From ruin to gangbuster business: Redlands smacks lips for lush mobile delicacies
These three southeast Queensland food truck businesses say they have been saved from certain collapse by hitting the streets. FIND OUT WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM
Redlands Coast
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A FOOD truck operator has gone from overnight ruin to “gangbuster” business as a southeast Queensland community embraces movable feasts.
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Mr America Hotdogs and Fries owner and operator Simon Darraugh was booked a year in advance at events around the Brisbane area only to see his business devastated in a matter of hours after coronavirus restrictions were announced for mass gatherings.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Mr Darraugh said.
“We had solid bookings for a whole year and I had never had a business collapse like that.
“It was like an invisible padlock someone had put on the business.”
Offering classic American fare like hot dogs, hamburgers, onion rings and fries the food truck operator spent a few shocked weeks at home until he decided to hit the streets in the Redlands and hasn’t looked back since.
“We are getting people travelling 20 minutes to visit the van,” Mr Darraugh said.
“It is going gangbusters, the community has really gotten behind it.
“It is amazing the amount of people who turn out for a couple of hours for food.
“And the feedback has been excellent which has given our morale a massive boost.
“If the community hadn’t come out like they have this wouldn’t be happening.”
So successful has the venture been Mr Darraugh will now hire three extra staff and plan on maintaining his suburban coverage for the next 12 months.
Mr America favourites include beer battered onion rings “that fly out the door; they’re awesome”, the good old dagwood dog and Mr Pickle Hotdog.
The truck can be found at Donald Road Sportsfield in Redland Bay and the Mt Cotton Community Hall from Thursday to Sunday.
New York Waffle owner and operator Todd Atwood shared in the initial coronavirus misery and contemplated a complete business shutdown until an acquaintance offered him his carpark to try out in the suburbs.
Mr Atwood has since been buoyed by the Redlands’ hunger for fast food dining in the open air.
“People have been really grateful that we’ve come out especially to areas where there aren’t a lot of options for food, like Redland Bay and Mount Cotton,” he said.
“A local guy offered me his carpark, we tried it out and more and more people kept coming out.
“So it wasn’t our master plan but it has been really good in helping us get by.”
A former lawyer and now stay-at-home dad and weekend food van operator, Mr Atwood said the Ferrero Waffle was a firm favourite.
New York Waffles does not have a set schedule but can be found in Redland Bay, Mt Cotton and Thornlands on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Coronavirus restrictions has also seen an “old school” favourite revived.
The salivary-inducing melody of an ice cream truck has been making the rounds in the Redlands over the past week.Cone Queen operator Sofija Tahiraj has been bombarded by hundreds of online messages after announcing her entry to the area.
Usually parked at a single location in the city the Thornlands resident wished she had “hit the streets” sooner.
“I am really overwhelmed by the impact I have had but I was hesitant at the start and wanted to make sure everything was Kosher with COVID-19,” Ms Tahiraj said.
“People were messaging me as I drove saying they could hear but not see me.
“There were people chasing me because I didn’t see them in the rearview mirror and I was going a little too fast because I was not used to the streets.
“No it is clear they are desperate to get out of the house and spend some money.”
An ice cream lady on the weekends since 2006 Ms Tahiraj lost $15,000 in event bookings due to restrictions and said the community response in the Redlands has been a saviour.
Cone Queen favourites include Rainbow Sprinkles and Chocolate Dip and can be enjoyed at different suburbs as the truck rotates through the Redlands.
For up-to-date schedules see the operators’ Facebook sites.
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