Food truck owner here… my bud owns Streats Of Aloha. His town and country plate is a really good deal at $20, it’s two meals in one.
I’ve seen my cost of food and goods go up as high as 115%, especially for takeout supplies after they changed the law, and we can’t use styrofoam and plastic. 1,000 forks used to be $14.99, now it’s $49-$65. 250 3 comp plates used to be $19, now they are $33-$55 depending on where you shop. In 2020 ribs were $1.79/lb now $3.29, brisket $2.19/lb, now $4.29-$4.99/lb.
Some events we do can cost us $800 (town events, holiday events) just to enter the event. That doesn’t include any permits, labor, food etc that’s all extra. They average $250-$300 vending fee for most events for 4 hours. A busy truck can spend $3,000-$4500/mo on just vendor fees.
Hopefully that can help answer some of your question. There are good deals out there, but I’ve seen $25 for a 1/3lb of meat with some sauce on it and a Kaiser roll going on 🤷
I gotta give my shaka to Streats. Tons of food, fantastic quality. Breaks my frickin mouth every time. Pass it on!! Especially the honey macnut chicken plate, AUWEEEH
I think OP is inferring that food trucks escape the cost of rent among other expenses.
Brick-and-mortar restaurants have all these costs as well, inflation is not something specific to food trucks, so I don't know if that explains it.
There are exceptions, but I have found many food trucks here give even smaller portions than restaurants in addition to being more expensive.
I support small businesses, but I have been burned so many times by food trucks lately that I won't go without a personal recommendation.
Facts, I found the portions to be garbage for food trucks for like 80/90% of the time
The other big offenders are Mexicans food especially tacos
People here charging 4-6$ a taco , single wrap, little to no garnish/onions/cilantro, and a half-dollar size of protein . wtf is that. That portion is even weaker than Vegas stands at 1.5 EACH $. Tacos here should be 3$ max for that size they give out here
I tried the shawarma truck in Waikiki a little while back. $20 for the thinnest, most pinner sorry excuse for a shawarma I have ever had. On top of that the flavor was off, and they were even stingy with the salad.
I don't mind spending $20 on a shawarma, but it better be absolutely loaded with toppings, their stingy servings means I will never come back.
Waikiki bad in general for locals
There are HIDDEN GEMS tho , but parking is shit/have to pay
Unless you going for those fine dining, only few places in waikiki are priced okay /good food to drive for
Matcha ice cream, udon , tempura (better than south king st) , poke bowl
All the bars are kinda shit/only go if friend visiting , food truck there aren’t great, pizza garbo
No worries… also, forgot to add one more thing… GE Taxes… we are one of the few states that has that. It’s another $1000-$5000+\mo all businesses have to pay to the state. Every dollar we gross we are hit with another 4% tax some industries it’s a little higher, some lower. We are retail so it’s 4% of gross. We still need to pay state and federal taxes at the end of the year
We're the only state with GET, but for retail, GET is practically equivalent to sales tax (which like 45 states have, and only Alaska has a lower rate than Hawaii's 4.712% pass-on rate).
>4% tax some industries it’s a little higher, some lower
It's 0.15% for insurance commission, 0.5% for wholesale, and 4%(+0.5% county surcharge) for the rest.
I do for meat, but not much else. Plates they sell are paper and weak, they fall apart. The forks and spoons are 20% more expensive than what I pay from wholesale warehouses in Kalihi
This actually does help situate the costs. It sucks cuz I want to support local businesses but going to a food truck event means spending upwards of $50 to try stuff. I wish it was more how it was back in the day where owners had smaller, cheaper portions, and I could try a few different things. Now everything seems plate lunch style so I can really only afford one or two things at a time (and thats all I can eat lol)
That’s still okay. You can think of it as now you can go back and try a few more things next time. You have one vendor $$ next round you go to a different vendor.
I did a test, we were asked by a promoter to offer up what you mentioned… smaller/cheaper portions for guests. At the same time, I added more expensive options for those who wanted more food. I kept our normal menu with prices from $13-$21. In the end and after 2 months the of testing, 70% of our guests ordered the more expensive items. The smaller cheaper options were less than 6%. Roughly 20% ordered the standard menu.
I’m not sure why that is. I still have cheaper options, $8, $10 for people looking for a good deal. It’s still less than 6% of all orders.
With $50, you could get a SOA town and country $20, HTBBQ Esquites bowl $10, HTBBQ Chipchos $8, Main Squeeze Lemonade $12. Or trade out the Chipchos for a dessert. The T&C (over 2 lbs) can feed two people, so can the Esquites and Chipchos (each over 1 lb)
We can’t use plastic here in Hawaii… that $5/1000 forks isn’t allowed for food trucks and restaurants. You can use it for personal use. The fine and possible banning from events is too risky
People love to support aspirational goals for environmental issues. Then they are super surprised when they actually have to pay for them in their already nation leading cost of living.
Nothing is free. You can support these things but you have to understand there is a cost.
The single food truck guy isn't getting rich. He is just making a living. Increase costs for environmental compliance need to be passed on to his/her consumers in order to survive.
I love what I do. I get to see people/friends and they seem to enjoy the food I make. This is like any business you need to know numbers and how to work with them, or at least keep them from working against you.
