Keep On Trucking | The Food Truck Boom
The popularity of food trucks continues to grow, and the Ocean City area is in no short supply
Food trucks started having their moment in South Jersey in the early 2010s. And that moment? It hasn’t stopped. We might as well call it the food truck decade-and-a-half.
“Food trucks keep gaining in popularity” Chuck Bangle said.
Chuck, co-owner of the famed Manco and Manco Pizza with his wife Mary and mother-in-law Kay, set his first food truck in motion at the beginning of July. It kicked off business at the MIB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, and it hasn’t stopped rolling since.
“It’s been exceptionally busy. Bookings are coming in to the tune of half a dozen a week,” Chuck said. “It’s catching attention.”
That’s the name of the game with food trucks – coming up with something just the other side of different that sets you apart from the rest. Having a name like Manco & Mance to back you up is a surefire way to help, of course, but as is seen throughout our region, many original food trucks pop up without a brick-and-mortar locale to back them up.
“I think for the small operator that can’t afford a brick-and-mortar shop or doesn’t have one yet, a food truck is a great way to start,” Chuck said.
In Ocean City and the surrounding area, food trucks are serving up everything savory and sweet. There are multicultural flavors on board Italian, Mexican and Hawaiian among them – and trucks homing in on ice creams, coffees and, in one case, fluffy, sweet Belgian waffles.
“This is our fourth year,” Shelby Pepek said. “My husband actually had the trailer from power washing and we turned it into a Belgian waffles and ice cream trailer”
Shelby and her beau, Martin, run Waffle Up, a food trailer that serves sweet and savory Belgian waffle creations, ice cream and coffee.
Shelby has an almost 20-year background in baking and her cottage license to make cupcakes and cakes out of her home, so the food truck business came together almost naturally.
“It just took off,” Shelby said. “We do sweet and savory waffles. We do iced coffee and hot coffee. We specialize in chicken and waffles and a barbecue pulled pork waffle. We have ice cream sundaes. We have wachos, which is our ice cream with Belgian waffle chips.” What Waffle Up is especially known for, though, is its sweet waffles and ice cream. Some popular flavors include the Nutella Bella, a sweet waffle with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, Nutella, whipped cream and powdered sugar, and Reese’s, a sweet waffle with chocolate or vanilla ice cream topped with peanut butter and chocolate sauces and Reeses Pieces.
“We also have our Churro, which is our Belgian waffle with vanilla ice cream, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and caramel,” Shelby said. “We do so much, and I change the menu pretty often so people can get a variety and not have the same thing every time they come to our trailer” It’s important to have variety, and food trucks tackle this in, typically, one of two ways. Some have a set menu that offers a nice variety of eats or a mix-and-match style, and others change up the menu depending on the event.
Manco falls into the former category, with plans to keep expanding their food truck menu as time goes on.
“You can get our traditional ballpark pizzas that we sell at Citizens Bank Park off the truck,” Chuck said. “If you rent the truck for a party, we’ll do our traditional 18-inch pizza.” Pizzas are red sauce or white, with sausage and pepperoni toppings to start. There is a variety of canned and bottled drinks, too.
“We’ll probably be adding fryers in the future,” Chuck said.
Manco & Manco isn’t the only well-known local shop that is in the food truck game. Hula Restaurant, Located on Colony Walk on the Ocean City Boardwalk, debuted its food truck two years ago, and serves some of its delicious signature dishes on board, such as crabcake sandwiches, chicken teriyaki skewers, firecracker shrimp and Hula cheese fries. Tony Baloney’s, based in Atlantic City, brings its Tony’s Farm Table truck to the Ocean City Farmers Market through the season, serving flatbread pizzas with a creative flair. Harry & Beans Coffee Roasters is based in Ocean View, and the business has a coffee truck from which it pours its 100 percent fair trade organic coffees.
But as fun as a food truck can be, with varied menus, different day-to-day locations and events, and a chance to meet new faces all the time, it can also be a somewhat grueling business. So when youre grabbing your lunch or treat from a food truck vendor, it’s important to appreciate the smile on their face.
“We work hard. Sometimes we’re out there 12 hours a day for a festival,” Shelby said.
Speaking of, fall is a huge time for food truck festivals in South Jersey. A few upcoming events include: Sea Isle City Food Truck and Wine Festival at Kix McNutley’s on September 7 and 8; Duffield’s Apple & Food Truck Festival on September 12 in Sewell; End of Summer Food Truck Festival on September 26 in Galloway; and Fall Festival at White Horse Winery on October 3 in Hammonton. Food trucks are always in high demand at fall block parties and festivals, too, with a variety booked at events like the Ocean City Block Party on October 10 and the Margate Fall Funfest by the Bay in late September.
Food trucks are also a great choice for a private event, whether it’s a corporate occasion, a bridal or baby shower, a birthday or anniversary celebration – or just your average day that you want to make extra special.
“We do private events, too,” Shelby said, adding Waffle Up serves Cape May and Atlantic counties. Booking inquiries can be sent through a form on Waffle Up’s Facebook page, by emailing waffleupicecream@gmail.com or by calling 609-594-0114.
Chuck said the Manco & Manco food truck is booking upwards of half a dozen events a week, many of them private parties and corporate affairs. Theyre also on the schedule for many upcoming food truck festivals; events will be posted on their social accounts.
“Were catching attention,” Chuck said, pointing to their website (mancospizza.com) for bookings. “People can also scan the QR code on the truck or give us a call.”
When enjoying a treat from a food truck, it’s important to remember the people behind those serving windows are neighbors, friends and families living in nearby communities.
“It’s something different,” Shelby said. “Plus, you’re supporting a local family.”
By Kristen Dowd