Business
BY KATY MCAFEE
Austin-area food trucks struggle to operate in scorching heat Sales are down, employees are sweaty, and the pressure is high for Austin-area food trucks operat- ing through the excessive heat this summer. Zooming in
Central Texas has seen triple-digit temperatures nearly every day since July 8, causing Austin’s iconic food truck industry to face grueling setbacks. “Literally every time we turn the stove on to prep something ... the whole trailer turns into an oven because of how hot it is,” said Kareem El-Ghayesh, owner of East Austin food truck KG BBQ. El-Ghayesh opened his Egyptian-Texan barbecue spot in October and had seen booming sales until June, when they suddenly dropped. “I feel bad for my customers,” he said. “We installed misters, and we have a lot of shade. We installed some big umbrellas for people that stand in line. But people are standing in line outside for 45 minutes or an hour in the heat.” Both Derek Desko, owner of Rogues Over the Top Pierogi in Cedar Park, and Alex Rebollar of Taco Xpress said they have seen business slow. Desko said while some regulars have come to support his business in the heat, he’s noticed a roughly 70% decline in unique customers. Taco Xpress has had sales dip by about 20%, Rebollar said. Tejas Birria, a truck with locations in South Austin, Buda and San Antonio, started delivering to make up for lost income. It also made some opera- tional changes, owner Alex Hernandez said, such as not using the Austin truck’s fryer as temperatures inside were 10-20 degrees hotter than outside. Teal House Co ee & Bakery had to close its Dripping Springs trailer entirely July 31 due to the high heat, owner Lance Phillips said.
Ismael Mondragon, co-owner of Taco Xpress food truck in Central Austin, is one of many food truck owners in the Austin-area who’s been forced to adapt his business due to excessive heat.
KATY MCAFEE COMMUNITY IMPACT
What’s next Desko said he is making it through the summer by diversifying his income streams. Outside the trailer, Rogues’ pierogies are also sold in frozen form at three Foxtrot locations, the Barton Creek Farmers Market and Tiny Grocer on South Congress Avenue. One week in August, Desko said the trailer only brought in 25% of the business’s revenue, while retail, pop-ups and Rogues’ farmers market presence picked up the remaining 75%. Paula Samford, co-owner of doughnut shop Gourdough’s, said the business is o ering a “beat the heat” special—a free scoop of ice cream on a doughnut when the temperature hits triple digits. All-vegan restaurant Counter Culture operated as a brick-and-mortar in East Austin for 11 years until
“Literally every time we turn the stove on to prep something ... the whole trailer turns into an oven because of how hot it is.” KAREEM EL GHAYESH, OWNER OF EAST AUSTIN FOOD TRUCK KG BBQ
it shuttered in late 2022. Owner Sue Davis revived the restaurant by opening a food truck in the West Campus neighborhood in May; however, it is struggling to nd its footing in the heat. “We are looking forward to cooler weather and hope we can make it,” Davis said in an email.
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