Resturaunt VS Truck

RestauRant vs Exploring the Simalarities and Differences Between Two Vegan Businesses in Austin tRuck BY VIBHA SHETH

The waiter sets the plate down beside you. The burger smells delicious, it’s warm and ready to eat. You look at the burger, with its soft bread and juicy patty, and are longing to just take a bite. The consistency is perfect and it tastes like heaven. There is something different about this burger but you can’t quite figure it out. The waiter notices your delight as they walk over to you and ask, “How is the cauliflower?” You think to yourself, “It’s not meat?!” Austin is known for its variety of cuisines and food culture. Vegan businesses are blooming throughout the city. Jill Guiletti, someone who has been vegan for about 20 years, said she thinks more people are becoming vegan because of how much more information is being provided about veganism. There are more recipe books, blogs and other websites to help as well. This has led to a huge growth in vegan businesses. Community Vegan, a completely vegan food truck located in central Austin is known for their Southern-fried

Marlon Rison serving up a “Lemon Pepper Wangz” basket. Photo courtesy of Marlon Rison.

king oyster mushrooms and They also serve comfort food like nachos, loaded fries, tater tots, and fried avocado bites. Rebel Cheese is another vegan establishment located in Austin. They are famous for their specialty sandwiches, and their creative, unique vegan options such as the “Charcuterie We Can” board which is a customer favorite. Marlon Rison is the coowner of Community Vegan, as well as Erica Dots. Rison had been cooking for years and his girlfriend encouraged him to look into starting a restaurant. Before opening the food truck, Rison had been doing Zoom cooking demos, and had a passion for it too. Towards the end of 2020, he decided to start his own business. He found a Winnebago van which he then purchased, refurbished and turned it into what we now know as Community Vegan. “I’d say what makes us unique is the food that we’re offering, we’ve got some unique items on our menu that you don’t find at all restaurants,” Rison said. According to Rison, the top three most popular menu items are the “Beer Battered Cauli Chikn Sandwich,” the “I used to eat fish” fish filet sandwich,” and the lemon pepper wings. Customers also love their shakes and crab cake totchos. Hayley Fulton’s role at Rebel Cheese is chief ambassador. Fulton said that she had been vegan for about 2 years and wanted to expand her basis. She began working there in April of 2021 and it was her first time ever working in a restaurant. Fulton said she has stayed at Rebel Cheese because she loves being around her co-workers and has made great friends. She adds that she really likes the environment and doesn’t see herself leaving Rebel Cheese anytime soon. “Rebel Cheese is a vegan multi-shop which you definitely don’t see a lot of,” Fulton said. “That’s our thing, you get our fancy cheeses mixed with other dining options, and our food is great for people who are lactose intolerant as well which is a bonus.” Rebel Cheese has a deli, wine and cheese shop. They also serve salads, soups, and assorted pastries. Fulton said their “Bacon, Brie, Me” sandwich is a favorite among

Inside the Rebel Cheese resturaunt located on Aldrich St Suite 120, Austin, Tx. Photo courtesy of Rebel Cheese. Community Vegan’s “Beer Battered Cauli Chikn Sandwich.” Photo courtesy of Community Vegan.

The Community Vegan Winnebago Van located on 11th St, Austin, TX. Photo courtesy of Marlon Rison.

customers. This sandwich is made with arugula, fig jam, bacon, and aged brie. Their most popular cheese is brie as well. “I really like the ‘Gentle Reuben’ sandwich,” Fulton said, “That’s my favorite on the menu, and it’s also my favorite cheese.” Some ingredients included in this sandwich are meatless corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing made from scratch. “We’re brand spanking new!” Rison said. “We have already met so many amazing people in the food industry and are learning so much along the way.” Rison said that Community Vegan has only been open for a few months, and some challenging aspects are the responsibilities you are required to take care of. They are slowly adapting and learning so that in the future there are no issues. “When owning a new business, you find out that no matter how prepared you are, things will break down,” Rison said. That’s probably been the biggest hurdle as far as learning how to operate a business.” Rison said that since he started the business, he has enjoyed talking to people and finding out what their food experiences are, and then hopefully adding to it with some good food of his own. He adds that he thinks Community Vegan is successful because of the positivity, the upbeat music, and new food options. Fulton said that Rebel Cheese has a very friendly staff, and you can see that everyone gets along with each other very well right when you walk into the restaurant. “I think it’s a very welcoming environment,”Fulton said, ”Everyone is free to ask questions and try anything.” Fulton describes the staff and environment as comforting and fun to be around. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected businesses everywhere. Some are even completely shutting down production, it has been a struggle in many different ways. “Even though the pandemic essentially shut down most businesses, people still need to eat,” Rison said, “We’ve still had an incredible opportunity to serve a lot of people who are still hungry during the pandemic.” Rison said that a vegan food truck also brings a lot of people who are trying to eat healthier. With people paying closer attention to their health and what they put in their body, Community Vegan has reached out to a whole new group of individuals. “I would say overall the business has adjusted positively to the pandemic but it’s not been

Rebel Cheese’s “Greater Grinder,” “Kind Caprese” and “The Frenchie” cold sandwiches. Photo courtesy of Rebel Cheese.

Community Vegan’s “Crab Cake Totchos” loaded with cheese and their in-house crab cake sauce, a customer favorite. Photo courtesy of Community Vegan.

The wine collection at Rebel Cheese. Photo courtesy of Hayley Fulton.

“we’Re bRand sPankIng new!” -maRlon RIson

easy for us,” Fulton said, “We are doing the best they can but it has definitely been chaotic.” Fulton said as Austin was in stage five during COVID-19 , the dining room had been shut down, but the patio outside was still available. They were also trying to limit four people inside the restaurant at once. Owning a food truck is not easy, according to Rison, but still enjoyable. “My day starts around seven o’clock in the morning,” Rison said when describing his day-to-day life operating the truck. Rison said after he arrives at the food truck, he checks inventory and makes sure everything is ready and prepared for the day. He does any extra cleaning and food prep as needed. Business opens at 11 A.M and according to Rison, things start to pick up quickly. “We usually take in a pretty good amount of orders during that lunch period,” Rison said, “So from 11:30 to about two o’clock, it’s typically very busy for us.” Rison said in the middle of the day there’s a break, and then from about four to seven, business is busy again until closing. Rebel Cheese is also pretty busy during the day according to Fulton. The hours of operation are from 11 a.m to 10 p.m. The busiest times of day range from 3 p.m to 9 p.m and most customers visit around p.m. “We definitely want to open up another food truck, either here in Austin or in Dallas,” Rison said. “One of our bigger projects is to open up a bodega/deli here in the Austin area where we’re able to provide the full range of vegan and plant based products, all the way from grocery items to coffee and bakery items.” Fulton said that Rebel Cheese is a great place for friends and family to hang out and relax. Rebel Cheese plans to continue providing the upbeat and kind environment as well as the tasty food they serve. Community Vegan and Rebel Cheese are restaurants that all Austin residents have to visit, vegan or not. From their happy, positive environments, to the amazing food, these restaurants are a staple in the vegan community.