The Food Truck - 2. Chapter 2

Jim got ready for work but continued to think about what a mobile kitchen would or could include. At work that evening he mentioned to the cook about the concept of a mobile kitchen.

“Jim, what you are talking about is a food truck. Check it out on the Internet when you go home.”

That evening Jim went on the Internet and checked out various food trucks. He found they came in various sizes and different equipment, depending on the size of the truck.

The next morning at breakfast he told his dad about the idea of getting a food truck.

“Jim, that's a great idea, I have a friend that I went to college with who owns a car dealership. I'll call him today and see if he knows of any dealers. I imagine they cost a lot, but that may be exactly what you need.”

Three days later at breakfast Jim's dad said he had contacted his friend. "John said he doesn't deal in trucks but he has a friend who not only sells pick-up trucks but also food trucks. He’ll contact him and then let me know what he says.”

Jim remembers some of the prices that he saw on the Internet. He knew that a food truck he’d like would cost about seventy thousand dollars. That was money he didn't have.

Two weeks later while at breakfast, “John called me and said that his friend has a used truck that is in fairly good condition. It probably has more than what you’d need but the price seems very reasonable. Maybe Sunday we could drive over and check it out.” Now Jim was beginning to get excited. Sunday couldn't come fast enough.

On the drive to check out the food truck, “Dad, these trucks can be quite expensive. I don't have a lot of money. My savings account is about six thousand dollars. Do you think I could get a loan to finance the truck?”

“I don't think you have to worry about that. Your mother and I have a college fund for you. We started the account when your mom was pregnant with you, so for the last eighteen years we have been making a contribution to that account. I think you have enough money to buy the truck and still not needing to access your savings account.”

Jim couldn't believe what his dad just said, “I didn't know that you and Mom had set up a college account for me.” Jim was a little overwhelmed by what his dad told him. All the way to dealer’s Jim had a smile on his face. His mind was thinking about all he could do with the right food truck.

Arriving at the dealer, Jim spotted a food truck parked in front of the building. “Dad, do you think that’s the truck?”

“I don't know but it looks fairly large. I'm sure you could not only cook breakfast and lunch but dinner as well. Let's go inside and see what they have. If that is the truck, I’m sure we can take a look inside, but there may be other trucks in the back which could be smaller and more affordable.”

Walking inside they were met by a salesman, "Good afternoon, how may I help you?”

Dad took the lead, “A friend of mine called and said that you have the food truck for sale. We’d like to see it and how much would it cost.”

“Let me get the manager, I believe he was talking to someone about the truck.” He disappeared into the back of the showroom.

“Dad, I am really excited about the possibilities of owning a food truck.” Jim's dad was excited for his son, he somehow knew that his son would be a success in the food industry. Many times he has been the recipient of his son’s culinary competency.

They waited about ten minutes before the manager came to see them. “Are you John’s friend?”

“Yes, I am. He called me on Friday and said that you had a food truck for sale. My son is interested in starting a business involving breakfast and lunch.”

“We got the truck in last week as a trade-in on one of our top of the line pick ups. We have checked the truck over and it’s in excellent shape.”

“Why did the previous owner want to get rid of it?”

“He originally bought it for his son who had shown an interest in operating the food truck at various fairs around the state. According to the owner his son realized that it was a lot of work and he wouldn’t have any time to spend with his friends.”

“May we take a look at it?”

“Sure let me get the keys. The truck is the one out front.”

Jim looked at his dad. His dad smiled but deep down he knew Jim had the Initiative to make a success out of his food business. The manager returned with the keys. “I’ll open the back for you and let you look around. If you have any questions let me know and I’ll be glad to answer them.”

“Is the truck ready to be driven away now or do you have to do more checking or repairs?”

“No, we have check the truck over, tested the equipment, change the oil, filled the propane tanks and the water tanks. The truck is ready to be driven.”

Jim and his dad entered the truck from the rear. Jim immediately fell in love with the truck. There was a griddle, two refrigerators, a freezer, prep areas, a deep fryer, a wok station, sinks and a large counter. “Dad, this would be perfect.”

“Where would you park it? Our driveway is too small, you’ll need to find a place where you can park it when you aren’t driving it.”

“Could I park it at the Industrial Park until I find a more permanent solution?”

“That's a possibility, but it's not long-term.”

