Today, these trucks have become business incubators—a proof-of-concept that enables truckers to earn eater loyalty and assemble a record that a bank can buy into. Every time a food truck gets a storefront home, it’s a win for a neighborhood. They tend to move into empty spaces with a winning concept—which means they have a better shot at sticking around. We’ve seen many trucks move to real restaurants with success: Hola Arepa, Hot Indian, and Smack Shack, to name just a few.
Check out this new batch of truckers who are parking themselves in a Twin Cities storefront and opening shop.
Photos by Caitlin Abrams
Elbow Room
Elbow Room
Classic elbow with brisket
R.A. MacSammy’s entered the food truck game in 2012, rolling out all the comfort food with creative mac ’n’ cheese bowls: chicken-tinga mac, Mexican street-corn mac, etc. In 2018, the owners finally opened this slip of a shop in south Minneapolis, adding house-smoked meats to offer a fuller range of “kinda Southern” food. Get some mac, but don’t sleep on that brisket sammy with pimento cheese or the fried-green-tomato pickles. 735 E. 48th St., Mpls., 612-584-1593, ramacsammys.com
Bark and the Bite
Bark and the Bite
Tennessee hot wings
This barbecue truck first tried to open a takeout counter in a Northeast convenience store in 2015, but a fire set the operation on the road again. Recently, it’s found a home on the St. Paul side of the Lake Street Bridge, opening a barbecue joint in the old Heirloom space. Here, Bark can take advantage of a full bar and dining room. The pulled pork is great. So is the vegan Jackalope: pulled jackfruit that tastes like meat—especially with the cherry-bourbon BBQ sauce. 2186 Marshall Ave., St. Paul, 612-528-7928, barkandthebite.com
Cheese Louise
Cheese Louise
The Hasselhoff
One of the new kids on the block, this truck began rolling around town in 2017, with sassy social-media posts and ooey-good grilled cheese sandwiches. Just two short years later, it’s operating as a small café in Linden Hills, with a menu of those sandwiches, plus soups and salads. (Expect more innovations to follow.) The Moz puts bacon on your fresh mozzarella grilled sandwich, and the Hasselhoff comes with mustard, sauerkraut, pickles, and melty Swiss. As long as we’re talking Hoff: Do you think KITT drove around with a secret mobile kitchen? 4279 Sheridan Ave., Mpls., 612-886-2913, facebook.com/cheeselouisempls
