City Solutions: Neighborhood Food Truck Night
“A shift in business can save a food truck and Saturday night”
Taco Oso Owner, Mark Schmidt (middle) with crew, Ronnie Gold (left) and Kiesha Brantley (right), photo: City Ombudsman
On Saturday night, 50 North Avondale families got out of the house for Taco Saturday with Taco Oso food truck. Owner Mark Schmidt found a new purpose for his truck by providing neighborhood food nights during the stay at home order.
Schmidt indicated that by Easter this year, he was “in scramble mode” after most of his business was canceled due to COVID-19 and state of emergency in Ohio. With a looming insurance payment of almost $3,000, the Texas native thought it might be time to park his taco truck.
In the meantime, a small neighborhood contacted Schmidt and asked to hire the food truck one night. The contact asked Schmidt if he could serve food in a Corona-safe way. Schmidt thought it through and confirmed his food could be served to neighborhoods within the guidelines. “It’s been really good and it turned my season around,” said Schmidt.
Schmidt reached out to his contacts, including North Avondale resident Sarah Rich, who had hired him for events. Rich was eager to work with Schmidt again, “Taco Oso has worked events at the local swim club for several years and has always been reliable. He was great to work with for events.”
Schmidt established a new ordering system and procedures to keep his service and crew safe. Before a neighborhood event, orders are placed through a Google form. Customers select a specific time window for picking up food. Schmidt sends an invoice to the customer, which is paid in advance. No payment changes hands and the orders are ready, which reduces contact and wait time. Because all service is outside, it’s easy to maintain six-feet of distance while also greeting a neighbor. Because it is a neighborhood-based event, most individuals walk to the truck, which reduces the distance customers travel. For some neighbors on Saturday, it felt safer than traveling to a restaurant for carry-out food.
Rich publicized the event through Facebook, Nextdoor, and emails, but indicated that Schmidt took care of everything, “which is why it would probably be a good idea for other neighborhoods -- because it was super easy.”
Schmidt said the idea “ended up spreading like a wildfire.” His food truck is now fairly booked up. “We’ve been getting a lot of good feedback. Most people are ready to get outside of their house and most people are tired of cooking at home right now,” said Schmidt.
City Ombudsman sampled the tacos for our readers and can confirm that the food is delicious. Schmidt started immersing himself in Mexican culture and recipes as a teenage cook in Texas before heading to culinary school. He was living in Austin, Texas, but had family in Cincinnati. He realized that Cincinnati might be a better market when he was ready to open Taco Oso.
“People are really excited about the little things, like tacos. I think a few months ago, Saturday night tacos would have been a run-of-the-mill thing to do, but now everyone is pretty excited we’ll be able to walk to a taco truck in our own neighborhood,” Rich said before the event. “I hope this really brings some attention to Mark’s business.”
Would your neighborhood try a food truck on a Saturday night? It was a big success in North Avondale. It shows how a shift in business can save a food truck and Saturday night.
Contact Taco Oso about availability: Mark Schmidt, 513-704-5017
The Cincinnati Food Truck Association website has additional information about local food trucks
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