Former Owings Mills Restaurateur Dishes on Food Truck Life

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By Lily Hua, CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE

Around lunchtime, the streets of Washington are lined with food trucks offering everything from falafel to barbeque.

A former Owings Mills restaurant owner is one of many hopping on the food truck bandwagon.

Carnivore BBQ truck owner Steve Adelson said he eventually left the brick and mortar for a food truck due to the lack of demand for BBQ in that location.

“I liked what I created so I decided to bring it where people would appreciate it–in Washington, D.C.,” Adelson said.

Carnivore BBQ sees an average of a 100 customers a day, depending on the location and weather, he said.

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Adelson uses Twitter and a website to market his food truck and accepts payments using Square, which through a small square attachment turns a smartphone into a business tool.

Along with the usage of mobile payment systems, social media has made a large impact on the food truck community. Washington truck owners commonly cited Twitter and Facebook as marketing platforms to advertise their food and location for the week.

“At least 40 to 50 percent [of customers] come from social media,” said Michael Havtemariam, owner of DC Ballers food truck.

Adelson, however, said that due to the food truck circuit in D.C., it’s not as essential to post locations: “Unless you’re trying to create a new location, it has become less social media oriented.”

Are you a fan of food trucks? Tell us in the comments!