Puerto Vallarta has opened a new addition to the three restaurants already in Muncie, and this one has wheels.
It’s new food truck, Puerta’s Mexican Food and Catering, made its debut at the Delaware County Fair and its first appearance near campus during move-in weekend.
Students can expect to find the truck parked in the Village on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“I think Muncie is just starting to discover that food truck venues are more popular, especially for foot traffic,” Garcia said. “We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t get a good response, that much is for sure.”
In spring this year, Bob Mattax opened Muncie’s first food truck Slop on Top with hopes of creating a food truck trend for the area. Mattax wanted Muncie to echo Indianapolis and other metropolitan cities where food trucks have become a part of the community.
“I hope to inspire a whole new movement,” Mattax said in an interview last spring. “Muncie has developed as a cool place for unique beers, but in 10 years it will be known for its interesting food and music scene.”
Since then, Slop on Top has gained a following, and with Puerta's Mexican Food and Catering entering the picture, it seems to be a possibility.
The idea for a mobile Puerto Vallarta came from Emanuel Escamilla, 22, and Ricardo Garcia, 21, who are the managers leading the project. They initially thought of a simple stand to sell cheese dip.
The duo eventually scaled up to a more elaborate operation in the back of a heavily modified S.W.A.T. truck that was retired from the city of Newcastle. Inside they fitted it with refrigerators, a range, a 36-inch griddle, plumbing and other elements of a traditional kitchen.
A mobile generator located in an attached trailer powers the truck.
“There’s a challenge space-wise, but honestly, it’s the same setup as the kitchen that we have in most restaurants,” Garcia said.
The operation is using social media and web-based promotions to advertise the truck. Students who like Puerta’s on Facebook receive a 10 percent discount. The truck also has a Twitter feed to announce their location, specials and other information.
“I want to have a following base, so people know if we’re going to [park] any place,” Garcia said. “So they can know about it and not have to look for it.”
Some of the restaurant specials have transitioned well to the truck. The IS Burrito aims to include all the elements of the original IS Special, but in a burrito. Operators said it is selling well along with nachos and taco salads.
Escamilla and Garcia are currently working to develop new items specifically for the truck and said they welcome suggestions from customers.
The operators said they had students in mind when formulating the idea. They said that since many students don’t have easy access to vehicles, transportation prevents them from exploring off-campus.
“We thought if we moved it closer to them, we would see a better outcome,” Garcia said. “We thought we’d see more faces.”
Escamilla and Garcia work with cooks brought in from the stationary Puerta’s locations to help them with their operation.
“They have more experience than we do and they move a lot faster.” Escamilla said.
