Zobo's Hobos: Final Day

Yesterday (and the day before) proved to be two huge successes!! Both the students and teachers were wildly helpful, enthusiastic and supportive of my project. In total, Zobo's Hobos Pies earned $419!!! I am currently working on figuring out profits, but I know for sure that I spent around $350 on groceries. The twist, though, is that I ended up using probably a third (maybe even less) of the supplies I bought. Which puts me in a tricky situation when trying to figure out how much money I actually made, and how well this would do as a real-life business. I'm guessing my profits for the two days fell somewhere around $75-$100.... (WAY better than anticipated!!!)

long, busy lines!

teaching my recruits how to cook

As I was unpacking the car for our final day, I had a paper grocery bag with cheese and freshly made bacon. I had spent all morning making it! Suddenly, the bag broke and the glass container with bacon shattered all over the sidewalk :( it was disappointing and tragic. Bacon was the magic ingredient! Luckily I still had leftover bacon from Tuesday, but it was no where near as fresh as the bacon that I had just lost in battle. 

Yet, the day carried on swiftly and we made it through with minimal problems. Everyone helped take the tent and tables down at the end of the day, and helped me load the car :) And once again, all the students were gracious and patient while waiting for their food. It just goes to show that Drew is a bubble of wonderful people, and there's no way my services would be accepted in the real world of food trucking madness!! 

Can't wait to start preparing my presentation for tomorrow...I really, really want an all school presentation.

Also, my facebook page now has 45 likes!! 

GRAND OPENING!

Today was the official first day of business at Drew!! It was insanely successful and simultaneously overwhelming. The students seemed to flock to the tent with excited curiosity. I was so happy that people were interested in my project!!

The day began with a lot of unloading. We had so much supplies shoved into the trunk of my SUV that it took at least 5 or 6 people to unload it. Thankfully, two seniors (Avalon and Shanelle) offered to help me out! Initially, I had planned (and wanted) to run this whole operation on my own. Yet as people offered their help, I realized that I would probably benefit from an extra hand or two....*or four*. 
So I decided to run it just as we had back in Naked Chorizo. I had Avalon taking the orders, I cooked the food, and Shanelle called out and distributed the orders. It felt reminiscent of the organized system we had going in Naked Chorizo. It genuinely felt like I was running my own food truck! 
About 5 minutes in, our services began to come to a crawl. The problem that I had thought about a lot, but not exactly anticipated, had arrived. We had only two hobo pie makers, which was creating a huge back-up in the kitchen. About 10 minutes later we were only two orders in, and the orders were building up quickly. Luckily, nobody was asking for refunds or complaining about how "you shouldn't be taking orders if you can't even serve them" ....cinco de mayo flashbacks. Students were generally very polite and patient with the time it was taking for their lunch!! Yet, 45 minutes later, lunch was coming to an end and we were still only halfway through the lunch orders. We came up with the idea to hand deliver the rest of the pies to the students in class!! So I continued to cook and Shanelle and Avalon were running all over the school, bringing the pies to hungry students. It was actually a great system in the end. 

Some difficulties arose from the wind though, and the propane levels. Wind was constantly blowing our tent and supplies all over the place, which was not fun. Another issue was the propane on the stove ran very low multiple times. We had to change it twice. A third problem was the total MESS of a workspace I had! Maybe it was just me, but there was sauce, various spoons, chards, napkins, etc lying around everywhere and it just about drove me nuts. 
A SURPRISE I had though, was how much leftover food there was. I am actually so happy, because that increases my profits! I was afraid of running out of food today, but I got home with a ton of extra stuff. 

All in all, it was a successful day. With tips, we made $264!!!!! That's more than I could've ever hoped for!! I'm aiming for just as much, or even more tomorrow. :)

Final prep day

Hola Folks!
Today is my final day of prep before I open up shop tomorrow at Drew!
It should be crazy exciting. I'm actually feeling a bit nervous...what if the students don't like them? Or what if the kitchen becomes really backed up and kids start complaining? What if I run out of bread? What if they all end up burning!! Ahhhh
So today I am working tirelessly to ensure that none of these things happen. I took inventory of all the grocery items/other miscellaneous tools I have and the things I need to get. 



I made a checklist of items that need to be pre-cooked and items that need to be refrigerated (or cooler-ed). 
Today I am picking up tables, a cooler, and extra groceries. I just realized that I have a TON of equipment to bring tomorrow, and the only way to ensure success is to have extreme organization. I need to count everything I have, and keep track of where everything is. I have decided to store things like cheese, the bacon, the mushrooms, in tupperware containers I have at home. Just because the cheese packaging is messy and just not organized. I also need to remember to bring utensils for myself to cook with. This includes spoons of various sizes (for portioning) and knives. Also I will need A LOT of napkins. 

