by Marlon Saucedo
Every spring, Austin brings the masses inside its limits to search for an indulgence of their senses. Food trucks have been an Austin staple for decades and have a strong presence in South By Southwest, pleasing people’s sense of taste.
“Last year, South By, at the Long Center, we saw about 500 customers a day. Compared to our daily lunch of 80 customers,” said Cheryl Cunningham, owner of Dang F’ing Good, or DFG Noodle, which specializes in popular Southeast Asian rice and noodle dishes.
Cunningham aspires to open her own restaurant one day, much like Austin-bred Torchy’s Tacos, which started as a food truck. Cunningham says that she hires temporary workers for SXSW and holds work days that last from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. as compared to the truck’s typical work days that last from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“We got voted one of the best food trucks in Austin out of the 2000 something food trucks. … And that’s just the legal ones,” said Cunningham.
Also among Austin’s legal and most popular food trucks is Korean and Mexican fusion food truck, Chi’lantro.
“We get people from Australia, England, France, all over the United States, Canada, Mexico; the crowd is just completely different than a normal weekend shift” said Andrew Huey, an executive chef for the Chi’lantro food truck. Huey said that Ryan Gosling, as well as rappers Andre 300 from Outkast and Sir Mix A Lot, creator of “Baby Got Back,” were among their most recent celebrity customers. “None of the celebrities we meet are any more special than some of the customers we have,” said Huey.
Chi’lantro is among Austin’s businesses that originated as a food truck and has now established itself as a restaurant.
“I’ve worked for a bunch of different companies, anywhere from stadiums to convention centers and it’s nothing like Chi’lantro,” said Huey. “We train people to just be super friendly and super happy and you know, dance and joke around with them (customers) and we do whatever we can to make their day better.”
Since 2010, Chi’lantro has been a part of a partnership between SXSW and food truck businesses. The partnership regards the feeding of SXSW volunteers, through a scannable voucher system.
“It’s actually very similar to California, but conventions and events in California wouldn’t do that kind of partnership with food trucks, so it’s a pretty effective system in South By,” said SXSW volunteer, Marko Ocampo on California’s festivals.
One of this year’s big sponsors McDonald’s brought its own food truck, which offered free food. However, people like SXSW Music Panels Crew Chief, Alex Simmons think that this year’s focus on the partnership with Austin’s food trucks brought the event back to its roots.
“I thought it was a great thing because of the fact that local businesses were being supported,” said Simmons. “Versus the past years where SXSW has had massive brands come out and do stuff, this year was much more toned down and in tune with what SXSW is all about – the small people.”
Marlon C.S. 