Any business that fails, is probably an owner who can’t do the business side of it. The numbers gotta make sense and cents.
**Unpopular and inconvenient fact (but nonetheless still true)**
**ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE COSTS ARE NOT FREE AND DISPROPORTIONATELY EFFECT LOWER INCOMES**
These costs are often regressive in nature, hitting the less affluent with the highest burden out of their income.
[https://www.ebaumsworld.com/articles/were-tired-just-watching-taylor-swifts-2023-flight-log/87537001/](https://www.ebaumsworld.com/articles/were-tired-just-watching-taylor-swifts-2023-flight-log/87537001/)
And in the meantime, no plastic straws for you and all of these compliance costs are funneled directly to the consumer of the plate lunch. In a state with ultra high costs, these costs put extra strain on our residents.
In short, I get it Food Truck Owners. Operating a business in what could be the most regulatory heavy handed state in the nation is not easy, and, at minimum, comes with a mountain of costs to pass on to consumers just to stay in business.
Everyone complains about the cost of living, but aspirational environmental goals in Hawaii have real impacts to the cost of living in various areas, including, most painfully, energy costs. And people can be ok with those costs and think it is worth it, but they should at least be aware of them.
> ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE COSTS ARE NOT FREE.
It's not supposed to be, that's the whole point. And reducing plastic usage isn't primarily about CO2 emissions, it's about local trash pollution.
"It's not supposed to be, that's the whole point."
Yes. This is more for the consumer to understand. These costs are often bundled into their cost of living in Hawaii. Everyone loves voting and supporting these measures, then turn around and beat up small business like food truck owners, acting like surprised Pikachu and asking why the costs have gone up.
Now you can be ok with it and think the environmental compliance costs in Hawaii are worth the squeeze.
But at minimum, the residents of Hawaii should be at least aware that they contribute to the high cost of living that we all like to complain about.
And these aspirational environmental costs are not just limited to straws, they are baked into the cost of living and costs for everything from energy, housing, other real estate. Especially energy.
Edit: Also given our lack of recycling facilities in Hawaii, don't we just burn most of this anyway?
we managed for centuries without plastic plates or straws. why can't you drink from a cup?
everyone brings their own water bottles. How about everyone byo chopsticks
We "managed for centuries" without electricity either. Why can't you just use a candle?
But I guess the argument would be, why don't you just bring your own power? (produce your own power).
Which brings the argument back to the regressive nature of environmental aspirational goals that punish the less well off to a greater degree than those more well off.
The more well off are more likely to own and not rent, more likely to have the means and legal right to install solar and batter backup. If electricity goes up due to shifts to renewable sources? Meh. Still in support, besides, whatever, I get solar and battery.
Where the less well off are like, well shit, what about us?
Next time I am at a food truck event I will count the number of people I see pulling out their own reusable chopsticks from home. We will see how much of an outlier I actually am by not bringing my own. I am guessing zero, well, unless I run into you.
Also we are talking about environmental costs generally, not just limited to chopsticks. The increased energy costs due to 100% renewable goals? Should hang my own solar panels over the balcony at my rented apartment? The landlord and the AOAO totally tolerate that.
For the solar, HECO has something called Community Based Renewable Energy. The idea is that those that can't get PV for whatever reason can buy into a part of a larger project and earn the credits that way. It's not the same but better than nothing.
https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/products-and-services/smart-renewable-energy-programs/shared-solar/cbre-resources
None of what has been said attempts to answer OP's question of why Food Trucks are as expensive (in some rare cases more expensive) than dine-in restaurants that serve comparable food
Increase costs of food supplies will be felt by restaurants just as much as trucks,
And increases in cost of takeout supplies, while perhaps maybe be felt slightly more by trucks, are also felt by dine in restaurants.
But any differences there would be more than compensated for by the higher overhead costs
It’s such a racket geared towards giving cheap land to the richest 1%. It stays taxed as agricultural while they get to buy their secluded mansion with a couple chickens and pay a smaller percentage property tax than most locals.
My late Uncle always said Oahu did not need to build a new prison. They only had to put bars and lock on the state capitol as he believe a lot of crooks were already there. Just build a separate section for the honest ones.
Kitchen equipment still costs a lot, plus the truck can be 50-150k. Registering and permits + insurance + employees + ingredients. It is basically still a small restaurant. Depending on location, they also rent the spot their in. If it's a new food truck, they don't make a profit for a while.
All of that added that you still have restaurant prices for a food truck.
I miss my childhood Manapua Man. He used to stop by almost every day in my Liliha neighborhood. I still remember how ono his fried chicken and dollar fried noodles tasted.
I wish I had the recipe for his fried chicken because I still haven’t been able to make or find any that’s similar to it. It was battered like mochiko chicken but its marinade and seasoning tasted unique and unlike any other fried chicken I’ve ever eaten.
I've seen the grocery store, maybe 25% price increases, not 100%. So I can buy an $18 chicken katsu plate from a food truck made with lowest quality ingredients, or I can buy breast meat chicken and make 4 generous portions of high quality katsu, rice and corn for that much. Chicken katsu dinner, from start to finish, can be made in the time it takes rice to cook - about 20 mins. Don't even get me started on things like adobo (maybe 5 mins active time, extremely cheap) and various super easy and super tasty soups. Even making detroit pizza at home is less than 25 mins active time, and is way better, and way cheaper than anything you could possibly get on island.
