What’s Street Meat and Why Is It A Lifesaver For Many New Yorkers? by Angel Fuentes Let’s be honest...we are all wondering about street meat! Street meat carts and trucks are owned primarily by immigrants, many hailing from Egypt, Morocco, Afghanistan, and throughout Latin America. Foods sold from these trucks include classic hot dogs, gyro, and kebabs, which are small pieces of meat such as lamb or beef with grilled vegetables on a skewer. Food carts and trucks place a major role in New York City, since they are fast and affordable compared to most restaurants, attracting locals, tourists, students, busy professionals, folks trying to save money, singles, and families alike. Food carts are one of the best ways to start as an entrepreneur because they cost less than opening a restaurant. Roughly a food truck will cost you between $70,000- $80,000, according to CNBC; comparatively, a restaurant might take you a median price of $150,000. Some of the major benefits of owning a food truck are that you have low startup cost, you have the ability to be your own boss, you have the flexibility to work when you want, it’s less risky than opening a restaurant, and you can move around based on the demand in the area. If you see that business is not doing good in one area, you can move to another where the business might boom. Additionally, little restaurant experience is required - anyone with passion and determination can do it!
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But don’t be fooled; it’s not an easy job...you need to work long shifts, haul the cart around, and consider how the weather might affect your business and the demographics of the specific place you’re going to open. You have to comply with many regulations and laws, and you also have to think about the competition near you, and how you can provide for the customer’s needs and demands. When considering where to place your food truck, to community centers or spots filled with tourists, like Central Park or other parks, beaches, busy commercial streets, subway stations, festivals, and events. When deciding what to cook, you should consider what food your customers can eat on the go, which foods have a great profit margin, how you will get your ingredients, and how many items to put on your menu. Last but not least, think about what foods you are good at making, and what you grew up with that connects to your culture. In New York, some of the food trucks we see most frequently are the iconic halal carts. Halal food is simple yet delicious, and can feature a variety of meats like beef, lamb, goat, venison, bison, chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish. The most common meal from a halal cart is lamb or chicken made into a gyro, where the meat is wrapped in pita with lettuce and tomatoes, and covered with a tangy white sauce and/or a red harissa-based sauce...and, of course, rice on the side!
