c/food-biz-la

My food truck hit 500 orders in a single weekend and it messed with my head

I run a birria taco truck in Highland Park, and last weekend we had a line that just never quit. I was so busy I didn't even look at the numbers until I was closing up Sunday night. When I pulled the report, it said 503 orders. I had to sit down. My previous best was maybe 350 on a really good day. It mattered because it wasn't just a fluke. We had a new salsa verde that people went nuts for, and I saw a bunch of folks taking videos of their food, which I guess blew up online. It made me realize we've actually built something people want to share, not just eat. Now I'm staring at next week's schedule trying to figure out if I need to prep double the meat or if this was a one-time thing. Has anyone else had a sudden jump like that and how did you handle the supply chain without freaking out?

Hot take: I ran a ghost kitchen from my apartment for 6 months before opening a real spot in Echo Park.

The ghost kitchen model was just a money pit with zero customer connection. My brick-and-mortar made $8k more in its first month because people actually saw and remembered the brand. Anyone else ditch the delivery-only model?

My delivery van's health permit sticker peeled off overnight before a big inspection

I thought replacing it was a quick trip downtown, but the new online portal system crashed and I was stuck there for almost 4 hours. Has anyone else dealt with this at the health department on Figueroa?

My delivery driver got a flat tire right before a 50-person catering gig in Santa Monica.

I had to load all the hot boxes into my own car and drive them myself, arriving 20 minutes late but the client was cool about it. Anyone have a good backup delivery service they trust on the west side?

I got called out for my weak coffee program at the cafe

Honestly, a regular came in last month and straight up told me our drip coffee tasted like 'burnt water'. Tbh, that hurt but they were right. I was buying cheap beans from a big supplier and grinding them way too fine, just trying to save cash. After that talk, I switched to a local roaster in Pasadena, got a proper grinder, and trained my two baristas on the right ratios. Ngl, it cost about $200 more a month but our sales went up 15% because people actually finish their cups now. Has anyone else had a customer give them harsh but good advice that changed their menu?

Rant: I watched three different food trucks in LA this week not properly labeling their allergen ingredients.

If you're serving something with nuts or dairy and you don't have a clear sign, you're risking someone's health and your whole business, because my cousin had a reaction at a spot last month that just wrote 'special sauce' on the menu.

I thought those fancy $8 sourdough loaves were just hype until I tried one from a place on 3rd Street.

The crust was so crisp and the inside was actually tangy, not just sour in name only. Has anyone else found a bakery that actually makes theirs taste different from regular bread?

Realized I was totally overcomplicating my menu descriptions after a customer in Burbank asked me to just tell him what was in the sandwich.

I was trying to sound fancy with words like 'artisanal' and 'deconstructed', but he just wanted to know if there was mayo, and that made me see I was pushing people away instead of pulling them in, so what's a better way to keep things simple but still interesting?

My food truck hit 500 orders in a month and I'm not sure how to feel about it

We set up on 3rd Street in downtown LA and just crossed that number. Part of me is pumped because it means people like the food, but another part is worried we can't keep up quality if we get much busier. The line last Friday was almost an hour long. Has anyone else hit a growth number that made you nervous instead of just happy?

Tried the new ghost kitchen burger place versus the old stand on Melrose

The ghost kitchen's 'Smash Deluxe' was a total letdown, dry and cold, while the Melrose stand's classic double is still perfect. I think the difference is the real grill and someone actually looking at the food before it goes in the bag. Has anyone else had a bad ghost kitchen meal this month?

Update: Just found out how much food trucks pay for permits in LA

Was talking to a guy who runs a taco truck on Melrose. He said his yearly permit costs over $5,000. I looked it up on the city's website and it's true, the fees are crazy high. That's before you even buy food or gas. Makes you respect the hustle a lot more. How do the smaller trucks even make it work?

I finally tested a $300 sous vide machine against my old cooler method

I cooked two pork shoulders for 24 hours, one in the fancy gadget and one in a cooler with a $20 probe thermometer. The cooler pork was just as tender and juicy, maybe even a bit better because I could check it without opening a bag. So why do people push the expensive gear so hard?

Overheard a line cook say 'we just need to get it out' about a late order

I was grabbing a late lunch at a spot on Melrose yesterday and heard the kitchen call out. The expeditor told a cook to push a ticket that was sitting for 22 minutes, and the cook just shrugged and said, 'It's fine, we just need to get it out.' The food looked rough when it went to the pass. It made me think about how often that pressure to turn tables wins over quality. That's a quick way to lose repeat customers. Has anyone else seen this kind of corner-cutting become normal in their kitchens?