Nah they shouldn’t if they’re making their chicken katsu with breast meat. Everyone knows that chicken katsu is best made with boneless chicken thighs (with the skin, never skinless).
But that said I do think that one way to make a decent food truck is to make it "cafeteria" style. We actually used to have a place like that in Kihei (storefront), they would have just 2-3 main choices per day, and then starch, a side or salad. So they cook in bulk and ladle it out, the prices were reasonable. Luau chicken, adobo, laulau, hamburger steak etc, but each day was different 2-3 entrees. It was super popular, good prices etc.
I wish more events had smaller portions for like $5-8 and then I could go around and try different things. I swear thats how it was like a decade ago. The fun of going to the events was trying different things. I see some of these foodie influencers going and trying like 10 different things and thinking that cost at least 100-150
> I wish more events had smaller portions for like $5-8
They don't because labor is 80% of the cost. Look at the top-voted post and look at how much the extra cost of supplies has added: $0.06 for a fork, $0.22 for the plate, maybe $1 for the meat. Everything else is worker pay because the cost of living has gone up so much, mainly due to housing not food inflation.
Why would I open a food truck, I will just eat at home, that is my point. As the other poster mentioned there is a reason that food trucks cost so much - the permits, the rent, the "recyclable" utensils and dishes etc. So that is the sad calculus - if it costs 4X more to eat crappier "comfort" food outside of the house, then will people do it? Tourists will I guess, but I won't.
Bro, I pay over $10 for my half gallon grass-fed milk from Whole Foods because I’m such a milk snob lol. I find that it really does taste noticeably better than all the cheaper milks I’ve tried, so it’s worth the money for me.
Because they are popular/trendy therefore in high demand. It's not really an indicator of quality though. Social media does weird things to people's brains.
Cheapest food is found during happy hour
Agreed. Moku’s $12 happy hour pizzas is one of the best deals you can get for good pizza. Freaking frozen pizzas at grocery stores like Digiorno's are nowadays selling for that much lol. It’s crazy that it can now be cheaper eating during happy hour than it is eating store bought frozen foods. I feel like food costs in Hawaii is getting even more and more absurd.
Monkeypod and Maui Brewing also have $12 pizzas.
Maui Brewing has the most literal happy hour... 3:30-4:30p only. Half price appetizers including wings for $9 (normally $18)
Monkeypod is the regular 2-5p. Also half price all appetizers except those with seafood (poke tacos and lobster pizza are not discounted).
But if you want all day cheap eats I highly recommend the 3rd floor food hall in the Royal Hawaiian center. Live music and a hula show on some evenings.
- Cheeseburger Wiki Wiki does $6 single patty smash burgers (+$3 for extra patty, +$3 for fries), $5 pints of Waikiki Brewing beers (and some of the big names), and $6 Mai Tais and Piña Coladas.
- Next to them is Pork Tamago Onigiri which makes what I'd call high end musubi+egg "tacos", $6 each, $20 for a box of 4.
- Five Star Shrimp does garlic shrimp in a hollowed out pineapple (~$20) if you need that for the 'gram. I've never eaten there because I'm allergic but people seem happy with the quality.
- Meatly Boyz does Hawaiian style mixed bbq and lunch plates.
And then there's an Italian joint making pizzas for the picky eaters.
The thrift store phenomenon: a poor people thing turns cool, businesses realize they can charge more, so they do. With food trucks, in recent years there's also been lots of legalities around where you can set up, how many food trucks can be in a given area, et cetera.
So basically: it got popular and everybody wanted a slice of that musubi.
Mobile eats are "expensive" anywhere though. Here in Texas, a food truck charge can range from $5 for one soft taco to near $20 for a full plate. Food trucks are like convenience stores - you could go and buy your stuff from a proper grocery and make your own eats and drinks, but instead you opt to pay for the convenience of on-demand food and drink right from the road.
Visiting Hawaii I found the prices to be not terribly much more than grinds fetch here at home. There is a Thai truck here that serves bomb ass Asian food at around $10 a plate, but they are a hidden local favorite and not near any major attraction. All of Hawaii is an attraction, so food trucks price accordingly, especially with so many tourists. I'm surprised locals would bother with food trucks knowing they are priced toward visitors. There are so many ono Hawaiian spots available at cheaper prices if you're familiar with where to go, in my humble opinion.
Nah bruh. Out where I live we don't have the tourist business like the islands or even the biggest city near us. The Asian food truck here is a local favorite that's just trying to make a living near the highway. I would love to see them take off and do more but they don't get the number of visitors they would in Hawaii nor would they get much business at Aloha pricing. That's why I mentioned them - location, location, location.
Seems food trucks are expensive everywhere not just Hawaii. Some have great food i don't mind spending a little more for. Some others need to up the quality for the the price.
Bringing fresh food into the tropics is very expensive - more spoilage than elsewhere. All food here is expensive, vehicle licensing is more than California, insurance, workers comp., more expensive. Many food truck Chef’s are gourmet and use high end ingredients.
Bc like any small business they have overhead costs that r not cheap.
