Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Quality, friendly and weird... Simply the best!

By Stephanie Diaz
Texas State junior and lover of food on wheels (especially tacos)


Austin is packed with food trucks, making it a great place for city dwellers to eat their way across town. 
These food trucks not only represent Austin and its people at its best, but also calls on entrepreneurs look into the concept of a food truck.

"Austin is very friendly to local businesses, whereas people here prefer a local business than something tied to a chain,” said Julie Reyes, a University of Texas alumnus from Houston.  Reyes visits Austin to satisfy her palate with these tasty foods.

The very first time Julie Reyes and her friend Emily Rigby were introduced to food trucks was in 2009, when they first moved to the city of Austin to attend UT.  Now that they are in graduate and law school, they have remained faithful to these hot spots in the metropolitan area. They both agree that this business is growing and the cities surrounding are catching on to the trend.

James Winsett from Fort Worth, Texas, is a construction worker in the Austin area and a fan of the food trucks and the idea.

"I've been consuming since June. I'm a regular," said Winsett. "I usually come for lunch and I love it. I like the vendors, the atmosphere and the ease of accessibility."



When asked why he would chose a food truck over a restaurant, he answered without hesitation.

“I’m burned out on all the other fast food stuff, and this is relatively what I would call homemade compared to fast food restaurants," said Winsett. "This type of food is something I would prepare for myself.”

Reyes and Rigby also believe that the competition for business in Austin leads to food trucks producing higher-quality product than customers might expect.  For these students, the trailers are nothing like fast food.

“I think people who don’t have experience with food trucks might have a misconception," Reyes said. "But (these trucks) have amazing quality and (those people) are missing out."

These popular spots are a great place to dine with family and friends, especially if they have different tastes. Most of the groupings around the city host a variety of food styles, all at one location.

Food trucks are an inexpensive way to get food out to the masses without the risk and red tape involved with leasing a building space. As a result, the renegade spirit of doing something out of the ordinary and a little bit different matches perfectly with the capitol city's "Keep Austin Weird!" slogan.


For more information on Ranch Rio Eatery and the grub they have to offer, visit their Facebook page here.

Photography by Stephanie Diaz

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