geno’s Steaks, of course.

If you are searching for a cup of coffee, try Pete’s, where a small is priced around 75 cents.

Community College
of Philadelphia:

Jamaican D’s:

There’s not a whole lot in terms of variety in the area, but outside the run-of-the-mill lunch trucks, one stands out. Jamaican D’s, on 17th Street near Spring Garden Street, has received quite a buzz for its unique Caribbean cuisine.

If you’re searching for something new, try the oxtail meal. A small is enough to fill anyone for lunch, costs $7 and comes with rice and a side dish, which can range from macaroni and cheese to collard greens or plantains.

Don’t be deterred by the word “oxtail.” The dish is a beef stew that the owner, Dave Dawes, simmers overnight to give the dish its tender, fall-off-the-bone texture.

If you don’t eat red meat, there’s the jerk chicken, which is widely raved and priced at $6. The truck also serves classic options like chicken wings, french fries and sandwiches.

Nadia Elkaddi can be reached at nadia.elkaddi@temple.edu.

Tasting Success

The Lunchie Awards show off the savory side of Main Campus hunger.

The Lunchies Awards are The Temple News’ attempt to pay tribute to a unique culture here on Main Campus: the lunch trucks.

We have our Lunchies issue each year to bring to our readers’ attention not only the lunch trucks in general but how some of those trucks and stands exceed the rest in service, quality and character.

It’s worth it to provide this coverage – complete this year with a map detailing some of the best trucks, a top ten list and back stories on some of the truck owners – because the lunch truck culture is a special part of Main Campus, something that helps define what this university is to students, faculty and staff.

The Student Center food court and the Johnson & Hardwick cafeteria are fine. Both serve their purposes, but there is nothing quite like a bagel from the Bagel Hut, a barbecue chicken pizza slice from Fame’s or a conversation at Richie’s with Richie himself. The trucks and stands give you more variety, better prices and much more character than a large chain ever could.

To those who haven’t tried food truck cuisine, we know the trucks can be a little intimidating. Those of us not from Philadelphia may have never seen lunch trucks before and may have been a little skeptical. You may be, as some of us were, worried the food isn’t good or the trucks aren’t clean.

Rest assured, though, the food is spectacular and safe to eat. With low prices and extensive menus to choose from, the on-campus lunch trucks outweigh any Main Campus Sodexo dining center. The only thing missing is an Indian food truck, something The Temple News hopes to see in the near future.

Because of the sensational food that’s prepared in these trucks, the Lunchies are not just a delicious idea — but also a necessary one. We want to encourage and recognize those parts of Temple’s campus that make it uniquely itself, and this is our way of doing so.

In addition to the four-page insert, visit our Web site for tasty extras, including more coverage of lunch trucks, a video and a poll of your favorite truck or stand.

We hope you will enjoy our coverage of the food trucks and the culture that surrounds them as much as we enjoy the food from the trucks. Bon appétit.

Food trucks and owners shouldn’t be left out in cold

Odds are, if you’ve been at Temple for more than a semester, you’ve eaten at one of the many food trucks on Main Campus. The trucks provide alternatives to the daily cafeteria food, ranging from fresh fruit to cheesesteaks and, now, even cookies.

Although different people own the lunch trucks, the combination of today’s troubled economy and a cold winter can have a negative effect on business.

The cold weather has hindered vendors’ abilities to keep up with one of the strictest health inspection policies: hot water.

More than three trucks were shut down due to hot water not being hot enough. This policy, if not followed, can lead to vendors being forced to shut down, said Philadelphia health inspector Paul Menchik.

“Having your hot water at 110 degrees at least is necessary or else you cannot operate,” Menchik said.

The weather freezes up the gas-powered boilers at night, and it takes about four hours for it to get warmed up when vendors open their trucks in the morning.

“Sometimes, the water freezes, and it freezes the tubing, too,” said Gokhan Bati, owner of Take 5, located on the corner of Broad Street and Montgomery Avenue.