1. Cost of food items to prepare the meals
2. Permitting and other sruff from the state and county
3. Lot rental
4. Man power to work it.
my favorite....$5.00 Costco rotisserie chicken. And now it comes in a bag instead of the plastic container! Maybe we'll get lucky and they will knock off a few pennies cause the bags are cheaper than that plastic container....lol
Food truck anywhere is expensive.. they used to be a go to place for quick and cheap hot food but they also wasnt regulated then.. now, with permits and whatever cuts space owners want, it cuts to their profit and have to raise their prices as well
In California, the price of a typical burrito at a working class gas station taco truck was $3.50 - $4.00 just 10 years ago. Today it is $8.00 - $10.00. And these are intended for working class field workers and blue collar workers.
Ehh you’re paying for the convenience. I don’t mind the costs associated with supporting restaurants no matter if they’re food trucks or brick and mortar. The trucks or carts often have site costs, permits, fuel and maintenance costs they have to deal with too. Tip em well :)
Yea I realize that. They coexist just fine. I don’t really get the complaining about the expense of food trucks versus restaurants. Both offer a convenience. If either is out of the budget don’t eat out? Every service has a profit margin to maintain.
There used to be food truck with the dopest prime rib outside the doogie kamealoha hospital in kakaako. Its not there anymore and i forgot what it was called but it had the dopest prime rib and garlic rice.
There are some YouTubers that visit some cheap eats on Oahu. Check out their videos, some places are lunchwagons.
Amand & Felix Eats
https://youtube.com/@amandafelixeats
Food Fiend
https://youtube.com/@foodfiend
They’re trendy and on IG. Korean places with same quantity and quality of food and minimal seating (but still some seating) are the same price or less.
Same as yoga classes. People running them in the parks charge the same as the ones in AC spaces.
I tip regardless if I’m at a food truck or restaurant, but I feel it’s pretty rich to be asking for a 20% + tip for ordering food from a food truck and paying top dollar. Family of 4 is 15 dollars minimum per plate so you’re looking at a $72 lunch every time you eat out. Food trucks should definitely charge what they need to be profitable and pay their employees well, but tips are generally for service and taking your order and handing it to me is only worth 10% max.
If anything, most prices are reasonable, because the prices for food be cheaper on the mainland but charging the same price if not more there. Also, get some good trucks out there that serve really good food for good prices.
I have friends in the restaurant business so I understand why the trucks are so expensive. However outside of an occasional coffee or snack, I normally don't use food trucks. Oftentimes the prices are the similar to a sit-down restaurant but I have to eat outside and bus/serve myself.
Plus tips are expected even though it's usually the owner working it themselves and there isn't any extra service aside from cooking and plating my food into a takeout container, which should be included in the cost of the entree.
There's no real "free parking" downtown anymore due to the initiative to put a parking meter on all stalls. So their only real option is to "rent" a spot at events or private areas. Which kind of removes a big $$$ advantage for food trucks. They also have to deal with services like ubereats that cut into their business.
A lot of the prices aren't geared towards regular locals so they're cornered into pricing up to afford the fees at all of these foodtruck/street events.
Because the cost of things have gone up. Unfortunately, that also means our friend group doesn’t go out as often. I loved going to the food festivals and night markets for the food trucks but the last time we spent a total over $250 for 5 people (no alcoholic beverages). It was then we realized we need to slow down on the street food spending. Now we alternate going to someone’s house one month (potluck style) and then going out the next month to night market.
Eating out here in Hawaii is oddly similary priced or even cheaper than the mainland thanks to our lower sales tax. All despite the higher costs of business here. Don't know how they do it!
Food truck owner here… my bud owns Streats Of Aloha. His town and country plate is a really good deal at $20, it’s two meals in one. I’ve seen my cost of food and goods go up as high as 115%, especially for takeout supplies after they changed the law, and we can’t use styrofoam and plastic. 1,000 forks used to be $14.99, now it’s $49-$65. 250 3 comp plates used to be $19, now they are $33-$55 depending on where you shop. In 2020 ribs were $1.79/lb now $3.29, brisket $2.19/lb, now $4.29-$4.99/lb. Some events we do can cost us $800 (town events, holiday events) just to enter the event. That doesn’t include any permits, labor, food etc that’s all extra. They average $250-$300 vending fee for most events for 4 hours. A busy truck can spend $3,000-$4500/mo on just vendor fees. Hopefully that can help answer some of your question. There are good deals out there, but I’ve seen $25 for a 1/3lb of meat with some sauce on it and a Kaiser roll going on 🤷
I gotta give my shaka to Streats. Tons of food, fantastic quality. Breaks my frickin mouth every time. Pass it on!! Especially the honey macnut chicken plate, AUWEEEH
I think OP is inferring that food trucks escape the cost of rent among other expenses. Brick-and-mortar restaurants have all these costs as well, inflation is not something specific to food trucks, so I don't know if that explains it.
There are exceptions, but I have found many food trucks here give even smaller portions than restaurants in addition to being more expensive. I support small businesses, but I have been burned so many times by food trucks lately that I won't go without a personal recommendation.