Yesterday, I went to office max to pick up a whiteboard for the menu! I also found a real money box, and a BUNCH of order-taking tickets! wahooo. I wasn't expecting to find all of that. I also set up the tent and everything in my backyard to test out the layout of my tent and supplies. 

Some final details include attaching my homemade "Zobo's Hobo Pies" signs to the tent, possibly finding some skirts for the fold out tables, and getting everything packaged up and neat and ready to go for tomorrow :)

Food Tent prep.

Today and tomorrow I will be working on gathering the final materials needed for my tent! On Friday, I was at Drew and I was able to post flyers around the school advertising the business. It's already been pretty effective, as there were many people expressing interest as soon as they saw them posted!
That afternoon I worked at Naked Chorizo again for the night, at a private event in the botanical gardens. It was nice to see my boss again, and she gave me some last minute pointers for the upcoming week.
Today I set up the pop-up tent she lent me in my backyard. It's huge! and perfect! I'm so excited. My parents and I are making a checklist of what we have and what we don't have, and I'm taking today and tomorrow to make sure everything has been checked and secured. I also recruited a few helpers for when I'm working at Drew! I realized that as much as I want this to be a one-man project, it's just going to be a mess if I try to run the Hobo stand alone.
So far, I have a tent, a propane stove, 2 coolers, poster board (for my signs), silverware for cooking, and some food.
I still need to pick up two fold up tables, a money box, a white board for the menu, extra propane, utensils, plates and napkins, and if I can find them, order tickets.

Should be a stressful two days, but once I'm set up and ready to go, Drew school will be plagued with delicious hobo pies!!! (tuesday and wednesday). I'm also thinking about going to Crissy on Thursday....we'll see how Drew goes.

First draft of business plan:

Zobo’s Hobo Pies

Executive Summary:

The campfire classic "Hobo Pie" is as tasty, quick, and affordable as it sounds! San Francisco based Zobo's Hobo Pies: serving up hot, delicious, melty, crispy, buttery hobo pies in less than 5 minutes!

Products and Services:

Menu will consist of a variation of Hobo Pies. Pizza, Pesto, Breakfast, Dessert (s’mores and chocolate/peanut butter). Typical American Comfort Food shoved between two slices of toasted bread! 

Test run: (for dinner of 6 people, many leftovers)

2 loaves of bread: $5.98 (20 slices of bread/loaf…10 hobo pies/loaf)

1 jar of marinara sauce: $2.19

1 jar of pesto: $3.95

1 pack of bacon: $6.99

1 large carton of eggs (18):  $3.69

1 large pack mozzarella cheese: $7.49

1 large pack cheddar cheese: $7.49

1 pack of feta cheese: $7.49

1 tub lucerin butter: $3.99

1 tub land o lakes ‘fake’ butter: $3.29

1 small thing of basil: $1.99

1 pack of mushrooms: $2.00

1 pack of marshmallows: $1.29

1 bag choco chips: $3.00

1 can apple pie filling: $4.99

TOTAL: $63.98 (w/ safeway club card)

need $500 worth of food/supplies for about two days of business.

Also need to take into account: paper plates, napkins, forks, knives, cooler (w/ ice!!!), propane for stove, stove!

One pie: $5

Add-on (bacon): 50 cents? Or 1 dollah

Competitive Analysis:

Doc’s of the Bay

Five Ten Burger

Fogcutter

Go Streatery

Competitive edge:

Pretty unique concept that doesn’t really seem to have been utilized yet.

Quick and easy to eat on the go, also extremely delicious. Kids love it, and its just as easy for adults to love it as well. There’s something for everyone.

Marketing and Sales:

-Facebook (already at 34 likes!!) –use to promote new dishes, post photos and schedule.

-Twitter—same as facebook, but briefer.  Still building audience

-Word of mouth

-Drew school—will promote to students. Sell at drew, where students are looking for good and cheap food.

-Go to crissy field…lots of runners, bikers tourists, and a good open space for me to set up at. Low chance (I hope) of me getting busted for not having a sellers, business, or health and safety permit. Hey, at least I have a food handlers license!

Management: one man job!

Challenges:

-Cost

-Sole-ownership means A LOT of work. No employees!! 

Future development:

-Cart, or truck?!