The only alternative for many of the owners is to use electric boilers. This option, however, is not up to code.

The hot water must be kept in a boiler, which is already installed in trucks. By the time the water is transferred, it has already dropped in temperature.

Even though some problems can be easily fixed, some trucks were not able to survive the one-week suspension, and some, like the Campus Grub Spot, formerly located on the 1700 block of North Broad Street, had to shut down permanently. Some vendors are able to survive week to week, uncertain of what their futures hold.

Serkan Bagcivan, owner of Chicken Heaven, was one of the vendors who was forced to shut down, but he says he can only attribute that to luck. He received a warning to keep the temperature of the water higher.

“If they had shut me down, that’s it. I gotta sell the truck,” he said.

In 2006, however, Bagcivan’s truck was hit by a catering van. The impact was forceful enough to move the truck, causing fryer oil to spill on Bagcivan’s wife’s back.

The oil caused severe burns, and she had to spend 10 days at Temple University Hospital to recover.
Bagcivan does not have insurance, so every day his wife spent in the hospital totaled $30,000.

“They keep calling me, asking how am I gonna pay it? How the hell am I supposed to pay it?” he said.
With more than 60 percent of his profit going back into the truck and a 1-year-old son, Bagcivan is struggling to stay afloat. He hopes the weather will warm up so his truck won’t freeze again.

Bagcivan is only one food truck vendor who faces struggles daily – struggles that go unnoticed simply because there are so many.

The next time you’re hungry around campus, remember there are those who really depend on the students here to put food on their tables.

Manuel Agurto can be reached at manuel.agurto@temple.edu.

Early mornings, hectic lives for truck owners

For complete coverage of the 2008 Lunchies, click here.

To get the Take 5 lunch truck opened by 6 a.m., Gokhan Bati wakes up at 4:30 a.m. every weekday. He unloads supplies from a van and gets the grill ready by 6:15. At 6:40, the truck is fully open and the customers start coming.

“We get lots of regulars – some high school students and construction workers,” said Bati, the truck’s main cook. Take 5, located near the corner of Broad Street and Montgomery Avenue, is busiest between 7 a.m. and 12 p.m., although he keeps cooking until the truck closes at 6 p.m.

Take 5 keeps Bati busy on the weekends. He shops for supplies on Saturdays and cleans the truck and to prepare it for the week.

Bati also likes talking to his regular customers.

“You have to like the business to work here,” he said.

Long hours are common for lunch truck operators. Selim Zeka, works for the Sexy Green Truck parked outside the Student Center. The truck is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. On Saturdays, the Green Truck is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Lunch truck operators also deal with busy spurts and large orders.

“Sometimes you can’t even walk through here,” said Evgjeni Goxha, as she takes orders at a truck on Montgomery Avenue while her husband Adritik cooks.

Bati said his staff is alert when dealing with customers.

“We’ve got to pay attention to complaints so nothing goes wrong. We’ve got to be accommodating,” said Bati, who advertises his phone number on the truck so customers can call ahead with their orders.

“When they get here, it’s ready,” he said.

For trucks to remain on the street throughout the school year, owners have to obtain a permit from the city.

Trucks are also required to be inspected by the Department of Public Health each year.

Cooks and cashiers working at the lunch trucks need to set up and take down their supplies every day.

Zeka starts the day by opening the truck, cutting, marinating and grilling fresh chicken, as well as preparing fresh vegetables. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and spinach are prepared every morning.

“Standing up all day sometimes gets to me,” he said, while leaning on the counter. “That’s all I can do. We have no chairs in here.”

Early mornings, while necessary, aren’t popular with lunch truck employees.

“Getting up early is the worst part,” Bati said. “You’ve got to dedicate yourself to the job.”

Zeka said the mornings are one of the things he does not like about his job, particularly in bad weather.

With customers placing orders, picking them up and paying for food, the owners try to keep everything running smoothly.