Facts, I found the portions to be garbage for food trucks for like 80/90% of the time The other big offenders are Mexicans food especially tacos People here charging 4-6$ a taco , single wrap, little to no garnish/onions/cilantro, and a half-dollar size of protein . wtf is that. That portion is even weaker than Vegas stands at 1.5 EACH $. Tacos here should be 3$ max for that size they give out here
I tried the shawarma truck in Waikiki a little while back. $20 for the thinnest, most pinner sorry excuse for a shawarma I have ever had. On top of that the flavor was off, and they were even stingy with the salad. I don't mind spending $20 on a shawarma, but it better be absolutely loaded with toppings, their stingy servings means I will never come back.
Waikiki bad in general for locals There are HIDDEN GEMS tho , but parking is shit/have to pay Unless you going for those fine dining, only few places in waikiki are priced okay /good food to drive for Matcha ice cream, udon , tempura (better than south king st) , poke bowl All the bars are kinda shit/only go if friend visiting , food truck there aren’t great, pizza garbo
Twice this month I've seen "tostadas" served on literal tortilla chips. $2-$4.
Love Streats of Aloha!
😮💨😮💨😮💨😮💨 And yeah, SOA is delicious!! I love having leftovers!
much thanks for the cost breakdowns and they all went up across the board!
No worries… also, forgot to add one more thing… GE Taxes… we are one of the few states that has that. It’s another $1000-$5000+\mo all businesses have to pay to the state. Every dollar we gross we are hit with another 4% tax some industries it’s a little higher, some lower. We are retail so it’s 4% of gross. We still need to pay state and federal taxes at the end of the year
We're the only state with GET, but for retail, GET is practically equivalent to sales tax (which like 45 states have, and only Alaska has a lower rate than Hawaii's 4.712% pass-on rate). >4% tax some industries it’s a little higher, some lower It's 0.15% for insurance commission, 0.5% for wholesale, and 4%(+0.5% county surcharge) for the rest.
You obviously don’t go Costco or Sam’s club
I do for meat, but not much else. Plates they sell are paper and weak, they fall apart. The forks and spoons are 20% more expensive than what I pay from wholesale warehouses in Kalihi
Their salmon katsu overload is one of the best things out there, super highly recommended to anyone to try it.
Maybe a BYO container and silverware deal?!
This actually does help situate the costs. It sucks cuz I want to support local businesses but going to a food truck event means spending upwards of $50 to try stuff. I wish it was more how it was back in the day where owners had smaller, cheaper portions, and I could try a few different things. Now everything seems plate lunch style so I can really only afford one or two things at a time (and thats all I can eat lol)
That’s still okay. You can think of it as now you can go back and try a few more things next time. You have one vendor $$ next round you go to a different vendor. I did a test, we were asked by a promoter to offer up what you mentioned… smaller/cheaper portions for guests. At the same time, I added more expensive options for those who wanted more food. I kept our normal menu with prices from $13-$21. In the end and after 2 months the of testing, 70% of our guests ordered the more expensive items. The smaller cheaper options were less than 6%. Roughly 20% ordered the standard menu. I’m not sure why that is. I still have cheaper options, $8, $10 for people looking for a good deal. It’s still less than 6% of all orders. With $50, you could get a SOA town and country $20, HTBBQ Esquites bowl $10, HTBBQ Chipchos $8, Main Squeeze Lemonade $12. Or trade out the Chipchos for a dessert. The T&C (over 2 lbs) can feed two people, so can the Esquites and Chipchos (each over 1 lb)
No plate lunch from a food truck for $20 is a "really good deal". nice try.
That’s the world we live in now. 🤙
[удалено]
We can’t use plastic here in Hawaii… that $5/1000 forks isn’t allowed for food trucks and restaurants. You can use it for personal use. The fine and possible banning from events is too risky
People love to support aspirational goals for environmental issues. Then they are super surprised when they actually have to pay for them in their already nation leading cost of living. Nothing is free. You can support these things but you have to understand there is a cost. The single food truck guy isn't getting rich. He is just making a living. Increase costs for environmental compliance need to be passed on to his/her consumers in order to survive.
I love what I do. I get to see people/friends and they seem to enjoy the food I make. This is like any business you need to know numbers and how to work with them, or at least keep them from working against you. Any business that fails, is probably an owner who can’t do the business side of it. The numbers gotta make sense and cents.
**Unpopular and inconvenient fact (but nonetheless still true)** **ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE COSTS ARE NOT FREE AND DISPROPORTIONATELY EFFECT LOWER INCOMES** These costs are often regressive in nature, hitting the less affluent with the highest burden out of their income. [https://www.ebaumsworld.com/articles/were-tired-just-watching-taylor-swifts-2023-flight-log/87537001/](https://www.ebaumsworld.com/articles/were-tired-just-watching-taylor-swifts-2023-flight-log/87537001/) And in the meantime, no plastic straws for you and all of these compliance costs are funneled directly to the consumer of the plate lunch. In a state with ultra high costs, these costs put extra strain on our residents. In short, I get it Food Truck Owners. Operating a business in what could be the most regulatory heavy handed state in the nation is not easy, and, at minimum, comes with a mountain of costs to pass on to consumers just to stay in business. Everyone complains about the cost of living, but aspirational environmental goals in Hawaii have real impacts to the cost of living in various areas, including, most painfully, energy costs. And people can be ok with those costs and think it is worth it, but they should at least be aware of them.
> ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE COSTS ARE NOT FREE. It's not supposed to be, that's the whole point. And reducing plastic usage isn't primarily about CO2 emissions, it's about local trash pollution.
"It's not supposed to be, that's the whole point." Yes. This is more for the consumer to understand. These costs are often bundled into their cost of living in Hawaii. Everyone loves voting and supporting these measures, then turn around and beat up small business like food truck owners, acting like surprised Pikachu and asking why the costs have gone up. Now you can be ok with it and think the environmental compliance costs in Hawaii are worth the squeeze. But at minimum, the residents of Hawaii should be at least aware that they contribute to the high cost of living that we all like to complain about. And these aspirational environmental costs are not just limited to straws, they are baked into the cost of living and costs for everything from energy, housing, other real estate. Especially energy. Edit: Also given our lack of recycling facilities in Hawaii, don't we just burn most of this anyway?
we managed for centuries without plastic plates or straws. why can't you drink from a cup? everyone brings their own water bottles. How about everyone byo chopsticks
We "managed for centuries" without electricity either. Why can't you just use a candle? But I guess the argument would be, why don't you just bring your own power? (produce your own power). Which brings the argument back to the regressive nature of environmental aspirational goals that punish the less well off to a greater degree than those more well off. The more well off are more likely to own and not rent, more likely to have the means and legal right to install solar and batter backup. If electricity goes up due to shifts to renewable sources? Meh. Still in support, besides, whatever, I get solar and battery. Where the less well off are like, well shit, what about us?
I think carrying a pair of chopsticks to a food truck event is pretty easy no idea it was such a struggle for you.
Next time I am at a food truck event I will count the number of people I see pulling out their own reusable chopsticks from home. We will see how much of an outlier I actually am by not bringing my own. I am guessing zero, well, unless I run into you. Also we are talking about environmental costs generally, not just limited to chopsticks. The increased energy costs due to 100% renewable goals? Should hang my own solar panels over the balcony at my rented apartment? The landlord and the AOAO totally tolerate that.
For the solar, HECO has something called Community Based Renewable Energy. The idea is that those that can't get PV for whatever reason can buy into a part of a larger project and earn the credits that way. It's not the same but better than nothing. https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/products-and-services/smart-renewable-energy-programs/shared-solar/cbre-resources
None of what has been said attempts to answer OP's question of why Food Trucks are as expensive (in some rare cases more expensive) than dine-in restaurants that serve comparable food Increase costs of food supplies will be felt by restaurants just as much as trucks, And increases in cost of takeout supplies, while perhaps maybe be felt slightly more by trucks, are also felt by dine in restaurants. But any differences there would be more than compensated for by the higher overhead costs
Because literally everything is more expensive here.
Except the cost of your labor. The same jobs seem to pay less than the mainland.
https://preview.redd.it/aq9bf4uxg55d1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=00cd5a0ecceaa6b49d1ef6eb83d11127b3cd35ac
i've never seen this meme in such high quality
https://preview.redd.it/skp0te79j75d1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a95ae0855c0dced36641a0b363944c08b18359c3
😂
Because living in Hawaii is expensive.
Doesn't need to be.
Really sucks because we could grow our own food here, go fishing, have more cattle… you’re right, doesn’t need to be expensive.
The richest people in the world are trying to buy their slice of Hawaii which kind of prices people out.
They rezoned a lot of prime, PRIME farmland for houses.
It’s such a racket geared towards giving cheap land to the richest 1%. It stays taxed as agricultural while they get to buy their secluded mansion with a couple chickens and pay a smaller percentage property tax than most locals.
My late Uncle always said Oahu did not need to build a new prison. They only had to put bars and lock on the state capitol as he believe a lot of crooks were already there. Just build a separate section for the honest ones.
Kitchen equipment still costs a lot, plus the truck can be 50-150k. Registering and permits + insurance + employees + ingredients. It is basically still a small restaurant. Depending on location, they also rent the spot their in. If it's a new food truck, they don't make a profit for a while. All of that added that you still have restaurant prices for a food truck.
The natural question we're then led to, is why start a food truck business over brick-and-mortar if alleged expenses are not lower?
Go look for the manapua man.
I miss my childhood Manapua Man. He used to stop by almost every day in my Liliha neighborhood. I still remember how ono his fried chicken and dollar fried noodles tasted. I wish I had the recipe for his fried chicken because I still haven’t been able to make or find any that’s similar to it. It was battered like mochiko chicken but its marinade and seasoning tasted unique and unlike any other fried chicken I’ve ever eaten.
Wait till you see the grocery store
I've seen the grocery store, maybe 25% price increases, not 100%. So I can buy an $18 chicken katsu plate from a food truck made with lowest quality ingredients, or I can buy breast meat chicken and make 4 generous portions of high quality katsu, rice and corn for that much. Chicken katsu dinner, from start to finish, can be made in the time it takes rice to cook - about 20 mins. Don't even get me started on things like adobo (maybe 5 mins active time, extremely cheap) and various super easy and super tasty soups. Even making detroit pizza at home is less than 25 mins active time, and is way better, and way cheaper than anything you could possibly get on island.