-Expand menu, include more gourmet options (focaccia, brie and pear, pb and j, more spices)

-More locations!!!

-Off the grid!?!

-Expand to LA and beyond

-Hire more employees

Week 2: Day 3

The taste testing went fantastic last night! I got to practice a ton with the hobo pie makers, which was helpful because I discovered that one of them cooks much differently than the other. (One is cast-iron and the other is aluminum). I'm going to look into purchasing another cast iron hobo pie maker, because it cooks the pies much better and far more evenly. 
Aside from the actual tools though, I also got a good taste (no pun intended) of what the menu is going to look like! We decided as a group that bacon is an essential ingredient. We tried it in the pizza pie and the breakfast pie...it was amazing. We tried a lot of combinations, and ultimately came up with a list of the best ones. The shining stars. The cake-takers. 

Pizza Pie: pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil, and bacon
Pesto Pie: pesto sauce, feta cheese, and sautéed mushrooms
Hobo Breakfast: egg, cheddar cheese, and bacon
S'mores: chocolate and marshmallow
Delicious Decadence: chocolate and peanut butter (messy!!)

pizza pie!

Not only did we try savory pies, but we tested out various dessert combos! Some of the favorites included chocolate and marshmallow, chocolate and peanut butter, and....get ready for it....chocolate, peanut butter, jelly, and bacon. The last one is probably not going to go on the menu, because it was extremely messy. But it was deliciously decadent, let me tell ya.

s'mores!

All in all, we decided that the bacon should be an add on, because not everyone eats meat, and if the pie comes with bacon already, I would only be losing money if people asked for it without bacon. So bacon is an add-on to any pie (including dessert) for 50 cents. 

Week 2: Day 2

I've been working steadfastly on the Zobo's Hobo Pies enterprise! I emailed Mr. Ledyard and Cuddeback yesterday, and they have confirmed with me for next week. Which means I'll be doing business at Drew School on May 21-22!! I'm so excited, and the Facebook page I created is getting more and more "likes" and recognition.
Tonight, I am having an official taste test dinner. I have invited my family and friends over, and I am going to just be whipping up some of my potential menu items for them to try. This way, I can get some honest feedback, and I can also practice consistency. Many people are unaware of it, but in the restaurant business, one of the most important factors when it comes to preparing food is consistency. If a customer returns for a dish they had in the past, they are expecting to receive that exact dish. Same taste, smell, portion and appearance. So it is vital that I practice actually cooking the hobo pies, and portioning the same amount of fillings, cooking them the same amount of time, and maintaining a consistent, delicious taste among all of them. 
In order to prepare for tonight, and next week, I made a trip to Safeway to check out the prices I'm looking at. I would go to Costco (it's cheaper, and they sell things in bulk), but I don't have a costco card :( 
So I bought materials for only tonight; this means I bought everything I would need food-wise for next week, but just a smaller amount. I bought enough materials for 6 people, and my total came out to $63.98. Thank goodness for my safeway club card, because it saved me around $10!! To be perfectly honest, I probably purchased a little bit too much food anyways. Which is good. I'm in the price range I was expecting to be in. 
Zenia also emailed me her business plan today. She said herself, though, "This should help you get started. As you read this you will see my menu had changes as well as my locations etc.. Financials definitely changed. Keep in mind when you create a business plan it is never the one you use.  There will be many more." 
So far in creating my business plan, I've estimated that the groceries alone should be around $500 for two days of business (a.k.a. the two days at Drew). This excludes paper plates, napkins, forks, knives, cooler (w/ ice!!!), propane for stove, etc...so we'll see! it's going to be a pricey endeavor, but if I make any profit at all, I'll consider this entire project a huge success. My next steps are to take photos of my test run tonight, to post them to the facebook page tomorrow. That'll really get people excited!! I also need to design a logo and possibly look into purchasing a few more hobo makers. 
That's all for now...talk to ya all soon! 
 

Week 2: Day 1

Welcome to week 2! This week, I'm on my own. Aside from working at Naked Chorizo on Friday and possibly a few other times, I'm primarily working on my final product: the food tent. I have a lot to do this week. Some of my main goals are...

• create business plan (how much of what, how much will it cost, potential profits)
• narrow down menu (what works, what doesn't, what will sell?)
• practice actually making the hobo pies (focus on consistency in taste and appearance)
• confirm Drew as a location, scout other locations/sites to sell at
• borrow white tent from Zenia
• go to either Costco or Food Depot, tally how much I need to spend on each food item
• marketing! (create logo, promote on facebook and twitter, food photoshoot)
• other items needed for tent: propane stove, table, utensils and napkins, signs, something to keep food warm, order tickets

It's going to be a scramble! Writing it all down reminds me of how much I need to get done, and also brings all of these important details into reality. I never truly realized how much each of these minute details would actually matter. They are all essential!!

