To Rally or Not to Rally: Gainesville Food Trucks

By Erin Dailey · On October 3, 2013

Food truck rallies have become a trendy venue for many young adults. Gainesville’s very own High Dive has hosted several rallies since January (taking place at the end of every month) Food trucks offer a wide variety of edible options and seem like the perfect activity for a night out, but are they?

Here are some of the benefits and hang-ups to help you decide:

PROS:

A CHANCE TO CONGREGATE

You and your buds have gone to places like Tijuana Flats, The Top, and Maudes more than you can count on your hands and feet. It’s gotten to the point where hitting the regular urban scene seems lackluster. Food truck venues can reinvigorate the senses. It can be a breath of fresh air to see familiar faces outside of a cramped pool hall, and it gives a chance for you and your friends to discuss visiting food trucks and the meal you probably just devoured. Food trucks also give the opportunity of presenting…

UNIQUE EATS

Ever had squid deep fried in pork fat and served with pad thai? No? More often than not, food trucks thrive on unique dishes that’ll get the taste buds jumping. Rallies are all about beating the competition, so many venders will find ways to get the customers attention in any way possible. They also want you to keep coming back for more and to spread the word about their food, so unlike any carnival gimmick the unique eat is going to be worth the drop in your wallet.

Via: loveandwhimsyblog.com

OUTSIDE ENTERTAINMENT

Food truck rallies are also a great way to promote local bands. High Dive is a great example of this, as they provide (and promote) DJ’s and various artists from around town. It’s also a chance for your every-day street performer to visit and rattle off a diddy or two on their guitar and sell any merch they’ve made personally. You can’t get more artistically ethereal than that (unless you include the monthly artwalk and Bo Diddly concerts, of course.) Rallies can also be a great place to take (show off) your pet!

CONS:

HURTS THE WALLET

With great food truck rallies comes great spending, and Gainesville is no exception. The last rally ended up taking twenty-something bucks from my already empty wallet. It’s hard to deny such great snacks when they’re only four or five dollars each. Just be careful when taking on these events, saying no is almost impossible.

HEALTH RISK

‘Unique food’ can also mean ‘comfort food’, and as we all know no comfort food can deny the chance of impending thunder thighs. There’s always vegetarian and ‘gluten-free’ options, but those too can result in high intakes of peanut oil and fats. And almost every truck has options for your sweet tooth (see Sherri’s Pop-Up or the Gainesville Sno-Shack,) which is never really a good choice for your health. If you are watching your waistline, try to go moderate. Or take one million tiny bites off of your friends’ foods. If they’re your friends they won’t mind (hopefully.)

GET READY TO WAIT, BASICALLY FOREVER.

Yeah, remember that “totally top-notch” food truck everyone will not shut up about? It’s at the rally, and it’s got a line of about eighty-seven people. The dishes are probably worth waiting an hour and a half, but by that time every other truck will be stuffed with people who didn’t want to wait around like you did. Food truck rallies have a lot of congestion. If you’re not a people person, this might not be the event for you. Try going as early as possible to avoid lines. If you get to the food truck early enough, they’ll be finished prepping and you’ll get one of the freshest peanut butter burgers on the block.

As mentioned earlier, Gainesville hosts a food truck rally every final Friday each month. You can check out the menus and nutritional information for local food trucks here or on their Facebook page.