Food Trucks

Chasing chow: A guide

to Buffalo food trucks
By Rebecca Bratek
Ann Boyle had never heard of Food Truck Tuesdays at Larkin Square. Or even food
trucks, for that matter.
The 65yearold former teacher from !rand "sland heard a#out the mo#ile
restaurant cra$e from the staff at South %ark &i'h School. She (as ama$ed #y the
massive cro(d 'athered )uly *, as she (aited in a line that snaked around the
square+s ,atio.
-"t+s .ust that you don+t kno( (here they are or (hat+s 'oin' on unless you read
a#out it some(here,/ said Boyle, (ho doesn+t use social media and #rou'ht a friend
to sam,le nachos, sliders and dessert. -0e fi'ure if (e come for a fe( more
Tuesdays, (e can try all the trucks./
Buffalo is home to 15 food trucks, (hose offerin's ran'e from tacos and 'ourmet deli
sand(iches to carnival fare and decadent desserts. The trucks can #e found daily
throu'hout the city and su#ur#s, servin' lunch and lateni'ht snacks to hun'ry
customers and those lookin' to s(itch u, their daily routines.
Boyle, like many in Buffalo, has cau'ht on to the food truck trend throu'h (ord of
mouth rather than throu'h the "nternet, (here trucks ,redominately advertise their
locations and s,ecials.
2ost trucks ,ost their daily locations on T(itter and Face#ook, and many have
(e#site calendars that list sto,s for days in advance.
For the less "nternetsavvy, almost all of the trucks have a ,hone num#er that
customers can call to find out (here they+re ,arked.
-A lot of ,eo,le " kno(, es,ecially ,eo,le in the 34anda#ove demo'ra,hic, don+t
really use T(itter as much as *4 and 54yearolds,/ said Frank !ourmet &ot 6o's
o(ner Frank Tri,i. &e, like many of the o(ners, is still tryin' to fi'ure out (ays to
include everyone in the food truck trend.
7arolyn &uman (orks in Larkin Square and fell in love (ith food trucks (hen Lloyd
Taco Truck started ,arkin' outside her #uildin'. "n an area (ithout many o,tions,
the food trucks ,rovided more variety from the monotony, she said. She+s since eaten
at almost every food truck in Buffalo and has even tried food trucks in other cities.
-"+ve #een to stuff like this in San Francisco and 8ashville, and this com,ares,/ said
&uman, (ho lives in Snyder. -0e have .ust as many trucks as they had. The food is
.ust as 'ood./
"n the summer months, it+s easy to find at least one of the 15 at an event or on a street
corner near you.
Larkin Square started Food Truck Tuesdays on 2ay *9, (ith the idea of makin' the
square a -dinner destination,/ accordin' to Leslie :emsky, Larkin+s events
coordinator. &er son, &arry, (ho runs Larkin+s Square 1 Sand(iches, (anted a (ay
for Buffalonians to take advanta'e of the (arm (eather (hile they can.
The cro(ds have 'ro(n e;,onentially since the event+s de#ut, accordin' to :emsky,
and she estimates 944 ,eo,le come out every Tuesday. Fourteen of the 15 trucks
,artici,ate each (eek, and :emsky says Larkin (ill run the series until the end of
Octo#er, if not lon'er. "nformation on the series can #e found at larkinsquare.com or
on Larkin Square+s Face#ook ,a'e. All of the food truck -ha,,y hours/ run from 5 to
9 ,.m.
2any of the trucks also take ,art in the monthly Food Truck <odeo, held at the
Buffalo &istory 2useum. Lloyd+s started he event to unite the many trucks and
donate to a cause= all ,roceeds from the rodeos #enefit the &istory 2useum. The
events are currently scheduled for every third 0ednesday of the summer months,
thou'h %ete 7imino, one of Lloyd+s o(ners, said the ni'hts could chan'e.
The ne;t rodeo is ne;t 0ednesday, and 11 trucks are scheduled to attend. 2ore
information can #e found at #uffalohistory.or'.