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WHAT THE TRUCK
Rolling with the Punches, Driving a New Trend
(First published Fall/Winter 2014-2015 in Solace Magazine)
Tempted to rev up your own food truck? Paul Lee has a word of advice: “Don’t.”
There’s no malice behind that advice, no competitive spite. “People just need to be told the truth,” says Lee. “This business is not easy. It’s not glamorous. It’s seasonal work with long hours and the alarm going off at 4 a.m. You’re living and breathing ‘food truck’—you can’t escape it.”
Let’s just say it takes a certain type of person.
Lee and his wife, Jessica, also own The Winchester at 648 Wealthy St. SE in Grand Rapids, and Donkey Taqueria, just down the street at 665 Wealthy. The Lees are energized by the chaos their three businesses serve up.
“Every day is different,” says the laid-back Lee. “There’s a certain level of stress that makes me feel alive. I do it because I enjoy creating a great experience for our guests. I want to please them, connect with them. That’s why I love it.”
Local advertising and design firm Kantorwassink created the truck’s ADDY Award-winning exterior, which echoes the Lees’ sense of play. Inside the serving quarters, everything is made to order, with fresh ingredients. On the road since summer 2009, What The Truck serves up unexpected, easy eats, like tacos that tease with Asian ingredients.
Because the truck has no kitchen, food is made from scratch at The Winchester, then transferred to the truck. Lee sources all produce locally when he can. Up to 200 customers can be served before supplies need replenishing. If there’s a big run on food, a simple phone call is all it takes to get more.
What The Truck caters to a variety of events: graduation parties, wedding receptions, business events, Jazz at the Zoo, and festivals, too.
Lee had no preconceived notions about the food truck business, but he learned very early on that the road was fraught with frustration. Hence the name, “What The Truck.”
First, there was the long road trip to Maine to purchase the 1988 commercial truck from a university. There was no title because the truck was state-owned. After a frantic search, the university located the 26-year-old purchase order. Then, on the way back home, the truck broke down in Ohio. Thankfully, it was an easy fix: a $50 engine sensor. After that, it took two weeks to straighten things out with the DMV. Lee used that time to plan the truck’s reconfiguration.
But the roadblocks were only beginning. Because Lee’s food truck was the first of its kind in Grand Rapids, the city had no regulations in place. And some existing brick-and-mortar restaurants weren’t sure what to make of this newcomer.
What The Truck, indeed.
Food trucks are a common sight in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Austin, and Portland, Oregon. In fact, the more the merrier. “A cluster of food trucks builds energy and creates more foot traffic, which in turn supports other businesses, like retail and sit-down restaurants,” says Lee. “We need a critical mass. The development along Wealthy Street is a good example.”
In July 2012, the Grand Rapids City Commission approved an ordinance allowing food trucks to vend on private property.
Lee gleans the good from experiences and learns from the bad—like the time he was fired from his first job waiting tables at a now-defunct Italian restaurant. “I had worked there two years and never asked for time off,” he says. “The one time I did—to go to my own high school graduation— they told me to come in, or I was fired.”
Lee swore he would never treat his employees badly. He pays his staff above minimum wage, and everybody gets holidays off. “I want my staff to have a life,” he says. “I implement only the good into my own businesses. People may forget your name, but they never forget the way you make them feel.”
He’s only half joking when he says that the business is mentally preparing the couple for retirement. “We work closely together, so when the kids finally leave home, Jessica and I won’t wonder how to get along. We have our moments, but we enjoy working with each other.”
A second food truck is in the works.
You’ll find What The Truck parked outside the GRAM throughout ArtPrize. It’s a mainstay throughout the summer at that same location, three days a week.
Stay in touch with What The Truck by visiting their facebook page or whatthetruckgr.com.
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Socks That Really Sock It To You (In a Very Good Way)
(First published December 17, 2015, on wktvjournal.org)
Sure you’ve had it up to “there” with clever wordplay, but sometimes it can’t be helped. It’s been a really rough morning and, from time to time, clichés have a calming effect. Such is the case today.
Aside from that, did you know there’s a hot, new shop on South Division? It’s called boldSOCKS, and that’s not false advertising. If you’re a man, you’ll be in sock heaven. They have women’s socks, too, but the selection isn’t nearly as large or as bold as the men’s. I have already brought this to the establishment’s attention, and they have assured me that they will get right on it.
The creators of this long-overdue niche store say that the idea was sparked by some good-natured competition between the founders about who wore the coolest socks. It didn’t take long before they came to an impasse because there just weren’t any retailers with the cojones to carry a bold line of socks. The rest is a basement-to-Internet to brick-and-mortar story that warms the cockles of my heart. Other local companies, too, had humble beginnings in a founder’s basement and they grew to be incredibly profitable, so this thing could be HUGE.
Out of the original competition came the realization that men in conservative work environments need a way to express themselves. I mean, if you have to wear a monkey suit day after day after boring day, I guess you could express individuality with a tie, but even that might be too risky in ultra-conservative places like banks and such. Socks? That’s a whole ‘nother story.
Bold socks enable men in any field of employment and at any income level to rock just about any pattern, any color they like. Yessiree, a man can now control how much personality he feels is appropriate to reveal to the Big Cheese.
Cross legs for just a peep of personality. For those particularly awful bosses, one need only refrain from crossing legs, and Mr. Mean is none the wiser.
As an aside, how can anyone live that way? I’m not judging; I honestly want to know. Well, after pondering the dilemma for some time, it has become clear to me that these socks are saving the world, one man at a time. By allowing some freedom of expression, these socks prevent men from going off the deep end. On a collective level, this is an amazing feat. These socks deserve recognition for their contribution to the well-being of all of humanity.
On a more local level, men just want to have fun. Trends include mustache socks, airplane socks, penguin socks, and video game controller socks. If you’re not up to speed on the style of the moment, don’t despair; there’s a blog on the website that dishes on the color of the month, pairing ideas, trending patterns and more. Even the geekiest guy can rock a cool style and people will have absolutely no clue that he’s clueless.
The brick-and-mortar shop at 17 S. Division (near Fulton) has 600 square feet designed to mock an art gallery. Maybe “mock” isn’t the right word. How about “mimic?” No. That doesn’t feel right either. Resemble? Stop in the shop and let us know what you think.
So, guys, if you feel like letting some of your personality quirks peep out in a way that is socially acceptable, this is the shop for you. There are more than 200 styles and colors from which to choose.
Makes a great gift, by the way.
Still waiting on women’s socks.
Yep.
Waiting…
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