Behind the Window: Toum NYC
You have your favorite food trucks (and we have ours) but have you ever wondered what goes on beyond the serving window? The food truck industry is exciting, fast paced and challenging but those who are in the biz do it for the love of the game.
Take a sneak peek behind the scenes of Toum: NYC’s most popular Lebanese food truck.
You might recognize them by the cute little garlic man on their truck fabrication or maybe you’ve seen them at a NYFTA event recently. They are everywhere! Starting as a humble side catering business for family and friends in the community by request has turned into a full blown operation with a huge following. Regulars find them for their authentic cuisine (stuffed grape leaves on a food truck?) and stay for the staff’s smiling faces.
What goes on during a regular food truck meal service might be clear to some but is a mystery to most. It is not always be pretty (especially when there’s a line) but the madness leads to deliciousness.
Depending on the truck, there could be anywhere between 2-6 people working in a confined space at a time. Think of your one-bedroom apartment being converted into a three-bedroom: space is hard to come by but just like your walk up in the city, they make use of the space they do have. Toum even made room for their vertical meat spit! Innovation is the key to success in any mobile kitchen. Toum specifically has to pre-plan storage for to-go salad containers, utensils to hand out as well as transport all beverages (including their signature lemonade). Toum as well as all of the NYFTA members have their Department of Health certifications to ensure quality and cleanliness.
Toum (which means garlic in Lebanese) always has a line during lunch wherever they are. They blast out their location in the city via social media nearly everyday to keep their dedicated followers in the know if they are off the streets for an event. They are available for pretty much anything from private catered events to Ubereats to pop up lunches at the office. Just follow the crazy garlic man!
Keep Calm and Shawarma on!
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