Last night I created an official Facebook page and Twitter for Zobo's Hobo Pies. (https://www.facebook.com/ZobosHoboPies, www.twitter.com/ZobosHoboPies)

The Facebook page already has 20 likes!! This way I can cater to the Drew community and post updates of what I'm working on, menu items to look forward to, exact time and date of where I'll be and more!! It's looking pretty good right now. 

UPDATE: I have just officially completed the California Food Handler's Training!! This makes me a much more legitimate destination to grab a quick bite to eat, now that I know what proper food handling really entails. 

Naked Chorizo: Kitchen Day

What's up! 
So I didn't blog yesterday because I was taking my AP English Test until noon, and I got the day off from work. Since I worked on Sunday though, I have still fulfilled my hours for this week (probably more, actually). 
Anyways, today was a really nice day!! We didn't have any events booked, so I got to go to the kitchen where they prep the food in order to help Zenia make the marinade for the chorizo. She also took today as a day to help me with my own "truck" (a.k.a. my product for the senior project). I got to test some of my recipes for what I plan on serving in a couple of weeks, and she and her nieces did the taste testing. Her nieces especially loved my pizza hobo pie and the egg and cheese one. Today was extremely helpful for me because I got to put my vision into action, and Zenia helped me brainstorm more menu options and variations. So far, I've solidified a few parts of my plan: my food "truck", will be a food tent (because trucks and carts cost upwards of $20,000). The tent is actually Zenia's, which she so graciously offered me to borrow! 
The second component I'm set upon is the name (one of the most important parts of this entire operation actually)....my business is going to be called "Zobo's Hobo Pies". It kind of rolls of the tongue, doesn't it? :)
I also got to visit Zenia's butcher, whom she gets meat from twice a week. He, like most people I've met this week, was really stressing how tough this entire industry is. It feels like everyone is trying to scare me out of it! But I'm not budging. I get that it's hard work, a lot harder than most would expect, but I'm willing to do it. I like working hard if it's for something that I really want...it just makes it all the more worthwhile. And that feeling of satisfaction after a long day of serving customers is the best feeling in the world.
It's also Friday, the end of the week, which means I should be reflecting back on this past week. I don't even know where to begin! I feel like I've learned more this week than I have in an entire semester of high school. I certainly surpassed my goal of thing I wanted to accomplish this week. I've met such amazing people and I did things I never thought I could pull off. I learned about opening and maintaining a business, how to work with others, customer service, the labor behind the operation, washing dishes, taking orders, preparing food, dealing with  both slow and busy days, promotion and marketing, AH!! I feel so enriched and excited. 
In fact, I had such a great time this week that I asked Zenia today if I could work a few times next week as well. I would work full time if I could, but I also realized that I have a lot of planning and setting up to do this next week. As soon as I got home today, I wrote down everything I need to focus on next week. Zenia's going to be sending me her business plan template to help me construct my business and think about important aspects of my food tent, which is going to be so helpful. A few of the many things I plan on doing is having another taste-testing session with a small group of friends and family who can give me some honest input, getting a logo created, getting my name out there through social media, going to costco/food depot to tally exactly what I need and how much it will cost, refining my business plan, and setting up some definite locations I can serve at in my final week. So far, I'm extremely satisfied with the way my senior project is turning out, and I'm getting so much more out of it than I had expected!
The most exciting part, actually, is that before this week I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do in college or beyond. But after meeting all of these people who share the same passion for food trucks as I do, I'm strongly considering majoring in Business and/or Marketing at UCLA next year. That' s what all these food truckers have under their belt, and I can do so much with that major. I also think I want to work for Zenia over the summer. WELL, talk to you soon! I can't wait to continue blogging about my crazy adventure. I'm feeling so good about this project....and am really hoping for an all-school presentation :)

Naked Chorizo: Hiller Aviation Museum

Today we went all the way to the Hiller Aviation Museum, which is around an hour away in San Carlos. It was me, Zenia, Nika, and Vanessa....a girls day! Zenia scheduled everyone's shift specifically so that we could have a day with just the girls, which was nice. And, not surprisingly, the flow and organization of the truck was a lot nicer and far less stressful than when we have the guys (Rickki and Al) working with us. 