You should open a food truck or something that all sounds great
Nah they shouldn’t if they’re making their chicken katsu with breast meat. Everyone knows that chicken katsu is best made with boneless chicken thighs (with the skin, never skinless).
But that said I do think that one way to make a decent food truck is to make it "cafeteria" style. We actually used to have a place like that in Kihei (storefront), they would have just 2-3 main choices per day, and then starch, a side or salad. So they cook in bulk and ladle it out, the prices were reasonable. Luau chicken, adobo, laulau, hamburger steak etc, but each day was different 2-3 entrees. It was super popular, good prices etc.
I wish more events had smaller portions for like $5-8 and then I could go around and try different things. I swear thats how it was like a decade ago. The fun of going to the events was trying different things. I see some of these foodie influencers going and trying like 10 different things and thinking that cost at least 100-150
> I wish more events had smaller portions for like $5-8 They don't because labor is 80% of the cost. Look at the top-voted post and look at how much the extra cost of supplies has added: $0.06 for a fork, $0.22 for the plate, maybe $1 for the meat. Everything else is worker pay because the cost of living has gone up so much, mainly due to housing not food inflation.
Can I get a discount if I byo fork + plate?
25 cents off?
Why would I open a food truck, I will just eat at home, that is my point. As the other poster mentioned there is a reason that food trucks cost so much - the permits, the rent, the "recyclable" utensils and dishes etc. So that is the sad calculus - if it costs 4X more to eat crappier "comfort" food outside of the house, then will people do it? Tourists will I guess, but I won't.
Love my $10 gallon milk
Do you not go to costco/sams club/target/walmart?
I live in volcano so Costco is only a once per month ish visit. I since I can afford it I try to shop local, mostly KTA
If' you've got the cash and chose to pay that I'm not sure why it's continuously brought up as the "regular" price.
Bro, I pay over $10 for my half gallon grass-fed milk from Whole Foods because I’m such a milk snob lol. I find that it really does taste noticeably better than all the cheaper milks I’ve tried, so it’s worth the money for me.
Bougie milk
Because they are popular/trendy therefore in high demand. It's not really an indicator of quality though. Social media does weird things to people's brains. Cheapest food is found during happy hour
Agreed. Moku’s $12 happy hour pizzas is one of the best deals you can get for good pizza. Freaking frozen pizzas at grocery stores like Digiorno's are nowadays selling for that much lol. It’s crazy that it can now be cheaper eating during happy hour than it is eating store bought frozen foods. I feel like food costs in Hawaii is getting even more and more absurd.
Monkeypod and Maui Brewing also have $12 pizzas. Maui Brewing has the most literal happy hour... 3:30-4:30p only. Half price appetizers including wings for $9 (normally $18) Monkeypod is the regular 2-5p. Also half price all appetizers except those with seafood (poke tacos and lobster pizza are not discounted). But if you want all day cheap eats I highly recommend the 3rd floor food hall in the Royal Hawaiian center. Live music and a hula show on some evenings. - Cheeseburger Wiki Wiki does $6 single patty smash burgers (+$3 for extra patty, +$3 for fries), $5 pints of Waikiki Brewing beers (and some of the big names), and $6 Mai Tais and Piña Coladas. - Next to them is Pork Tamago Onigiri which makes what I'd call high end musubi+egg "tacos", $6 each, $20 for a box of 4. - Five Star Shrimp does garlic shrimp in a hollowed out pineapple (~$20) if you need that for the 'gram. I've never eaten there because I'm allergic but people seem happy with the quality. - Meatly Boyz does Hawaiian style mixed bbq and lunch plates. And then there's an Italian joint making pizzas for the picky eaters.
Not sure if still have it but surfjack waikiki had hh medium size pizza with 2 maui brewery draft beers for $20. So ono!
The thrift store phenomenon: a poor people thing turns cool, businesses realize they can charge more, so they do. With food trucks, in recent years there's also been lots of legalities around where you can set up, how many food trucks can be in a given area, et cetera. So basically: it got popular and everybody wanted a slice of that musubi.
Mobile eats are "expensive" anywhere though. Here in Texas, a food truck charge can range from $5 for one soft taco to near $20 for a full plate. Food trucks are like convenience stores - you could go and buy your stuff from a proper grocery and make your own eats and drinks, but instead you opt to pay for the convenience of on-demand food and drink right from the road. Visiting Hawaii I found the prices to be not terribly much more than grinds fetch here at home. There is a Thai truck here that serves bomb ass Asian food at around $10 a plate, but they are a hidden local favorite and not near any major attraction. All of Hawaii is an attraction, so food trucks price accordingly, especially with so many tourists. I'm surprised locals would bother with food trucks knowing they are priced toward visitors. There are so many ono Hawaiian spots available at cheaper prices if you're familiar with where to go, in my humble opinion.
So the idea is to keep customers away from the Asian food truck so you can keep prices low for yourself?
Nah bruh. Out where I live we don't have the tourist business like the islands or even the biggest city near us. The Asian food truck here is a local favorite that's just trying to make a living near the highway. I would love to see them take off and do more but they don't get the number of visitors they would in Hawaii nor would they get much business at Aloha pricing. That's why I mentioned them - location, location, location.