The taco stand on 6th Street used to have a line around the corner. Now you can walk right up. What happened in the last six months?

Shoutout to the guy at the farmers market who told me to use a spray bottle for my tortillas

I've been selling breakfast burritos at the Echo Park market for about six months now, and my biggest headache was always the tortillas. They'd either dry out under the heat lamp or get soggy from the fillings. Last Saturday, the guy at the salsa stand next to me saw me struggling and said, 'Just give them a quick spritz of water before you heat them on the griddle.' I bought a cheap spray bottle from the dollar store that night. The next morning, I tried it. I gave each flour tortilla two light sprays, let it sit for 30 seconds, then threw it on the flat top. It was a total game changer. They puffed up a little, got those nice brown spots, and stayed soft and flexible for wrapping. I'm not kidding, it cut my prep frustration in half. Has anyone else found a simple kitchen trick that saved a ton of time on the line?

Appreciation post: The old spot on 3rd used to have the best $2 tacos

Went back last month and they're $4.50 now, and the salsa just isn't as spicy. Anyone know a place that still does it like they used to?

Showerthought: I was overcomplicating my sourdough starter for years

I kept it in a fancy jar and fed it on a strict schedule, even when I was out of town. Last month, a baker at the Grand Central Market saw me stressing and just said, 'It's flour, water, and wild yeast. It's tougher than you are.' I left it in my fridge for two weeks, fed it once, and it came back stronger than ever. How do you all handle your starter when life gets busy?

I finally dropped $500 on a fancy local food influencer

Honestly, it got us a bunch of followers who never order, just like the photos. Has anyone else found a better way to actually get new customers in the door?

A chat with a food truck owner in Pasadena changed how I see my own menu

I was grabbing lunch from a truck I like, and the owner, Maria, saw me looking over her board. She said, 'I cut three items last month. Sales went up 15 percent because my team could focus.' I've been running my small cafe for two years, always adding more options to please everyone. Her point about focus over variety really hit different. It made me look at my own crowded menu and the slow prep times. Has anyone else simplified their offerings and seen a real change in their kitchen flow or customer response?

Pro tip: I tried two ways to find a new food truck spot and one blew the other out of the water

For the last three weeks, I was trying to find a good new lunch spot for my truck in the Arts District. I spent the first week just driving around looking for open parking spots, which was a total waste of time and gas. Then I started using the city's new 'Mobile Food Vendor' online map that shows all the pre-approved zones and real-time availability. The difference was night and day. I found a spot on Traction Avenue in 15 minutes that gets way more foot traffic from the galleries. The map showed me the exact rules for that block, so I knew I was good for my whole shift. It saved me probably 5 hours of driving around guessing. Has anyone else tried that map, or found a better tool for scouting locations?

Heard a crazy stat about food truck permits at a city hall meeting

I was at a Los Angeles city hall meeting about small business zoning (you know, trying to get the lowdown for my own spot) and the clerk said the average food truck permit wait time is 87 days. That's almost three months just to get started. Anyone here actually dealt with that wait and have tips for speeding it up?

Pro tip: My food truck's 'slow' Tuesday hit $800 in sales for the first time ever

I run a taco truck in Echo Park and Tuesdays are always our quietest day. Last week, a local office placed a big lunch order for 40 people, which was a surprise. That single order pushed our total to $802 by 3 PM, which is a record for a Tuesday by almost $300. It made me realize we should maybe do more targeted flyers for office buildings on our slower days. Has anyone else had luck with a simple tactic that turned a dead day around?

I thought the 'secret menu' at that new taco spot was just a hype thing

A buddy told me to ask for the 'al pastor estilo DF' at the place on 3rd Street, which isn't listed. I was sure they'd just give me the regular al pastor. I tried it last Friday and it came with grilled pineapple and a different salsa, way better. It's a real thing they make if you know to ask. Has anyone else found a good off-menu item around town?

Had a delivery truck show up 4 hours late on a 90 degree day in Burbank. The whole pallet of fresh mozzarella was warm to the touch.

I finally figured out why my new food truck's fryer was acting up

The pilot light kept going out on our first day at the Silver Lake farmers market last Saturday. Turns out the regulator I bought was set for natural gas, not propane like my truck uses. Anyone know a good mobile kitchen repair person in LA?