(from left: Vanessa, Nika, and Zenia)

There were a lot of people getting lunch today (we served from 11-2), mostly from large corporate companies from around the area. It was kinda funny watching all these people dressed so corporate casually digging their faces into a greasy noodle dish, oily pork belly tacos, or some super sweet cream puffs. 
It made me realize that I really enjoy serving food to people. It's all that precise care and detail that has to be put into each dish you serve which makes it really stressful and scary, but at the same time oh-so-satisfying once you see them thoroughly enjoying their food, and coming back to ask questions about it as well. 

After lunch Nika, Vanessa and I drove the truck back to the Commissary where we cleaned the truck out and washed dishes. I suppose I proved myself worthy the last time I helped wash dishes, because today they sent me out to do it all on my own. They were trusting me with the cleanliness of their cooking and serving utensils! gah! 
Being the perfectionist I am, I spent a good hour washing the dishes inside. I was trying to move at a rapid pace because I didn't want to come off as the incapable intern, but there were a lot of dishes, and some of them had some pretty gnarly meat rinds stuck to the bottom. But I finally managed to finish them and we headed home. Once again, I'm exhausted from the day's work. Tomorrow morning I have to take my English AP exam, which means I'll miss part of my shift. But I plan on heading straight to San Bruno where the truck will be after I finish my test. It's gonna be another crazy day! 

Naked Chorizo: SoMa StrEat Park

Hi All!
It's Tuesday May 7th, 3rd day working in Naked Chorizo. Originally we were supposed to be working at Palace of Fine Arts, but they cancelled for some reason, so we got a last minute spot for lunch and dinner at the SoMa StrEat Food Park. I only worked lunch today, which was from 11am-3pm. It was a pretty relaxed day...which I was extremely thankful for!

Last night was a late one, which I will talk about now. We were in downtown San Mateo at the Urban Table FM event serving dinner from 4-8:30. Now, just because we were serving food for only 4 hours definitely does not mean that we were only working for 4 hours. People don't realize how much time is actually put in to a food truck! I had to show up at Pacifica (where the truck lives) at 2:30 to help prep; this meant making salsa, meat, rice, getting propane, etc. From there, we drove the truck to San Mateo and set up for dinner. I got to ride in the food truck and it was the most exciting thing ever! Pots and pans were kind of falling all over the place, but Rikki (truck driver/chef) didn't seem to think anything of it.
Serving dinner was fun. There was a good amount of people, but it wasn't overwhelming like it was on Cinco de Mayo. I got to work with another girl, Nikka, and she taught me how to prepare most of the dishes. I can now roll a burrito like a master!
Probably the best part about working at Urban Table FM was how much free food we got. So many trucks kept coming up to us and bringing us free frozen custard, free meat pies, free kettle corn (MY FAVORITE), and free chocolate fondue! It was a really nice way to get to know the other food truck workers too. It's truly a huge community, and people keep coming up to our truck because they've all heard about this "new intern" working at Naked Chorizo. They're as excited about me working in a food truck as I am!

Honey graham frozen custrard

"Peter" himself delivered this to me!!! 

Once the event was over and trucks began packing up, our night certainly was not. Every night after working, we have to take the truck to the Commissary, which is where all trucks are required to go to wash dishes, clean out floors, dump out trash, etc. We had to drive about 15 minutes to get there, and upon arrival there was a surprising amount of other food trucks there as well, doing the same thing. We emptied the entire truck of all the day's pots and pans, and Nikka and I went inside the building to wash dishes. Rikki swept the floors and washed the entire truck out with a hose. We finished cleaning everything out by around 10:15pm. Of course I checked my phone for the first time all day, and got an anxious text from my mother asking if I was almost done working, and if she should leave some leftovers out on the counter for me. I replied and said I was full from all the free food, but not to worry!
Ah, the life of a food-trucker.
Rikki dropped me off back in Pacifica where my car was, and I drove home. I didn't get back until 11pm, and then I realized how lucky I was that Zenia wasn't having me to go the Commissary every single night. I'm going back on Thursday, but I have tonight and tomorrow night off. Thank goodness!
I'm excited for tomorrow though. We're working at the Hiller Aviation Mueseum and Zenia won't stop talking about it--she says it's a really fun event to work, and usually the line doesn't stop for 3 hours.

My main concern at the moment is how I'm going to make it back in time for my dentist appointment at 3:30. I'd rather be Naked Chorizo--ing!