Goxha said both she and her husband need to pay attention all the time so that customers are served properly.

“The goal is to keep everyone satisfied,” Goxha said.

Despite the hardships, lunch truck workers seem to love their jobs.

“I like everything. I like seeing people where I work,” Goxha said.

Zeka, on the other hand, enjoys the atmosphere.

“I have no boss over my head,” he said, smiling. “I also like to cook.”

The lunch trucks are very much a part of Temple’s community. Dedicated owners and workers keep the trucks running smoothly and students satisfied. Bati said he works with several people who take customers’ orders, including several Temple students.

“I try to get students in here,” he said, “because I know it feels good when they make money.”

Jared Silfies can be reached at jared.silfies@temple.edu.

Grand theft auto: food fight

For complete coverage of the 2008 Lunchies, click here.

Ernie Arsenlis, the owner of Ernie’s Breakfast Truck on 13th Street and Montgomery Avenue, is a lot of things.

He’s proud, hardworking and compassionate, but lately Arsenlis has been agitated. Don’t get him wrong, he loves his job. He’s been serving Temple students for nearly 27 years, but he has a sneaking suspicion that someone is taking advantage of him.

“The Student Center has been stealing my menu and charging higher prices to the students,” Arsenlis said. “I’m upset. They don’t like us being here.”

Arsenlis, a Greek American from a poor family, said he and his wife are happy that they can help underprivileged students eat a cheap meal. The Student Center, he said, has been mimicking his menu and selling the same items at a premium.

“I noticed a man sitting outside my truck asking students which items that I sell they like best,” Arsenlis said. “I like having variety for the kids, but every time I put out something new, they have the same thing [in the Student Center] two months later.”

Arsenlis said that the Student Center took chicken salad sandwiches and pizza directly off his menu.
“Before they started coming here, all [the Student Center] had was Taco Bell and Burger King,” he said. “Now, their menu is the same as my menu.”

Arsenlis also disapproves of Student Center employees telling students that they can save money by switching to Diamond Dollars.

“They tell the students it is cheaper to buy food from inside than it is to buy from the carts,” Arsenlis said. “They tell their employees not to eat from my cart or the one next to mine, but they do it anyway and they told me so.”

As proof of this claim, Arsenlis said he once posed as a Temple student and inquired about the benefits of Diamond Dollars. When they told him food at the Student Center was less expensive, “I let them have it,” he said with a grin.

Arsenlis isn’t the only one who thinks the university’s meal prices are inflated. Many students eat from the food carts because they are less expensive. Lauren Apple, a junior public relations major, eats outside almost every day.

“The food carts are definitely cheaper,” Apple said. “It’s a shame freshmen don’t realize how much money they could save eating out on the street as opposed to in the [Student Center].”

Ben Hamilton, manager for dining service provider Sodexho, said he believes Ernie’s claims may be exaggerated.

“We don’t view the food carts as our competition,” Hamilton said. “We don’t advertise heavily because we don’t want to detract too much from their business.”

In fact, Hamilton doesn’t think Temple would be Temple without food trucks.

“They are a part of Temple’s culture and we respect that. In all honesty, we’re not conscious of what they sell,” he said. “Our recipes and the items on our menus are developed at our headquarters in Maryland.”

Arsenlis also respects Temple’s culture. He said he doesn’t let his distaste for the Student Center extend to Temple as a university, or to its students. Arsenlis frequently gives out free meals to students without money.

“I’m a nice guy,” Arsenlis said. “I like Temple. It’s a good college. Two of my daughters graduated from here.”

After 27 years of service to his community, Arsenlis wants to make the most of his remaining time at Temple. He and his wife want to retire within the next five years.

“For me, it’s all about service,” Arsenlis said. “People tell me I have the best service on campus. Nobody ever brings anything back.”

“We’re very careful. I respect the kids. I respect every dollar you bring here like it’s worth two or three dollars more.”

Brian Stanley can be reached at brian.stanley@temple.edu.