“Is there any space at the end of the Park that I could perhaps buy and build a garage for the truck there?”

“I’ll look into that. The land the Park is built on, belongs to the city. I’ll check with my lawyer tomorrow and see what he can find out. In the meantime, will park the truck at the Park.”

The fact the Jim's dad spoke as if the deal is done made Jim even more excited. Walking back to the showroom the manager noted the smile on Jim's face, he knew that he just sold the truck. Jim’s dad handled the purchasing of the truck. Jim was already thinking about breakfast and lunch. Buying your food truck is only apart of the total solution. Now he had to think about staffing the truck with the appropriate foods and the containers again keeping in mind the environment. Jim was excited and it showed as he walked around the truck, touching the truck as if it was a dream. With all the paperwork finished, his dad handed him the keys.

"The truck is yours, I put it in your name and I added it to our Insurance policy. I don't need to tell you to drive carefully, it's a big truck.”

Jim couldn't wait to show his mother. Driving home he began to realize driving the truck was a lot different from driving a car. Pulling in front of his home his mother came out to check the truck. She couldn't help to notice the smile on Jim's face.

The next day when Jim went to work he told the cook that he had bought a food truck. “Does that mean that you’ll be leaving us?”

“Not right away, but I’ll give you enough time to hire someone else to replace me.”

It took four weeks before Jim could leave the diner. The last few days that he worked in the diner, he trained his replacement. It was three days before his time was up when one night while emptying the trash container he saw a young boy rummaging through the dumpster. "What are you doing?”

“What's it look like, I'm looking for food because I'm hungry!”

Jim noted the boy’s belligerent attitude. “You don't have to be angry. Come inside and I’ll make some food for you. Eating food from the garbage bin is dangerous. You may catch a disease from eating that food.”

At first the boy wasn't sure about the offer. Jim put his arm around the boy’s shoulder and led him to the kitchen door. Jim knew the leftovers from the day would be placed in the walk-in cold box. He told the boy to wash his hands while he fixed him something to eat. The boy wasn't sure of Jim's intentions. When he saw Jim setting a plate of food on the table, he knew that regardless of Jim’s intentions, the food looked too good to pass up.

Jim watched the boy gulp down the food. Jim went and prepared two sandwiches for the boy to take with him. “Tomorrow evening when you come, knock on the door and I’ll prepare another meal for you. I don't want you to get sick eating out of the garbage dumpster.” The boy smiled as he picked up the bag containing the sandwiches. Jim watched the boy leaving wondering why he was on the street.

That night at home he told his mom and dad about the young boy. “I have read a lot about boys being on the street after their parents decided they could not live with them anymore. It’s a sad commentary. Many of these boys do not live longer than three or five years.”

“Isn’t there something that can be done?”

“Not unless someone either adopts them or gives them a job where they can earn enough money to support themselves. Normally these boys are in their teens which limits their employment opportunities.”

His dad set Jim thinking, I wonder if I could use the boy as a helper on my food truck. “Mom, Dad, what do you think about me hiring the boy to help with the food truck? I think I’d like to start offering breakfast as well as lunch and I’ll need help.”

“In that case maybe you should think about hiring some help. Although I’d enjoyed working with you but it would be too long of a day if you included breakfast and lunch."

“Thursday will be my last day at the diner. If he shows up tomorrow and Thursday I’ll bring him home for you to meet him, then you can give me your opinion.”

“I think you need to make that decision. He’ll be working with you therefore you must decide if he can do the job. We really cannot judge, only you can make that decision.”

Jim thought about what his dad had said. He knew that his dad's opinion and comments made sense.

For the next two nights the boy showed up at the diner. Jim prepared his dinner and gave him two sandwiches as he did the first night. On Thursday while the boy was eating Jim mentioned about the possibility of working for him on the food truck. “I don't know your name?”

“My friends call me Donnie.”

“Ok, here’s the deal, you’ll come home with me tonight. Tomorrow morning we’ll go to my food truck and I'll show you what we’ll be doing.”

“I’ll need to go and get the rest of my clothing. I have a duffel bag at the park. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, I talked to my dad last night and he thinks it’s the right thing to do. I also think you’ll work out just fine. The short time I have come to know you, I think you're really a good guy and I believe we’re going to work together very well.”