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.