Announcing a new shared kitchen facility located in Lawrenceville, GA. 24/7 Shared Kitchen is a Department of Agriculture approved shared kitchen space for rent. Perfect for bakers, specialty food producers and dessert production. Reasonable rates are available by the hour or with a monthly membership. Convenient to GA Hwy 120 and 316. If you are interested, please send an email to todd@urbaneats.net or call 404-484-4588. Hurry, space will go fast!
Food trucks get a makeover and become more compact. It was only a matter of time until one of the Asian car manufacturers put their spin on a food truck. Read this article to find out more!
Check out this article from the Georgia Department of Agriculture that explains how to start a food business, including the facility, food, labels, and licensing.
Work for clients has thrust me into the world of catering, specialty food processing, gourmet food trucking and the struggles each industry faces along their respective supply chains. All three of these business segments have transformed in scope and popularity in recent years, as consumers hungry for new culinary experiences turn to other sources of food service beyond the traditional restaurant setting. The uptick in popularity of these industries not only increases sales, but also attracts new players eager to get in on the action. In years past, the barriers to trade were minimal, as these cottage industries required only small amounts of capital to get started and largely flew under the radar of government regulation and certification. However, with their new found popularity, these niche food businesses are being closely monitored by government agencies. Start up costs are increasing too, as sophisticated consumers demand food quality that cannot be produced from a road side grill or a residential kitchen.
As costs and regulatory requirements increase, “mom and pops” are being squeezed out financially, leaving these markets open to the bigger, established operators and those individuals who have access to significant amounts of capital.
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Demand for shared commercial kitchen space is on the increase in the Atlanta area. Several factors have surfaced that are contributing to the need for hourly, daily and shared commercial kitchen space. New Georgia Health Code laws have restricted caterers from cooking in residential kitchens, and the popularity of the food truck and specialty food businesses are increasing the need for inexpensive, health department approved work space. A new facility located in Lawrenceville, GA is now open offering several kitchen station set ups ideal for bakers, specialty food processing, food truck commissaries and entrpreneurs with a new ideas. Monthly memberships and hourly rates are available.
If you’re a caterer, food truck operator, chef or entrpreneur and interested in learning more about this new facility please contact Cornelia Florea at 404-484-4588.
I spoke with Josh Hiller recently about the LA food truck scene. His company, Road Stoves, was a pioneer in launching the LA gourmet food truck scene. Their companyoffers truck leasing packages, graphic wraps, cold food storage, maintenance and other food truck consulting services. Hiller, along with his business partner Morris Appel, is responsible for incubating many iconic street eats, including Kogi Korean Tacos, Aunties Fry Bread, Baby’s Badass Burgers, Nana Queens and the Cheeseball Wagon. Josh has been featured in the media recently with a story that aired on NPR; “Is the LA Food Truck Bubble Ready to Burst?”
I caught up with Josh around 10am California time and he was clearly in the midst of a busy day, but he was very generous with his time. Listening to him speak, I was immediately impressed with his passion for maintaining the integrity of the food truck scene. Much like a baseball fan pissed off about pro athlete steroid use, Josh was concerned about the “watering down” of the quality of trucks and product rolling around the streets of LA.
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Do you remember the 80’s version of Nachos that were piled high with sour cream, pickled jalapenos and faux liquid cheese? These ain’t them, nope these nacho mama’s nachos. Leave it to the young creative team of Christie and Ray Latham to bring Atlanta the latest reincarnation of this classic comfort food. You’ll be cussing out the nacho lady at the Braves game once you’ve tried these new heaping towers of goo…tacos, tamales and burritos too. Urban Eats Consulting Group provided menu and recipe translation for use in a food truck environment, vendor referrals, food product tastings, branding expertise and comprehensive food truck development services.
I was conversing with a chef friend of mine the other day, who owns a popular restaurant here in Atlanta. We were talking shop, when I mentioned that I was developing a food truck concept for one of my clients. His face got red and his words curdled like bad milk;
“Man I tell you, this whole food truck thing’s got me pissed off. They’ll steal my business, park where ever they want, they don’t need a permit, don’t pay taxes and don’t get inspected by the health department! It isn’t fair!” He went on; “Me and my partners are thinking of raising a stink to the GRA, (Georgia Restaurant Association), about this!”
Ok, so chef was a little threatened, but he’s probably not the only brick and mortar operator singing that same tune. In Atlanta, where the food truck phenomena is only beginning to take off, there are a lot of unknowns and misconceptions out there about food trucks and their impact on existing restaurants. As the industry matures, a lot of those fears will subside. Until then, the brick and mortars shouldn’t fret food trucks. The fact is, food trucks have plenty of up hill battles to fight before they begin to impact anything, let alone existing restaurants.
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Happy New Year and let’s get right to the latest and greatest around the Atlanta food truck movement. I recently had coffee with attorney Greg Smith who has been instrumental in the ongoing lobbying effort for health code and zoning changes regarding food truck operations in Atlanta. The good news is that the tide seems to be turning in favor of food truck advocates in many areas.
First, the Fulton County Health Department is warming to the idea of allowing food trucks to maintain an approved “route” compared to the current Georgia Department of Public Health codes that restrict food truck operators to two locations, (GA Comp. R. & regs. 290-5-14-.08(1)(i)(1)(i)). A route is considered a street by the Fulton County Health Department, i.e. Peachtree Street.
While the current City of Atlanta vending codes severely restrict public roadway vending, a food truck operator could strike a deal with a private property owner to set up shop along a route or street. For example,
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food truck from santa ana
If you’re my age, (mid forties), than you probably remember the sheer joy of hearing the Good Humor Ice Cream Truck bell in the distance on a hot Summer day. This rolling kiddie apothecary drew hordes of frantic children pied piper-like, screaming for Push-Ups and Orange Creme Bars. As a kid, everything about this event was magical and ominous. The colorful truck with compact stainless doors that bellowed out white plums of cold vapor was straight out of OZ. The fact that I could get a Rainbow Pop in my manicured suburban playground was evidence enough that I lived in a wonderful world.
Flash forward 35 years and the joy has returned to a street near you, and it’s not just ice cream anymore. Many chefs in cities across the U.S. have turned to creating restaurants on wheels. Food Trucks, or Chuck Wagons as they’re called, offer an exciting way to deliver an eclectic variety of foods to a wide audience without a traditional brick and mortar restaurant. This seems to be a great and successful trend that has developed, both for the chef and for the consumer. The convenience of a food truck fits right in with today’s consumer demand for choice, speed and variety. Chef’s are attracted to the pop-up flexibility of the food truck, which allows them to reach an instant audience and receive immediate customer feedback. The snacking and grazing aspect of food trucks is also popular among hungry customers looking to refuel between traditional meals.
Vendors in Los Angeles, Portland, Austin and New York, to great success, are hawking all types of foods, including burritos, burgers, Korean tacos, mexidogs and more. However, given that the food truck phenomenon is relatively new, some cities, including Atlanta, have a baffling maze of permits, rules and regulations that an aspiring mobile chef has to navigate before beginning this culinary road-trip. And the freedom for food truckin’ in any location can be limited too.
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