Tacos to go: Whole Foods hits the road
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If it's Thursday, it must be tacos next door to the Haven on Market Street.photo by lisa provence -
Dave Ganoe takes the orders, the credit or debit cards, and serves up lunch.photo by lisa provence
Possibly you've seen the leafy-greens-and-giant-corn-emblazoned truck at Fridays After Five. Or perhaps in the Whole Foods parking lot. Or maybe near Lee Park on West Market Street every Thursday at lunch time, where it sells build-your-own burritos, tacos, and nachos– fast, cheap and delicious.
First you choose a protein– such as cilantro-chicken or carnitas or roast vegetables with spinach. Next comes the filling– black beans or cilantro dirty rice. Finally, check off your condiments of choice, such as salsa fresca or guacamole (the locally-made Mad Hatter super-condiment was an option the last time we visited the truck). Voila, you've got a burrito or two tacos for $6 tops.
"We try to be competitive with the pricing," says Ian Huitt, the grocery's prepared foods team leader. "No one wants to stand in line for 15 minutes; no one wants to spend $15."
The food truck went into service about a year ago when the new store opened. From Wednesday to Saturday, it hits festivals, parties, and an auto auction near the store. It's available for catered events, says Huitt, and he's open to suggestions for other locations to park the truck at lunch or dinner time.
"The idea was to try to focus on really good food with strong flavors," says Huitt.
Hamburgers and fries are on the menu at some events, but that's not the only option. "We can design a menu," says Huitt. "We can do Asian food." And they're working on a seasonally rotated menu, he adds.
While there are other Whole Foods trucks on the West Coast, this is the only one the company operates in the East, notes Huitt.
"It's a way for us to get out there and introduce good food around town," he says. "Now that people are getting familiar with us, we're building a following."
4 comments
viva tako nako you wont find flannel or trucker hats- though the atmosphere may not vibe with the whole foods fridays after 5 crowd.
Sounds good. A couple weeks ago at Fridays After Five they were way back on the left and I didn't see much happening there, but good luck.
They have to call it dirty rice now because of the arsenic scare.
The food IS really good and cheap ( no whole paycheck here), but have no doubt, Dave and is partner Austin(?) make it worth the trip, no matter where they are. always fun and engaging. Don't know who Ian is, but Dave is your guy whenever you're your at Whole foods.