News
Posted on 02/22/2020 by Tammie Nolte, Big Fat Writer
The first food park in San Marcos is partnering with food trucks to provide a state required commissary kitchen. Liz McGee started the food park and has written food code for mobiles for the State of Texas and the City of Austin. She knows her stuff. What makes Red Bus Food Park the best little food park in Texas?
The State of Texas and most states in the US require that food trucks have an agreement with a commissary kitchen, explains Liz. Since she wrote the code, she has used her knowledge of mobile food safety to build a Texas food park meeting all the codes.
“One of the main concerns of the Health Department and the State of Texas is that food trucks do not go to their commissaries enough. Food safety is also a concern due to storage and prep space,” says Liz.
“The commissary provides the required services to off-load mobile’s grey water, have proper space for cold and dry food storage needs and provide proper prep space for mobile's that may need it. The commissary also provides a restroom agreement that ensures proper sinks and stocked restrooms for food handlers to wash their hands after using the facilities," says Liz.
“A co-located a commissary/commercial kitchen next to the food park eliminates these issues and makes for a healthier and better functioning food park. Plus, we always wanted to have a Big Red Metro Bus, so the food park was a great excuse to do the conversion,” says Liz.
Red Bus Food Park is named because of a 40ft dining bus that is prepared for weird Texas weather. It’s heated and cooled with WIFI & TV. And you can't have have a food park based on just code. Awesome food is everything. Three great anchor trucks have secured a spot at the park:
GroovyQ BBQ
Le Stourgeon Seafood Company (Cajun)
Abu Omar Halal (Mediterranean)
GroovyQ was the first to grab a spot at Red Bus Food Park. The 38-foot patriotic tie-dyed trailer is less than a year old, but this is NOT Groovy Q’s first rodeo.
“We’ve been smoking for more than 30 years and have decades of restaurant experience. My business partner Jerry Warren worked for the Waffle House for 27 years and that’s how we met,” says co-owner Paul Dickson.
Why the tie-dyed trailer?
“Jerry’s brother Johnny has been wearing tie-dyed shirts at smoking competitions for 35 years and they became known as the ‘Tie-Dye Guys’ and that’s how we came up with the concept for Groovy Q,” says Paul.
Free samples of smoked brisket, ribs, sausage and 4 sides are not just for the grand opening. “We give out free samples all the time. We’ll go out into the community to the Home Depot or a car dealership. Those people then come order from us. If you taste our food, you’ll come back.”
Will GroovyQ post live updates on social media?
“We are pretty simple guys. Come down here and get some samples. We’ll hand out some quality food. That’s what we do.”
Whitney Altawaha, the Marketing Director and wife of Abu Omar explained why their truck picked this location in San Marcos.“We chose Red Bus Food Park because of it’s close proximity to the university. Our sandwiches have been a big hit with the students and late night crowds.”
What's your specialty?
“Our specialty and best seller is our Chicken Shawarma Arabi. Our founder, Abu Omar, created his own special recipe for the chicken shawarma and it is really what jump started our brand,” says Whitney.
What about catering?
“We can cater any occasion. We can do sandwich platters or buffet style catering for smaller events, but we also bring our truck on site for everything from baby showers to weddings.”
How many trucks do you have?
"We have 11 food trucks and 2 restaurants under the Abu Omar Halal brand. They are located in San Marcos, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston."
Red Bus Food Park is located right outside of the Texas State University Campus and services a large amount of students. Foot traffic also comes from Treff’s Tavern across the street which is a busy bar without a kitchen.
Liz has reached out to food truck groups in San Antonio and Austin looking for a good match for the park. “We are looking for full-time or part-time vendors at our new food park. We are open to rotation, but only have about two spots that would accommodate that. We are offering temporary spots during our grand opening next week. Trucks are welcome to contact us.”
[email protected]
512.537.1902
www.redbusfoodpark.com
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