The best of Greenville’s food truck scene
Emily Artus, Staff Writer
All over the country, food trucks pull into business parks and parking lots to serve hungry customers. And for North Greenville University students, food trucks can be an easy, quick and unique way to grab a meal.
Convenience is essential in the food truck industry, and that ease pulled in Rylee Marks, a sophomore psychology major.
“I was really hungry,” said Marks. “And it [the truck] was conveniently located on the side of the road, and it was pretty fast.”
During Greenville’s lunch hour, food trucks like Automatic Taco draw customers with speed, accessibility and the smell of tacos just feet away.
The allure of food trucks also stems from their novelty.
“It was a different kind of atmosphere,” said Sam Poppleton, a sophomore outdoor leadership major. “You get your food, you talk to them for a second, and then you go.”
Not only can NGU students can find food trucks in downtown Greenville, they can also try a truck or two in Travelers Rest. Students can purchase food from vendors like the Chuck Truck, which grills burgers between Shortfield’s and Tandem, a local favorite.
The Chuck Truck serves a customer in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. Photo courtesy of Timm Artus.
Also, the Chuck Truck and Thoroughfare, which serves sandwiches and disco tots, set up camp some Saturday nights in the Stone’s Point shopping center.
Though many food trucks often gather in one area, the competition between vendors is generally healthy because of the variety of offered foods.
“They [food trucks] normally specialize in one kind of food,” said Poppleton. “And they normally do that one kind of food really well.”
Across the street from Stone’s Point is Henry’s Smokehouse, which offers catering services though its food truck, Henry’s Hog Hauler. The barbecue joint caters weddings, church picnics and graduations, and Asada’s food truck, Lola, also caters Latin-American dishes for such events.
Food trucks aren’t limited to selling a full menu either. Specialty carts serve up streamlined versions of the classic food truck.
A few local carts are The Nomadik Few, which offers a variety of shaved ice flavors, and Methodical Coffee, which sets up a cold-brew bicycle.
By following their favorite food trucks on social media, customers can quickly search and find food trucks near them through Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
