Food trucks might seem like a given in Phoenix’s culinary scene today, but they’re actually a pretty new phenomenon — and they’ve had their ups and downs over the last decade or so.
From a fast and furious rise to a pandemic-inspired reset, to a potential bubble today, it’s been a wild ride for food trucks in Phoenix. David Tyda, a food festival producer here in Phoenix, knows it well.
David Tyda is the guy behind the annual Taco Fest and Phoenix Pizza Festival here in the Valley and owner of Barcoa Agaveria in downtown Phoenix. Tyda joined The Show to talk about the food truck scene today and where it began.
Full conversation
DAVID TYDA: So it was about 2010-ish. We were just sort of coming out of the recession. I think it was just a product of people starting to think of starting their own business in a different kind of way.
As we’re all going through this societal change, people are like, “Well, you know, I’m tired of this chef grind. I want to hit the open road and open a food truck.”
And that’s when we made the jump from the roach coaches that were servicing construction sites that you had somebody saying, “Well, I want to have a themed truck that’s doing a little more upscale or imaginative food. And it’s wrapped, and it has an Instagram account and all of that.”
So I think that’s when it all really started, at least here in the Valley.
LAUREN GILGER: Yeah. Yeah. And and I’m sure this existed elsewhere before, but did you call them roach coaches? Is that the tradition this came out of? What is that?
TYDA: Yeah. So a roach coach is essentially a lunch truck that goes to a construction site. Their horn is very recognizable, and that just signals to all of the construction workers, “Hey, it’s if you’re on lunch break, come on down. Get some food.”
GILGER: So this is the tradition, OK. So there was a big upswing, 2010 and and the years after that, right. Do you remember Food Truck Fridays downtown? I remember those. It was a cool and booming business for a minute there.
TYDA: Well, I was one of the people who didn’t believe that there would actually be a food truck scene here in town. A lot of us were like, “Yeah, there’s a limit to it.” And the reason I believed that is because we don’t have a pedestrian culture here. You think about cities where food trucks thrive — like LA, New York — you know, people walking around so a truck can just pull up on a curb and you’ve got customers right away.
Whereas here, although that Friday food truck roundup was a beautiful thing in downtown Phoenix, we all had to go to the trucks. They weren’t coming to us. So back to that idea of bringing the food to the people. This was more about just how I’m eating from a food truck. This is so cool.
GILGER: It felt cool. It was different.
TYDA: Because food trucks were already popping off in LA in New York. And so it made Phoenix feel like, “Yeah, we could have a food truck scene, too.” But in the back of my mind, I was like, “This isn’t going to be a thing. There’s a limit.” And wow, was I proved wrong.
GILGER: Yeah. I mean, it really was a big thing. And then the pandemic hits, right?
TYDA: Yeah, yeah. So so now nobody’s going out. We all can’t “safely gather.” And the food truck scene kind of dwindles a little bit because there’s no festivals, right? But a lot of the food truck roundups started to pop up again.
And now they were the only place we could safely gather because although live events were canceled, these little kind of neighborhood things that were like 100-150 people, 20 trucks, families, a way to get out of the house because we were all cooped up and losing our minds.
And I think that built a thing. Now more people are getting exposed to food trucks that otherwise weren’t going to festivals.
GILGER: So people got creative there, it sounds like. But they still found a place to thrive. So let’s talk about where the “scene” stands now, because it feels like there are so many events full of so many food trucks that it would be hard to keep track.
TYDA: Right. So I think we’re in a bit of a bubble. There’s maybe a little too much to go around because some food trucks are struggling. But a lot of food trucks are starting to get creative again and now, like stationing their truck.
To give you an example, there’s a food truck called Tacos Don Hector that found a permanent spot on (Grand Avenue). And they have built out picnic tables and heaters and misters, and they’ve got a couple speakers. And so it’s like you’re in this outdoor restaurant, but you’re eating from a food truck, but it’s also stationary.
So what is it really? So I think we’re in that stage right now where it’s like we’re in the great shift again.
GILGER: Another shift. That’s a good thing usually, when people have to get creative. When there’s competition.
TYDA: Totally.
GILGER: So let’s talk about some standouts right now from this kind of burgeoning and really big food truck scene. You mentioned (Tacos Don Hector). What are some of the success stories, some of the stuff that’s really interesting that food trucks are doing right now that you think people should know about?
TYDA: There is a pizza truck called — I love saying this name and I can’t say it with a straight face — Gabeesh Italian Eats. And don’t you just want to do that with your hands? Gabeesh Italian Eats, this guy!
Oh my God, Chef Paulie (O’Connor), this guy can make anything. And he puts a lot of time into every single ingredient. Like, you’re not just going to get a tomato sauce on a slice. You’re going to get like a Sunday gravy kind of thing. Like, a thing that’s been cooking for two days. I think your listeners have to find Gabeesh.
GILGER: OK. All right. A good one there. Well, what else is on your list right now?
TYDA: So there’s these two ladies that signed up for my pizza festival, and they do soufflé desserts. And so when I heard that, I thought, “Nobody’s going to want a soufflé. Who wants souffle?” You know what I mean? Like, you’re not in a steakhouse.
GILGER: It sounds fancy, yeah.
TYDA: Right? But did a little research come to find out it’s a popular Asian street food. So the way that they make these, it’s like on this griddle, and it’s the fluffiest of eggs you could imagine, or an egg-like batter, I guess it is. And then they’ll top these with ube flavors and boba and all kinds of Asian inspired ingredients.
And it’s such a fun thing to eat at a live event. So they’ll do farmer’s markets. They do festivals. You can, you know, just follow them on Instagram, you know, and find these two ladies that operate as Cloud Soufflé.
GILGER: Super different stuff, yeah.
TYDA: Super different.
GILGER: So how common is it anymore, David, for these food trucks to make it to the brick-and-mortar status? Is that the goal anymore?
TYDA: I don’t think it’s the goal. I think it depends on your business model and what you’re looking for. So there’s two trucks that are related. It’s one family. They’re called Don Fito’s and Taco Bros. Well, they operate 6 or 7, maybe even ten trucks at this point under those two names.
But they have a Don Fito’s location or two, a brick-and-mortar that acts as their commissary. So now they can prepare all their foods in that commissary and then get it out to the food trucks, which have different catering gigs.
GILGER: Part of the lore, like the stories around food trucks was that it’s a low barrier to entry. You don’t have to have the money or the chef training to end up in a fancy restaurant. As a cook, you can kind of cook the food you love and know and do well but in a truck that you could maybe afford with a small business loan. Is that still the case?
TYDA: That still rings true. Absolutely. It’s definitely cheaper. I mean, these trucks are expensive.They’re upwards of $100,000. But you’re not paying rent. Your insurance is a lot less expensive.
What you’re saving in money, you’re paying for in the grind of having to load everything in this thing, load it out, clean it, just the constant inspections, all of it. These people have the toughest skin, when you think about just all that the road throws at them — no pun intended.
