Port Jefferson Man's Food Truck App Set For Launch

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — It will soon get a lot easier for hungry Long Islanders to connect with food trucks — whether it be their favorite or one they've yet to discover. What The Truk, an app that allows users to track food trucks, completed its beta period and is slated to launch on March 13.

Evan Tousey, 31, of Port Jefferson, who founded the app, said a lot of hard work has gone into the beta period over summer 2020.

"I got to taste a lot of great food with the different food trucks I was working with," Tousey told Patch. "I got to meet a lot of local business owners and individuals from Nassau and Suffolk counties who were interested in the app. I did my best to try to support their food trucks by going out and purchasing the food. I’m excited to launch the app, and I’m even more excited to try and taste different foods and continue to support food trucks."

The app features two versions: one for vendors and another for customers.

Three food trucks signed on to help Tousey with the beta period, and six overall provided feedback. It will display a map based on the user's GPS coordinates and search for food trucks partnered with What The Truk. Vendors will push a button to broadcast their location, and they can also use the app to update their menus. The information will be available in real-time to clients who could then place orders through the app.

A key difference between the app's initial conception and now is that users will be able to 'like' food trucks, a la Facebook or Instagram, Tousey explained. Users will receive a push notification whenever a food truck they've 'liked' broadcasts its location. The change is the result of users and food trucks wanting some form of in-app interaction, Tousey said.

He rated the beta period a 9 of 10 in terms of success.

The pros of the beta were that Tousey learned a lot through feedback from food truck owners and customers, and the insight he gained into the day-to-day operations of food truck ownership on Long Island.

Tousey had flown to Portland, Oregon, around a year ago to learn about food trucks in general, as he identified Portland as the top-ranked city for food trucks and culinary street vendors. However, Tousey found the Long Island food truck scene has its own flare.

"What is unique about the character and personality of the Long Island truck scene is the camaraderie amongst food truck owners," Tousey said. "All of the Long Island food truck owners I’ve met are smart, hardworking entrepreneurs and business owners that look to support and promote one another. They’ve created a fantastic community that brings a new level of gourmet food options to Long Island with the cool dining experience of eating at a food truck."

Meeting the food truck owners and learning what inspired them to start their ventures is what Tousey considers the highlight of the beta period. During that work, he formed a mutual understanding with the subjects of his app.

"We understand it’s not easy to start a business, whether or not you’re trying to gain a license from the county to then get inspected by the county, or if you’re trying to gain another subscriber and download on the app," he said.

Tousey said the downside of his beta period was the difficulty of trying to get his concept off the ground.

"You’re being pulled in numerous directions at any given time, and that can be challenging to try and juggle. But it’s a learning experience, and ultimately, I think it’s part of the growth of the app."

When What The Truk goes live, it will be available on both the Google Play and Apple App stores.

Tousey remains confident that his app will be a full-time venture going forward. However, it will also remain his passion project, he said.

"I really want to develop partnerships with local food trucks," he said. "What’s going to let me move this to a full-time venture are those partnerships. Supporting local food trucks and local businesses is only going to help What The Truk grow. That’s why when I try and emphasize when I’m building What The Truk is building a sense of community. That functionality that we built out is trying to bridge the gap between Long Island’s foodies and food trucks. Building that community is going to be key to this becoming a full-time venture."

A small launch party is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. March 13. Tousey and his team will meet at the World Gym parking lot, at 384 Mark Tree Rd #1002, East Setauket.

"Ultimately, I can’t stress enough that the goal of What The Truk is to not just be another app on someone’s phone; it’s meant to be a community of food truck lovers and food trucks that support one another," Tousey said. "We want to be the individuals who go food-trucking for you, find the food trucks and connect you with your favorite food trucks."