Me with Zenia's two nieces, who are visiting from the Phillipines

Naked Chorizo: Urban Table FM

It's Monday May 6th. The first official day of senior projects! I woke up this morning and I'm pretty sore from yesterday....which was no surprise.

My week is looking pretty exciting so far....today we're working at Urban Table FM at Caltrain in San Mateo. My shift is going to be from 4:30 to 8:30, and I'm learning how to "close" today, which apparently, is the most difficult part. It's when we have to clean up the truck, take out the trash, get rid of food, take inventory and count money. That should take a little while, so it's gonna be a late night! I'm excited though.

Then, on Tuesday we'll be serving lunch at the Palace of Fine Arts which I can basically walk to. Wednesday we'll be at the Hiller Aviation Museum, which Zenia has told me is one of the most fun locations to work at. She said that places like that are what keep her motivated, because it's a flood of people for at least 2 hours straight! Thursday morning I have my AP English test, but in the afternoon I'll be meeting them in San Bruno. Not sure yet what we have planned for Friday, but it should be equally exciting! 

I've been thinking about extending my internship. A week is so short and I'm having a really good time, so I'm going to ask Zenia if I can help out here and there next week as well. I mean who doesn't want some extra, free help?

Naked Chorizo Food Truck: First Day!!!

Hi Everyone!
So I began my senior projects a day early. It's Sunday, May 5th and the truck I'm interning with, (Naked Chorizo) asked if I wanted to help them out at the SOMA StrEat Fair for the special Cinco de Mayo celebration. Obviously, I was more than enthused to join in. And honored that they invited me to work at such a big event!

It was a big day right off the bat. I had to make my way all the way over to Pacifica to help Zenia (owner of Naked Chorizo) "start off", which is a necessity for all food trucks. It's basically where their off site kitchen is, which is where they do some extra food prep before heading to the day's locations. The truck is also kept there, with a fee of $125/month (not bad!)
I met her, but was mortifyingly 20 minutes late because I followed the wrong directions and ended up in San Bruno. It was fine though, as her head cook was just as late as I was! We prepared some rice and salsa in the truck, and about 30 minutes later we headed back into the city for the event at SOMA. We were scheduled to be up and running from 10am-7pm, which means we had to arrive an hour to 30 minutes ahead of time. Once the truck was set up within the cute little closed off congregation of food trucks, we did a bit more prep in anticipation of the day.
It started out slow....understandably, because I can't imagine many people craving a chorizo taco or some crispy lumpia at 10 in the morning. I was shocked at how much responsibility Zenia left me with, as she barely knows me, and has no knowledge of any prior experience I've had (which is zero). Instead of making me do food runs, take out the trash, clean plates, etc, she immediately put me in charge of taking orders. Taking orders!!! Here I am, this little 18 year old girl who knows nothing about the world, and I am suddenly taking orders, writing down numbers, giving people cash, handling their credit cards, explaining dishes and yelling at the chef. It was terrifying and also the greatest experience of my life.

may I take your order? 

It didn't get genuinely terrifying until the lunch crowd rolled in. Now, keep in mind that it was also Cinco de Mayo. So not only were these people hungry, but they were drunk and hungry. Our kitchen suddenly became very backed up, and the truck had a massive line. We had so many customers ordering food, but we also had a huge amount of people waiting for food! And just like that, I became the victim of a pack of hungry wolves. One, three, five people all began shouting at me into the small window of the food truck. "I've been waiting for at least 10 minutes for this food!!" "Why are you taking orders if you can't even serve them?!" "If I don't get my food now I'm just gonna get a refund because this is ridiculous" "What's the holdup? Why is this taking so long? THis is ridiculous!!!"
I felt like I was going to burst into tears and there was nobody to jump in and save the day as I had so secretly hoped. Zenia and the cook were hard at work, busting out orders. I simply looked around frantically, repeating "I don't know, I'm so sorry, AH!" over and over again. I was flustered and confused and felt so helpless. It was just horrific. And ironically, motivated me even more.

a very...cozy kitchen to work out of

Once we all got into the groove, I was taking orders (and getting tips!) like a master. It was my first day ever doing something even remotely like this, and I'm feelin pretty good about it. Although I was standing for legitimately 10 hours straight today, it didn't feel that long at all. I had so much fun today, even through the most stressful times, and the best part is that I am so excited to come back tomorrow. When I got home I collapsed onto the couch, smelling like oil and food, slightly dazed, numb feet, and a bit shell shocked from angry customers....but there's nothing I want to do more than to do it again tomorrow :)