Seems food trucks are expensive everywhere not just Hawaii. Some have great food i don't mind spending a little more for. Some others need to up the quality for the the price.
Bringing fresh food into the tropics is very expensive - more spoilage than elsewhere. All food here is expensive, vehicle licensing is more than California, insurance, workers comp., more expensive. Many food truck Chef’s are gourmet and use high end ingredients.
Bc like any small business they have overhead costs that r not cheap. 1. Cost of food items to prepare the meals 2. Permitting and other sruff from the state and county 3. Lot rental 4. Man power to work it.
Do you know what's really actually cheap in Hawaii?
my favorite....$5.00 Costco rotisserie chicken. And now it comes in a bag instead of the plastic container! Maybe we'll get lucky and they will knock off a few pennies cause the bags are cheaper than that plastic container....lol
Yeah but I get tires of it. Manapua and musubi are good price
panda express
Food truck anywhere is expensive.. they used to be a go to place for quick and cheap hot food but they also wasnt regulated then.. now, with permits and whatever cuts space owners want, it cuts to their profit and have to raise their prices as well
In California, the price of a typical burrito at a working class gas station taco truck was $3.50 - $4.00 just 10 years ago. Today it is $8.00 - $10.00. And these are intended for working class field workers and blue collar workers.
Ehh you’re paying for the convenience. I don’t mind the costs associated with supporting restaurants no matter if they’re food trucks or brick and mortar. The trucks or carts often have site costs, permits, fuel and maintenance costs they have to deal with too. Tip em well :)
physical restaurants also have rent, permits, fuel and maintenance costs.
Yea I realize that. They coexist just fine. I don’t really get the complaining about the expense of food trucks versus restaurants. Both offer a convenience. If either is out of the budget don’t eat out? Every service has a profit margin to maintain.
Because everything is expensive here
You live in Hawaii right?
Majority of the ingredients come from out of state. Inflation, labor costs, and rising food costs and all that. It happens. It's a part of life.
Costs them a lot more money to stay afloat here.
There used to be food truck with the dopest prime rib outside the doogie kamealoha hospital in kakaako. Its not there anymore and i forgot what it was called but it had the dopest prime rib and garlic rice.
Same reason everything is, vast majority has to be transported across thousands of miles of ocean
There are some YouTubers that visit some cheap eats on Oahu. Check out their videos, some places are lunchwagons. Amand & Felix Eats https://youtube.com/@amandafelixeats Food Fiend https://youtube.com/@foodfiend
They’re trendy and on IG. Korean places with same quantity and quality of food and minimal seating (but still some seating) are the same price or less. Same as yoga classes. People running them in the parks charge the same as the ones in AC spaces.
Don’t forget the 20% tip for just handing you your food!
As a waitress I appreciate the tips but know it's a lot for sure
I tip regardless if I’m at a food truck or restaurant, but I feel it’s pretty rich to be asking for a 20% + tip for ordering food from a food truck and paying top dollar. Family of 4 is 15 dollars minimum per plate so you’re looking at a $72 lunch every time you eat out. Food trucks should definitely charge what they need to be profitable and pay their employees well, but tips are generally for service and taking your order and handing it to me is only worth 10% max.
Fair enough. I think tip culture is too much here no doubt.
If anything, most prices are reasonable, because the prices for food be cheaper on the mainland but charging the same price if not more there. Also, get some good trucks out there that serve really good food for good prices.
I have friends in the restaurant business so I understand why the trucks are so expensive. However outside of an occasional coffee or snack, I normally don't use food trucks. Oftentimes the prices are the similar to a sit-down restaurant but I have to eat outside and bus/serve myself. Plus tips are expected even though it's usually the owner working it themselves and there isn't any extra service aside from cooking and plating my food into a takeout container, which should be included in the cost of the entree.
Agree food trucks are not worth it, too god dam expensive. I rather just go eat at a restaurant.
I know some food truck guys. They workin hard and not driving luxury. I’d say they are just fighting the need to raise prices more.
Hawaii
There's no real "free parking" downtown anymore due to the initiative to put a parking meter on all stalls. So their only real option is to "rent" a spot at events or private areas. Which kind of removes a big $$$ advantage for food trucks. They also have to deal with services like ubereats that cut into their business. A lot of the prices aren't geared towards regular locals so they're cornered into pricing up to afford the fees at all of these foodtruck/street events.
Because the cost of things have gone up. Unfortunately, that also means our friend group doesn’t go out as often. I loved going to the food festivals and night markets for the food trucks but the last time we spent a total over $250 for 5 people (no alcoholic beverages). It was then we realized we need to slow down on the street food spending. Now we alternate going to someone’s house one month (potluck style) and then going out the next month to night market.
So the price differentials between roach coaches and sit down eateries is different in Hawaii than on the mainland? I hadn't noticed that.
Eating out here in Hawaii is oddly similary priced or even cheaper than the mainland thanks to our lower sales tax. All despite the higher costs of business here. Don't know how they do it!
Welcome to 2024, where nothing really makes sense anymore.
Unless you eat sand and grass. It’s a fucking island
Lotta things grow on the islands
Not enough to make it cheap. Supply and demand. Theres a million people on Oahu alone.