In what is being hailed by some as the greatest addition to K-ville since beer pong, a collaboration between line monitors and Duke Dining has brought food trucks to the parking lot adjacent to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The trucks, which open at approximately 12:00 a.m., operate on a weekly schedule. Bulkogi Korean BBQ caters to tenters Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and OnlyBurger is present Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Parlez-Vous Crepe truck also operates Wednesdays alongside Bulkogi.
The visits from the trucks are a result of a joint effort between Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst and Head Line Monitor John Reynolds, a senior. When Wulforst first contacted Reynolds about bringing the trucks to K-ville, Reynolds was already in the process of obtaining the trucks’ parking passes for the Card Gym lot. Wulforst then took charge of the administrative aspects of the venture, enabling the addition of Bulkogi and Parlez-Vous Crepe to the food points system.
Reynolds said the addition of the trucks to the food point system was a key factor in the idea’s success.
Nolan Brodalski, who manages the OnlyBurger truck, says the company had been eyeing K-ville as a stopping point for a while and “jumped on” the opportunity to set up shop. If the long lines leading up to the truck are any indication of financial success, the new location appears to have been worth the wait.
“Has it been worth it? I would say so,” said Brodalski in an Tuesday e-mail. “I wouldn’t say I or anyone really enjoys working at midnight in near-freezing temperatures, but we keep coming back, so that has to say something.”
Christine So, who works in the Bulkogi truck owned by her parents, said that since adding the new location, working in K-ville has been entertaining. So, who was not previously familiar with K-ville, was surprised to find several “students already intoxicated” purchasing food.
“I asked, ‘Are you allowed to be drinking in this event?’ and they answered, ‘It’s the only way to handle the coldness at night,’” So said. “I thought that was kind of funny.”
Jody Argote, owner of the Parlez-Vous Crepe truck, said the new venture has been profitable for the business.
“We’ve only been in K-ville for one Wednesday so far,” Argote said. “I would consider it successful. We sold about 120 crepes in three hours.”
Freshman Jacob Schwab found waiting in line for OnlyBurger with other tenters to be a unifying experience.
“It was a good burger. I don’t know if it was because of my current state or because it was a good burger,” Schwab said. “It was fun, though—everyone’s in line waiting for food.”
Tyler Bray, a sophomore, said that the addition of the trucks has only minimally altered the social atmosphere of K-ville from last year.
“A lot of people congregate around the food trucks rather than playing beer pong like they did last year,” Bray said.
Reynolds predicts that the trucks will, like tenting, become a K-ville tradition.
“The food truck vendors in K-ville are off to a great start,” Reynolds said. “I think this system will continue to serve K-ville for years to come.”
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